Wilderley Hill

Has been described as a Rejected Timber Castle (Ringwork)

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameWilderley Hill
Alternative NamesPicklescott
Historic CountryShropshire
Modern AuthorityShropshire
1974 AuthorityShropshire
Civil ParishChurch Pulverbatch

possible ringwork destroyed in early C20. (Jackson 1988)

An earthwork of oval plan lies on the eastwood slope of Wilderley Hill. It measures 175ft by 135ft and is enclosed by a bank and ditch and counterscarp bank, being best preserved on the north where the bank rises 2ft above the interior and drops 5ft into the ditch. Only a third of the counterscarp bank survives, 1ft high, and the whole of the earthworks have been destroyed on the SE, leaving only a faint trace of their former course. (Possibly a ring-work castle, though not listed by Hogg and King, or by King and Alcock).

This earthwork has been destroyed, probably during afforestation of the area some 50-60 years ago. The site is indicated by a faint, unsurveyable rise of ground, the area of which approximates roughly with that of the former earthwork (F1 ASP 30-NOV-72). (PastScape)

The monument includes the remains of a small Iron Age enclosed farmstead situated on the gentle south east facing slope of Wilderley Hill. The farmstead enclosure is well defined, roughly circular in plan, with an overall external diameter of 60m and an interior area c.42m in diameter. The visible earthworks include a substantial perimeter bank averaging 5m wide and 1.1m high with an external ditch 3.3m wide and 0.8m deep. Traces of an external counterscarp bank can be recognised around the south western quarter of the monument, standing up to 0.2m high. The main bank and ditch is continuous around the uphill side of the enclosure, providing shelter from the rising ground to the north west and some protection from water draining off the hillslope. The bank and ditch are interrupted in the south eastern, downslope quarter, where no trace of either can be recognised. This may represent the position of the original entrance to the enclosure

The interior of the enclosure follows the natural slope of the land over most of its area, however, slight evidence of levelling in the south west and north west quadrants, may represent the sites of original buildings. (EH Scheduling record)

Gatehouse Comments

Remote from settlement and an unlikely castle site. The 1908 description of the site was 'oval in plan with respective diameters of 175' and 135', surrounded by remains of a double vallum and intermediate fosse'. The site has not been destroyed, although it may have been damaged, and is scheduled as Iron Age enclosure.Gatehouse considers it unlikely that this site had any medieval use.

- Philip Davis

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 ReferenceSO420999
Latitude52.5943412780762
Longitude-2.8570499420166
Eastings342040
Northings299960
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 45
  • Wall (after Downham), 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol. 1 p. 379-80 (Plan)
  • Cobbold, E.S., 1904, in Campbell-Hyslop and Cobbold (eds), Church Stretton: Some Results of Local Scientific Research (Shrewsbury) Vol. 3 p. 8-10

Other

  • English Heritage, 1994, Scheduling Papers (Revision, 14/12/1994)
  • Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, 1983, Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 15525