There are nine castles in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. They consist of four motte-and-bailey castles, three fortified manor houses, an enclosure castle, and a possible shell keep. A motte-and-bailey castle is characterised by two elements: the motte is an artificial mound with a wooden stockade and stronghold on top, usually a stone keep or tower,[1] while the bailey is a defended enclosure adjacent to the motte, typically enclosed by a ditch and a bank topped by a timber palisade or stone wall.[2] Motte-and-bailey castles were the most common type of castle in England following the Norman Conquest.[3] A shell keep was a motte with a stone wall rather than a wooden stockade on top; there would have been no tower within the walls.[4] Four of Greater Manchester's castles are scheduled monuments: Buckton, Bury, Radcliffe Tower, and Watch Hill. A scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.[5]
Radcliffe Tower is one of three fortified manor houses in Greater Manchester.
The purpose of a castle was not simply militaristic, but was also considered to be a stamp of authority over the population of an area and a status symbol. Some would have acted as centres of trade and administration for a manor.[6] The earliest castles in Greater Manchester are Dunham Castle and Watch Hill Castle in Trafford, Ullerwood Castle in Manchester, and Stockport Castle in Stockport. Dunham, Ullerwood, and Stockport castles were first recorded in 1173 as belonging to barons who had rebelled against Henry II,[7] and Watch Hill likely dates from this period; and at least three were motte-and-bailey castles, probably because of the speed and ease with which they could be erected.[8]Hamon de Massey, who owned the Trafford castles and Ullerwood, and Geoffrey de Constentyn, who owned Stockport Castle, were two of the three rebels from Cheshire; the other was the Earl of Chester, the owner of Chester Castle.[7]
Castles continued to be built in the area, although the last to be built in Greater Manchester were two fortified manor houses near Bury, built more for comfort than as utilitarian military structures. Bury Castle and Radcliffe Tower followed the national trend in the 13th century; they would most likely have acted as the centre of the manor they served.[9]
Buckton Castle is on Buckton Hill near Carrbrook, overlooking the Tame Valley.[10] Its location possibly allowed the castle to guard the valley.[11] It was probably built by the earls of Chester in the 12th century,[12] and was first referred to in 1360, by which time it was ruinous.[13] It was constructed with a stone curtain wall and is surrounded by a ditch 10 metres (33 ft) wide and 6 metres (20 ft) deep; the site covers an area of 730 square metres (0.18 acres).[14] The site has been damaged by 18th-century treasure hunters and is close to Buckton Vale Quarry.[10][15]
The castle is on a slope overlooking the River Irwell in the centre of modern Bury. It is a fortified manor house constructed from stone and was built for Sir Thomas Pilkington.[17] The castle may have replaced an earlier house on the site, surrounded by a moat.[16] Excavation of known remains has revealed foundation walls 180 metres (590 ft) by 82 metres (269 ft) and a keep or tower 25 metres (82 ft) by 19 metres (62 ft).[18] Bury Castle was razed to the ground after the Wars of the Roses when Thomas Pilkington had his land confiscated.[18] The remains, previously buried, have been excavated for public view, forming the centre piece of Castle Square in the town centre.[16]
It was first referred to in 1173 and belonged to Hamon de Massey. Dunham Castle was still standing in 1323 and fell into disuse between then and 1362.[19] The castle is 24 metres (79 ft) in diameter and survives to a height of 2 metres (6.6 ft).[20] The site is surrounded by a moat which has been turned into an ornamental lake.[20] It used to be protected as a scheduled monument, but was delisted as it may be a "natural hummock of glacial sand".[21]
It is probably located on a bluff where the rivers Irk and Irwell meet, near to Manchester Cathedral, underneath where Chetham's School of Music now is, putting it near the edge of the medieval town of Manchester.[22][24] It may have originally been a ringwork castle before it became a manor house.[24] First recorded in 1184, in 1215 Manchester Castle was recorded as being held by Gresle,[23] the baron of Manchester, 1243 Robert de Furch.[25] Three rings of ditches have been discovered surrounding the likely site of the castle.[22]
Located on Church Street East in Bury, the tower is all that remains of a medieval fortified manor house, built in 1403 and constructed from stone with two towers and a moat.[26] The house was demolished in the 19th century leaving only one remaining tower, which is now a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.[26][27] The tower measures 9.6 metres (31 ft) by 17 metres (56 ft) and survives to 6.1 metres (20 ft) in height.[27] It was used as a pig sty before being restored.[26]
The castle is defended by a ditch and an earth rampart; the motte measures 30 metres (100 ft) at the base and the bailey is 37 metres (121 ft) by 30 metres (100 ft).[28] It lay derelict by the early 13th century.[28] Both the motte and bailey are obscured by housing developments.[29]
