Castle Haugh

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Ringwork)

There are earthwork remains

NameCastle Haugh
Alternative NamesGisburn in Craven; Gisburne; Cromwells Basin; Castle in Craven
Historic CountryYorkshire
Modern AuthorityLancashire
1974 AuthorityLancashire
Civil ParishNewsholme

Castle Haugh ringwork, known locally as Cromwell's Basin, occupies the NW end of a tongue of high ground overlooking the River Ribble and commands extensive views to the NE and SE. The monument comprises a circular mound 5-6m high artificially raised above the external ground level. It is surrounded for much of its circumference by a dry ditch 2m deep. An earthen breastwork runs around the summit of the mound on all sides except the W. (Scheduling Report)

on the high bank of the Ribble, is a small and very entire square fort, called Castle-haugh; and near it a barrow, which, being opened, was found to contain a rude earthern urn. (Whitaker)

A small motte, 25 ft. high, with ditch 7 ft. deep and still retaining an earth breastwork around the top, known as Castle Haugh. (VCH)

Gatehouse Comments

Possibly the 'castle in Craven' destroyed by King David I in 1151. Crop/soil marks visible on the Google air photo may suggest a large bailey to the north of the ring-motte, although this does not seem to have been otherwise noted.

- 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 ReferenceSD829507
Latitude53.952751159668
Longitude-2.26066994667053
Eastings382996
Northings450776
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
Photograph by Matthew Emmott. All rights reservedView full Sized Image
Photograph by Matthew Emmott. All rights reservedView full Sized Image
Photograph by Matthew Emmott. All rights reservedView full Sized Image

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Books

  • Grimsditch, Brian, Nevell, Michael and Nevell, Richard, 2012, Buckton Castle and the Castles of the North West England (University of Salford Archaeological Monograph 2) p. 106
  • Turner, Maurice, 2004, Yorkshire Castles: Exploring Historic Yorkshire (Otley: Westbury Publishing) p. 91, 236
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 40
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 517, 529
  • Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p. 127
  • Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol. 2 p. 21
  • Whitaker, T.D., 1812, The History and Antiquities of the Deanery of Craven in the County of York (London) p. 35 (brief) online copy

Journals

  • Higham, Mary, 1991, 'The Mottes of North Lancashire, Lonsdale and South Cumbria' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 91 p. 79-90 (reprinted in Crosby, A.G. (ed), 2007, Of names and places: selected writings of Mary Higham (Nottingham: English Place-Name Society and the Society for Name Studies) p. 81-91) online copy
  • King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol. 3 p. 90-127

Primary Sources

  • Arnold, T. (ed), 1882-5, Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia (London: Rolls Series 75) Vol. 2 p. 328 (John of Hexham)

Other

  • Constable, Christopher, 2003, Aspects of the archaeology of the castle in the north of England C 1066-1216 (Doctoral thesis, Durham University) Available at Durham E-Theses Online
  • Creighton, O.H., 1998, Castles and Landscapes: An Archaeological Survey of Yorkshire and the East Midlands (PhD Thesis University of Leicester) p. 576 online copy