Rydal Mound

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameRydal Mound
Alternative NamesThe Mount
Historic CountryWestmorland
Modern AuthorityCumbria
1974 AuthorityCumbria
Civil ParishLakes

Terraced Mound, 120 yards N.N.W. of the church, consists of a mound of an average height of 9 ft. above the natural level, the top being rather more than half a circle on plan and flat. Two continuous terraces are formed round the mound except on the straight, or N., side where there is only one terrace. This side, however, may have been damaged to some extent by the making of a modern lawn, though there would appear to be no evidence that the mound ever formed a complete circle. A modern wall has been built along the scarp of the lowest terrace and this terrace as a consequence is now wider than the others. Beyond the lowest scarp is a later pathway forming a further terrace for part of the circuit. (RCHME 1936)

Earthwork remains of a mound which is terraced and is 9 feet high. It is present in the grounds of Rydal Mount and may be 16th century in date. (PastScape)

The Mount, an unclassified terraced mound 9 ft high. ~ See the RCHM Westmorland 1936 (p. 203). ~ The mound has been imaginatively described as "? a sighting place for early Norse settlers?" (Carnie p. 227). (Lake District National Park HER)

Gatehouse Comments

Perriam and Robinson record McIntire (1936) as writing 'motte in valley... guarding one of the principal routes.' The location, as a place to control passage through the Lake District, is undoubtable. However it is questionable how much passage there was through this high land area in the medieval period. The suggestion of this being a motte does not seem to have been taken up by any castle studies writer. It has clearly been used as a prospect mound but it may not have originated as one. See Rydal Old Hall for medieval manorial centre.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNY364063
Latitude54.4482803344727
Longitude-2.9823100566864
Eastings336400
Northings506320
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Carnie, J.M., 2002, At Lakeland's Heart: Eighteen Journeys into the Past of Ambleside and its Locality from Rydal to Clappersgate until AD1900 (Windermere: Parrock Press) p. 227
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 361
  • RCHME, 1936, An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland (HMSO) p. 203 no. 36 online transcription