Binweston

Has been described as a Possible Timber Castle (Motte), and also as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameBinweston
Alternative NamesBynweston; Bing Weston
Historic CountryShropshire
Modern AuthorityShropshire
1974 AuthorityShropshire
Civil ParishWorthen With Shelve

An earthwork completely obscured by a large black and white house, which can be seen to stand on some kind of artificial terrace about 8' high on the downhill (SE) side. "There was formerly a wet moat from the adjoining brook. The original earthwork would seem to have been relatively large as the house is 100ft. long and there is a fragment of bank behind the farm-buildings at its rear, perhaps 200ft. away; but these indications are distinctly uncertain, and we can only say that there are very definite indications of some kind of castle mound" (King and Spurgeon 1965).

"Mount and Fosse" at Binweston. The former is 15ft. high and the latter 2 to 3 ft. deep. The summit is occupied by an old farmhouse (VCH 1908 p. 389).

"At Binweston is a triangular moat formed against a bend in a stream" (VCH 1908 p. 405).

Only fragmentary portions of the moat remain and there is little evidence to suggest that a castle mound ever stood here. The farmhouse within the remains of the wood appears to be of 16th. C. origin but has many alterations and additions (F1 MHB 09-MAR-71).

Possible Medieval moated site (MSRGR 1980). (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Despite a clear description of a motte and fosse in the VCH the field investigator MHB appeared, in 1971, to be dismissive of this as a possible motte site. Given the not inconsiderable developments of farm buildings at Binweston it is perhaps more surprising that, in fact, there is still some remaining evidence of the motte. Possible manorial centre for quarter of Bing Weston, in parish of Worthen. Worthen is recorded in Domesday as an estate of Robert fitz Corbet but seems to have been mainly held by a number of knightly sub-tenants, although Binweston seems to have been directly held demense.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSJ301041
Latitude52.6300392150879
Longitude-3.03455996513367
Eastings330100
Northings304110
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p. 25
  • Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 87 (slight)
  • Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 4
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 433 (Worthen No. 1)
  • Wall (after Downham), 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol. 1 p. 389 (plan), 405
  • Eyton, R.W., 1860, Antiquities of Shropshire (London: John Russell Smith) Vol. 11 p. 108-9 (tenurial history) online copy

Journals

  • 1980, Moated Sites Research Group report Vol. 7 p. 53
  • King, D.J.C. and Spurgeon, C.J., 1965, 'The mottes in the Vale of Montgomery' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 114 p. 70
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 112 p. 77-124
  • Chitty, Lily, 1949, 'Subsidiary Castle Sites West of Shrewsbury' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Vol. 53 p. 83-90