Sapcote Castle

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

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameSapcote Castle
Alternative NamesToot Hill
Historic CountryLeicestershire
Modern AuthorityLeicestershire
1974 AuthorityLeicestershire
Civil ParishSapcote

Medieval motte and bailey castle partly destroyed and partly surviving as an earthwork. Late Medieval moated site infilled and visible as cropmark. Roman sherds found. Excavations revealed stone buildings of castle. The remains of a motte, partly modified in circa 1778 but currently surviving as a mound rising to about 1m. The bailey ditch has been infilled in recent years and can be seen as a grass mark 100m to the west of the motte. There are also remains of three sides of a late Medieval moat, constructed adjacent to the castle bailey which survives as a grass mark. (PastScape)

Toot Hill Close is 140m x 80m and contains the remains of a motte, partly modified in circa 1778 but currently surviving as a mound rising to about 1m. The bailey ditch has been infilled in recent years and can be seen as a grass mark 100m to the west of the motte. Park Close, measuring 150m square, contains three sides of a late medieval moat, constructed adjacent to the castle bailey, which was infilled in circa 1960 and survives as a grass mark along the course of its northern arm. Reports dating from the 1920's onwards indicate the presence of stone castle buildings in the vicinity of the motte. The bailey originally extended to the north but this part was heavily modified by the construction of a factory. (PastScape–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 ReferenceSP486934
Latitude52.5360412597656
Longitude-1.28227996826172
Eastings448600
Northings293400
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 52° 32' 9.21" Longitude -1° 16' 53.75"

View full Sized Image

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

Calculate Print

Books

  • Knox, Richard, 2015, 'The medieval fortified sites of Leicestershire and Rutland' in Medieval Leicestershire: Recent research on the Medieval Archaeology of Leicester (Liecestershire Fieldworks 3) p. 123-42
  • Cantor, Leonard, 2003, The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Leicestershire and Rutland (Leicester: Kairos Press) p. 37-8
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 43
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 255
  • Wall, C., 1907, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm, (ed), VCH Leicestershire Vol. 1 p. 253 (plan) online copy
  • Nichols, J., 1811, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire Vol. 4 p. 899- online copy

Journals

  • Butler, A., 2000, 'Sapcote, Sapcote Castle' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 74 p. 251 online copy
  • Higgins, T., 1999, 'Sapcote, Sapcote Playing Field (SP 486 934)' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 73 p. 111 online copy
  • Creighton, O.H., 1997, 'Early Leicestershire Castles: Archaeology and Landscape History' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 71 p. 21-36 esp 34 online copy
  • Cantor, Leonard, 1977-8, 'The Medieval Castles of Leicestershire' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 53 p. 39 online copy
  • Smith, S., 1974, 'Sapcote (Note)' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 49 p. 62 online copy
  • Smith, S., 1970, 'Sapcote (Note)' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 45 p. 77 online copy
  • Smith, S., 1968, 'Sapcote (Note)' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 43 p. 64 online copy
  • Smith, S., 1967, 'Sapcote (Note)' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 42 p. 87 online copy
  • Hawkes, C.J., 1967, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 42 p. 87 online copy
  • Hawkes, C.J., 1966, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 41 p. 69 online copy
  • Addyman, P.V., 1960, 'Excavations at a moated site at Sapcote, 1958' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 36 p. 1-5 online copy
  • Addyman, P.V., 1959, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 35 p. 84 online copy

Other

  • Creighton, O.H., 1998, Castles and Landscapes: An Archaeological Survey of Yorkshire and the East Midlands (PhD Thesis University of Leicester) p. 395-6 (misplaced reference to licence to crenellate refers to Kirby Muxloe) online copy