Grafton Court Farm Motte

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

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameGrafton Court Farm Motte
Alternative Names
Historic CountryHerefordshire
Modern AuthorityHerefordshire
1974 AuthorityHereford and Worcester
Civil ParishGrafton

Cropmark in pasture of large circular feature, over corner of cropmark enclosure (D shaped?) with double ditch on SW side. In addition there are other ditches outside of this, relationship not clear. Is this a motte built into an earlier enclosure? As much of the earliest development of castle took place in the Herefordshire borders, this site is potentially very important. One of very few mottes in the county built into earlier features. The site was visited (Roger Stirling-Brown) after examining an aerial photograph of the site. (J. Pickering). The evidence on the ground shows an eroded mound and the shallow remains of ditch three quarters of the way round. There is also signs of a silted pool on the NW quarter. There is buried stone on the edge of the mound and in the former ditch area. Ploughing has disturbed a lot of stone. Two pieces of stone were noted with diagonal tooling marks. A possible double ditch exists on the SW side of the bailey (Halliwell). (Herefordshire SMR)

Not scheduled

Not Listed

County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSO494369
Latitude52.0282096862793
Longitude-2.73825001716614
Eastings349400
Northings236900
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Shoesmith, Ron, 2009 (Rev edn.), Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press) p. 142-3
  • Phillips, Neil, 2005, Earthwork Castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250 (University of Wales) p. 199 Download from ADS

Journals

  • Halliwell, P.R. (ed), 1993, Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 59 p. 15
  • 1992, Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 58 p. 42
  • 1991, Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol. 56 p. 31