Warcop Castle Hill

Has been described as a Possible Masonry Castle

There are no visible remains

NameWarcop Castle Hill
Alternative NamesWardcop; Warcoppe
Historic CountryWestmorland
Modern AuthorityCumbria
1974 AuthorityCumbria
Civil ParishWarcop

"Warcop once had a castle which stood near where the cemetery stands today"...(c NY 750154). There is now no trace of the building, though according to Machell, vicar of Kirkby Thore in the 17th century there were then "some of the castle walls still standing, which in places were 15' thick". The road here is still called Castle Hill (Sowerby).

The castle occupied about an acre of land with walls 5 paces thick built of hewn stone. It is documented in 1424. Evidently stone from this monument was used to build the steeple at Kirkby Stephen church in 1606 (Perriam and Robinson). (PastScape)

On Castle Hill we have the site of Warcop Castle which covered more than an acre of ground; Machel speaks of the walls being 15 feet thick well cemented, with the tradition that the steeple of K. Stephen church was built with stones from here in 1606. Collingwood, Ancient Monuments. (Curwen 1932)

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNY750154
Latitude54.534538269043
Longitude-2.38756990432739
Eastings375000
Northings515400
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 92
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 313
  • Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press) p. 42
  • Sowerby, R., 1950 (2edn), Historic Kirkby Stephen and North Westmorland p. 36
  • Curwen, J.F., 1932, 'Parishes (East Ward): St Colombe, Warcop' The Later Records relating to North Westmorland: or the Barony of Appleby (Kendal: CWAAS Record Series 8) p. 227 online transcription
  • Hodgson, J., 1810, Topographical and Historical Description of Westmoreland p. 155 online copy
  • Nicolson, J. and Burn, R., 1777, History and Antiquites of Cumberland and Westmorland Vol. 1 p. 606 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Ewbank, J.M. (ed), 1963, Antiquary on Horseback (CWAAS extra series No. 19) (Thomas Machell's writings)

Journals

  • Hodgson, T.H., 1894-5, 'Extracts from Record of Privy Council relating to Cumberland and Westmorland in the Reign of Queen Mary' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 13 p. 236 online copy
  • Hodgson, J.F., 1880, 'Kirkby Stephen Church' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 4 p. 229n online copy

Primary Sources

  • 1424 Inquisitions post mortem of Ralph Neville

Other

  • Clare, T., 1982, A Report on Medieval Fortified Sites in Cumbria (Cumbria CC)