Barkhale Camp
Has been described as a Rejected Timber Castle (Other/Unknown)
There are no visible remains
| Name | Barkhale Camp |
| Alternative Names | Barkshale Wood |
| Historic Country | Sussex |
| Modern Authority | West Sussex |
| 1974 Authority | West Sussex |
| Civil Parish | Arundel |
The monument in Barkhale Wood, formerly interpreted as the site of a Norman motte castle, includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow and its surrounding quarry ditch. That the barrow has been modified in the early medieval or medieval period to form a moot mound is signified by the broad, shallow depression in the top of the mound. (West Sussex HER)
The barrow in Barkhale Wood which was converted to form the moot belongs to the most numerous type of round barrow and dates from the Late Neolithic or Bronze Age period. Bowl barrows covered burials of individuals or small groups, and can contribute to an understanding of the beliefs and social organisation of early prehistoric communities. The adaptation of the barrow illustrates one way in which prominent places in the landscape were adopted for moots. The barrow retains considerable potential despite its later reuse.
The monument in Barkhale Wood, formerly interpreted as the site of a Norman motte castle, includes a Bronze Age bowl barrow and its surrounding quarry ditch. That the barrow has been modified in the early medieval or medieval period to form a moot mound is signified by the broad, shallow depression in the top of the mound. The barrow mound is circular in plan and measures some 23m in diameter. It stands 2.2m above the level of the surrounding ground. The surrounding ditch is visible only on the south and south-east sides, having been largely infilled by eroded soil from the mound and by leaf litter. Where it is visible, the ditch measures some 2.5m across. The shallow, bowl-shaped depression in the interior was created when the barrow was adapted for use as a moot. This depression is 0.4m deep and 10m in diameter. The Barkhale Wood barrow appears to have been chosen for conversion into a moot mound as it lies at the junction between the parishes of Bignor, Bury, Houghton and Madehurst, the parishes over which the moot court had jurisdiction
The position of the parish boundaries may in fact, have been influenced by the location of the earlier barrow. (Scheduling Report)
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 | SU980123 |
| Latitude | 50.9047317504883 |
| Longitude | -0.613579988479614 |
| Eastings | 498020 |
| Northings | 112383 |
