Hunworth Castle Hill

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Ringwork)

There are earthwork remains

NameHunworth Castle Hill
Alternative Names
Historic CountryNorfolk
Modern AuthorityNorfolk
1974 AuthorityNorfolk
Civil ParishStody

Medieval ringwork, prominently situated on a glacial spur of sand and gravel overlooking the village of Hunworth to the south west and commanding two crossings of the River Glaven. The ringwork has an overall diameter of 95m and is visible as a penannular earthwork enclosure surrounded by an inner bank, a ditch and a slight counterscarp bank. The inner bank is most clearly defined on the north and east side of the enclosure, where it stands to a height of up to 1.5m above the level of the ground surface in the interior and measures about 15m wide at the base. During limited excavations conducted by the Norfolk Rescue Committee in 1965, the inner face of the bank on the east side was examined and traces of a possible timber revetment observed, backed by the remains of a bank of turf which may have been constructed as part of the preliminary marking out of the enclosure. The counterscarp bank remains visible on the north, north east and south west sides of the enclosure and is about 0.5m in height. The ditch remains open to a depth of between 0.6m and 1.3m below the level of the couterscarp bank except on the south and part of the west side, where it is marked by a slight ledge in the natural slope. (PastScape)

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 ReferenceTG072352
Latitude52.8746299743652
Longitude1.07808005809784
Eastings607250
Northings335230
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Cushion, B. and Davison, A., 2003, Earthworks of Norfolk (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 104) p. 172 (plan)
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 58
  • Liddiard, R., 2000, Landscapes of Lordship (British Archaeological Reports British Series 309) p. 96-8 (plan)
  • Rogerson, Andrew, 1994, 'Castles' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p. 68-9
  • Margeson, S., Seiller, F. and Rogerson, A., 1994, The Normans in Norfolk (Norfolk Museums Service) p. 32
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 307, lxvi

Journals

  • Liddiard, Robert, 2006, 'Early castles in the Medieval Landscape of East Anglia' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 243-50
  • King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol. 3 p. 90-127
  • 1965, CBA Group 7: Bulletin of Archaeological discoveries Vol. 12 p. 4

Other

  • Green, B. and Taylor, M., 1966, Trial Excavation on an Earthwork at Castle Hill, Hunworth, Norfolk (unpubl. report, Norfolk SMR)