Colstey Castle Field

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Motte)

There are no visible remains

NameColstey Castle Field
Alternative Names
Historic CountryShropshire
Modern AuthorityShropshire
1974 AuthorityShropshire
Civil ParishClun

A much spread mound discernible at SO 30348410 (Annotated Record Map - A J Bird 1966).

The position quoted above falls on a NW facing slope, now afforested. No trace of any mound was seen. The field adjoining to the N is known as "Castle Field", but the reason for this name was not ascertained (F1 ASP 14-DEC-73).

Site of a mound, possibly a motte, destroyed between 1966-73, situated north of Colstey Farm in Castle Field (Jackson 1988). (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Seemingly isolated from medieval settlement, although this was an area of dispersed homestead some held by tenants owing military service. Collsty, as a township in the parish of Clun, is listed as paying a considerable great tithe to Wenlock Priory at the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII (Eyton) so it entirely possible this lost mound was associated with a township, possibly one containing the house of a military tenant (a sergeant rather than a knight), although there is no evidence for this (The records for Castle-guard service at Clun Castle are not complete and, therefore, do not exclude such a possibility although if so then the service must have been commuted to a money payment quite early.). Does stand by a road through a steep sided valley in a position that might be considered tactical although it is a steep sloped site arguably not convenient for occupation. However, it is also possibly that this lost mound was something other than a motte which happened to be in a field with a castle name (representing some tenurial relationship with Clun Castle) and that Collsty was 300m SW where Colstey is now. Gatehouse considers the second explanation more likely, mainly on the grounds of the unsuitability of the site of the supposed mound as a residence which, to be made suitable for a residence, would have had some levelling take place and this should have survived as a visible earthwork.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSO303841
Latitude52.4504318237305
Longitude-3.02554988861084
Eastings330340
Northings284100
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p. 66
  • 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. 11
  • Eyton, R.W., 1860, Antiquities of Shropshire (London: John Russell Smith) Vol. 11 p. 241 online copy