Sutton Walls
Has been described as a Rejected Timber Castle (Other/Unknown), and also as a Rejected Masonry Castle
There are earthwork remains
| Name | Sutton Walls |
| Alternative Names | Sutton Castle; Offa's Castle |
| Historic Country | Herefordshire |
| Modern Authority | Herefordshire |
| 1974 Authority | Hereford and Worcester |
| Civil Parish | Sutton |
Sutton Walls, a hill fort; the single rampart and ditch enclosing an area of about 28 acres. The entrances are at the E and W ends, the gaps on the N and S sides being modern. Large scale quarrying started in 1935 within the interior, and about 25% of the western end internally has been quarried away to a depth of some 6.0m. The site was excavated by Miss K.M. Kenyon between 1948 and 1951. The first occupation was early in the 1st century BC and was occupied until the 4th century AD. Finds. I.A. and Ro. Pottery was found in great abundance. Loom weights, spindle whorls, and weaving combs are evidence of a textile industry. Antler cheek-pieces of bridles and skeletal remains show that horses were in common use. Animal bones indicate the people were rich in herds. Iron slag was found in most levels; also an iron anvil and fragments of iron implements, rings, etc. Bronze objects suggest that some bronze working was carried out on the site. Small finds include bronze fibulae, iron objects incl. spear head and arrow head and objects of bronze, shale, glass and bone. Also 5 Roman coins. Twenty four bodies were identified. These were a group of war casualties killed in the defence of the fort against the Romans. (PastScape ref. Kenyon)
Sutton Walls. Hill-top fort. Defences consist of a steep scarp, except for a small portion, some 50yds long, in the middle of the S side, where there is a slight earthen rampart. There were Gatehouse Comments
Clearly the excavation excludes this as a medieval castle site. As so often with such sites the question is given the existence of a strong earthwork and the supposed danger of warfare in the medieval welsh march what is the reason for not reusing such a site if not for a castle then as a defensible village. The answer most likely lies in water supply and the possibility that the undoubted dangers of the marches are rather exaggerated both by contemporary medieval writers and modern authors.
- Philip Davis
This site is a scheduled monument protected by law
Not Listed
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
| OS Map Grid Reference | SO525464 |
| Latitude | 52.1138801574707 |
| Longitude | -2.69359993934631 |
| Eastings | 352500 |
| Northings | 246400 |
