Castlefacts³

Kirklinton Castle Hill

Has been described as a Possible Tower House

There are no visible remains

Name	Kirklinton Castle Hill
Alternative Names	Kirklington; Levington Hall; Stubb
Historic Country	Cumberland
Modern Authority	Cumbria
1974 Authority	Cumbria
Civil Parish	Kirklinton Middle

"A few hundred yards from the house of the Dacres (Kirklinton Hall) may be traced the remains of an old mansion or castle .... From this place, it is said, many of the stones were got for building Kirklinton Hall. Between this place and the church .... there seems to have been a town. It is now tillage ground, but in many places there are pavements not above ten or twelve inches below the surface" (Graham).

There are no visible remains of a building of any type. The published site is situated on a small natural hillock from which the ground falls away to the north and west. The level area to the east is traversed by a slight ditch 0.5m deep and 80.0m in length, terminating to the north east in a small ravine. This may be the remains of an obstructive ditch, but the two arms of a moat (published on the 25") are no more than natural gullies. The alleged "site of the town" falls in pasture land at NY 433672 and there are no visible remains. (Field Investigators Comments–F1 BHP 22-OCT-72).

The highest land land near Stubb has locally been known as Castle Hill, the site of a strongly fortified house of the de Levington family (Perriam and Robinson). (PastScape)

King writes 'Remains of some ditches belonging to probable tower mentioned in 1590'. A possible late tower house is recorded in the SMR record for Kirklinton Hall /p>

Gatehouse Comments

It is difficult to see a reason for moving Kirklington Hall a couple of hundred yard, since there seems no significant difference between the two sites, although the changes of ownership recorded in Bulmer might give some reason. Field boundaries shown on the 1868 OS map have since been removed and the area has clearly been ploughed but it still seems the physical evidence for any structure at this site is weak. However this is a strong tradition, houses do move and current Kirklinton Hall is said to date to 1661 and a tower is recorded before that date. A tower probably existed at Kirklinton, the caput of the Levington barony, probably of some strength since sometimes called a castle, but the precise location is uncertain. The recorded traditional site is not unreasonable and robbing of stone can be impressively intense. Further investigation with geophysics and judicious and careful metal detecting could be informative.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

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

11558

County Historic Environment Record

maps.cumbria.gov.uk/eggp/eggp.aspx?dept=Environment&scriptname=1%20Historic%20Environment

OS Map Grid Reference	NY432674
Latitude	54.9982604980469
Longitude	-2.88860988616943
Eastings	343260
Northings	567430