Castlefacts³

Mexborough Castle Hill

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Motte), and also as a Certain Masonry Castle

There are earthwork remains

Name	Mexborough Castle Hill
Alternative Names	Mexbrough
Historic Country	Yorkshire
Modern Authority	Doncaster
1974 Authority	South Yorkshire
Civil Parish	Mexborough

a circular bailey, c.25m in diameter, with a peripheral motte, c.8m high and c.5m across at the top. The bailey is surrounded by substantial banks rising c.2m above the present inner ground level and c.5m above the outer ditch. Entrance to the bailey is via a defensive approach on the north west side that survives as an earthwork between the bailey rampart and the motte. A similar but smaller feature can be seen on the south side. Situated on the north bank of the River Don, the site commands the ancient ford at Strafforth Sands. In the 11th century it was a manor of Roger de Busli, lord of Tickhill. Writing in the 17th century, Dodsworth mentions "Mexborough, where hath once been a castle", suggesting the stone visible in the top of the motte is part of the foundations of a stone tower. (Scheduling Report)

Medieval motte and bailey castle, damaged by landscape gardening. The truncated motte is 52 feet high above the ditch and the bailey is surrounded by a bank 6 feet in height. The ditch surrounding the motte and bailey is 50 feet wide. Although mutilated most of these features were present during field investigation in 1965 and are visible as earthworks on air photographs. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

The modern town of Mexborough gives little hint of the medieval layout. The parish church, now well east from the modern town centre was actual on the west of the medieval village with the castle some distance from the village. A footbridge across the river Don marks the approximate site of a ford/ferry crossing but another ford was sited more directly beneath the castle. The castle is not on the highest land (The adjacent primary school is on higher land) but on the false crest of river escarpment making the site visible from the old road and the River Don coming from Conisborough (The old road does seem to have followed the line of the modern A6023, along the crest top, and not run closer to the river below the castle as previously stated in this Gatehouse record). However, the castle is not well visible nor has particularly good views of the land to the north or the river to the west and its view of and from the parish church and village centre is not impressive, being partly shielded.One of these fords may have been the ford of Strafforth Sands from which the large Wapentake of Strafford took its name, although that may also have been the ford below Conisborough (or indeed the ford may have moved over time according to the changes in the course and flow of the Don). The building of a large canal and the general reduction in river flows because of water extraction mean the modern river Don, whilst still sizeable, is but a shadow of the medieval river which was certainly navigable to Mexborough and probably (with some haulage over shallows) all the way to Sheffield. It has been suggested it may even have been tidal as far as Mexborough

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

316463

County Historic Environment Record

www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MSY3754&resourceID=1027

OS Map Grid Reference	SK484999
Latitude	53.493579864502
Longitude	-1.27086997032166
Eastings	448400
Northings	399900