Sutton upon Derwent Giants Hill

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameSutton upon Derwent Giants Hill
Alternative Names
Historic CountryYorkshire
Modern AuthorityEast Riding of Yorkshire
1974 AuthorityHumberside
Civil ParishSutton Upon Derwent

The monument is the Giant's Hill motte in Sutton Wood and includes a raised motte enclosed by a moat. The circular motte is 4m high and 23m in diameter. The sub-rectangular moat enclosing it is 1.5 to 2m wide and 1m deep; it is seasonally wet. A pit about 1m wide and deep has been dug into the summit of the mound. Little is known about the history of the monument, although it has been suggested that it was built to guard the nearby crossing of the River Derwent. (Scheduling Report)

About 500 yd. south of St. Loys, in Sutton wood, is the so-called Giant's Hill, which may be the site of a small moated homestead. (VCH ref. Ex inf. Royal Com. on Historical Monuments, York, 1974)

Gatehouse Comments

Park moat related to moated site at St Lois (or Loys) according to Jean le Patourel. In woodland. Since the crossing of the Derwent was clearly a kilometer further south and a motte at Sutton or Elvington would be more usual, and given the view that it is a park moat, it is doubtful as motte.

- 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 ReferenceSE710486
Latitude53.9288482666016
Longitude-0.919570028781891
Eastings471040
Northings448620
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Neave, Susan, 1991, Medieval Parks of East Yorkshire (Univeristy of Hull) p. 52
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 532 (possible)
  • Allison, K.J. (ed), 1976, 'Sutton Upon Derwent' VCH Yorkshire: East Riding Vol. 3 p. 173 online transcription
  • Loughlin, Neil and Miller, Keith, 1979, A survey of archaeological sites in Humberside carried out for the Humberside Joint Archaeological Committee p. 51
  • Le Patourel, H.E. Jean, 1973, The Moated Sites of Yorkshire (The Society for Medieval Archaeology Monograph Series 5) p. 116

Journals

  • Ramm, H.G., 1965, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 41 p. 331

Other

  • Creighton, O.H., 1998, Castles and Landscapes: An Archaeological Survey of Yorkshire and the East Midlands (PhD Thesis University of Leicester) p. 553 online copy