Churchover Motte

Has been described as a Possible Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameChurchover Motte
Alternative NamesWavrei; Waverei; Coton
Historic CountryWarwickshire
Modern AuthorityWarwickshire
1974 AuthorityWarwickshire
Civil ParishChurchover

A well preserved little moated mount castle about half a mile south of Coton House. "The remains consist of a low circular artificial hill, measuring about 150' in diam. at its base, with a flat top about 70' across; it is surrounded by a ditch, in which water still lies at the south-east side.." (VCH, 1904). "At Churchover, south of coton House and 2 1/2 miles north of Rugby, is a moated mound; it is sometimes classed as a castle. It is probably another example of an early mill mound." (Chatwin). No historical evidence was found to substantiate this as being a castle mound. The work is badly mutilated, carries a modern water tower and is probably a mill mound associated with the desertion to the north (Field Investigators Comments–F1 FDC 17-APR-68) Mentioned as "Waverei" in 1201, at which time it was in possession of de Waver (sub Stafford). (King; Rot Lit Pat 3b; Place Names of Warwickshire). (PastScape)

Rad' de Trubleville habent litteras domini Rex patentes directas Roberto de Tresgoz ut ei liberet castell' de Waverei custodiend' cum omnibus ad illud pertinentibus. Apud Montem Fortem, vij. die Dec'. Per Magistrum W. de Bodeh'. (Rot. Litt. Pat. p. 3b)

Gatehouse Comments

Called Motte by King and Renn. Although now isolated from settlement is near to DMV of Coton and surviving high status house and environs. Has not been excavated or even investigated since 1904. Has been identified as the castellum de Waverei mentioned in Rot. Litt. Pat. p. 3b and held by de Waver (sub Stafford). The landscape has been disturbed by construction of a motorway. Dugale writes "In this Parish upon the old Roman way called Watlingssrete, is to be seen a very great Tumulus, which is of that magnitude, that it puts passenges beside the usual road" This is clearly a reference to a lost mound, either prehistoric or Saxon at or near Gibbet Hill at SP527807 and Dugdale does not mention any other mounds. The VCH suggests there may have been some confabulation in records between mounds in this area.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSP518787
Latitude52.404598236084
Longitude-1.2388299703598
Eastings451880
Northings278780
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 1992, Castles and Moated Mansions of Warwickshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 25
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 482
  • Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 341
  • Gover, J.E.B., Mawer, A. and Stenton, F.M., 1936, The Place‑Names of Warwickshire (English Place-Name Society 13) p. 103-4
  • Willoughby Gardner, 1904, 'Ancient Defensive Earthworks' in Doubleday, H.A. and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Warwickshire Vol. 1 p. 368 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Dugdale, Wm., 1656, The Antiquities of Warwickshire (Thomas Warren) p. 11 online copy

Journals

  • Brown, R. Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol. 74 p. 249-280 (Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 90-121) view online copy (subscription required)
  • Chatwin, P.B., 1947-8, 'Castles in Warwickshire' Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society Vol. 67 p. 32

Primary Sources

  • Hardy, D.H. (ed), 1835, Rotuli litterarm patentium in Turri londinensi asservati (Record Commission) p. 3b online copy