Stockport Castle is in the town of Stockport on the south side of a valley, overlooking a ford over the River Mersey.[31] It was first referred to in 1173 when Geoffrey de Constentyn held it against Henry II during the barons' rebellion.[30] Stockport Castle was originally constructed with timber and earthwork defences, though these were replaced with stone walls at the start of the 13th century.[30] The castle lay in ruins by 1535 and was demolished in 1775 to be replaced by a cotton mill.[30][32] Although no trace of the keep on top of the motte survives, it was recorded in 1775 as being irregular in shape and measuring 31 by 60 metres (102 by 197 ft). The bailey is located to the south-east of the motte.[33]
It has been confused with Watch Hill Castle in nearby Bowdon; both probably belonged to Hamon de Massey.[8] Ullerwood Castle was first referred to in 1173 as one of the castles de Massey held against Henry II.[8] The site is topped by a modern house.[29]
It is located on the boundary of Bowdon and Dunham Massey. The castle was constructed from timber, with a 6 metres (20 ft) high motte measuring 40 metres (130 ft) wide at its base and 17 metres (56 ft) across at the top; the bailey covers approximately 2,400 square metres (0.59 acres).[8] A coin from Henry II's reign was discovered at the castle, and the castle may have been built in this period. It most likely belonged to Hamon de Massey.[8] If it was built in Henry II's reign, it may have been used in the barons' rebellion against Henry II.[8] The castle had fallen out of use by the 13th century.[8]
^ ab"Dunham Massey". The Gatehouse – the comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
^Historic England. "Dunham Castle (74865)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 26 February 2008.
^ abcHistoric England. "Manchester Castle (1386094)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 20 January 2008.
^ ab"Manchester Castle". The Gatehouse – the comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
Arrowsmith, Peter (1997). Stockport: A History. Stockport: Stockport MBC Community Services Division, and Stockport Libraries, in association with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN0-905164-99-7.
Ashworth, Terry (Summer 1999). "The Rediscovery of Bury Castle". Bury Local History Society Journal.
Dent, J.S. (1977). "Recent Excavations on the site of Stockport Castle". Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society. 79: 1–13.
Friar, Stephen (2003). The Sutton Companion to Castles. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN978-0-7509-3994-2.
Brian Grimsditch; Mike Nevell & Norman Redhead (September 2007). Buckton Castle: An Archaeological Evaluation of a Medieval Ringwork – an Interim Report. University of Manchester Archaeological Unit.
Grimsditch, Brian; Nevell, Michael; Nevell, Richard (2012), Buckton Castle and the Castles of North West England, University of Salford Archaeological Monographs volume 2 and the Archaeology of Tameside volume 9, Centre for Applied Archaeology, School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, ISBN978-0-9565947-2-3
Kidd, Alan (1996). Manchester. Keele: Keele University Press. ISBN1-85331-028-X.
Nevell, Mike (1998). Lands and Lordships in Tameside. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN1-871324-18-1.
Nevell, Mike (1997). The Archaeology of Trafford. Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN1-870695-25-9.
Newman, Caron (2006). "Medieval Period Resource Assessment". Archaeology North West. 8: 115–144. ISSN 0962-4201.
Redhead, Norman (1997). "Watch Hill Castle". The Archaeology of Trafford. Trafford Metropolitan Borough with University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. pp. 34–35. ISBN1-870695-25-9.
Rowley, Trevor (1997). Norman England. Batsford and English Heritage. ISBN0-7134-8060-2.
Further reading
Swallow, Rachel (2018). "Hilltop castles in a medieval landscape: Beeston and Buckton, Cheshire, England". Château Gaillard. Etudes de castellologie médiévale. 28: 271–282.
April 07, 2023
list, castles, greater, manchester, there, nine, castles, greater, manchester, metropolitan, county, north, west, england, they, consist, four, motte, bailey, castles, three, fortified, manor, houses, enclosure, castle, possible, shell, keep, motte, bailey, ca. There are nine castles in Greater Manchester a metropolitan county in North West England They consist of four motte and bailey castles three fortified manor houses an enclosure castle and a possible shell keep A motte and bailey castle is characterised by two elements the motte is an artificial mound with a wooden stockade and stronghold on top usually a stone keep or tower 1 while the bailey is a defended enclosure adjacent to the motte typically enclosed by a ditch and a bank topped by a timber palisade or stone wall 2 Motte and bailey castles were the most common type of castle in England following the Norman Conquest 3 A shell keep was a motte with a stone wall rather than a wooden stockade on top there would have been no tower within the walls 4 Four of Greater Manchester s castles are scheduled monuments Buckton Bury Radcliffe Tower and Watch Hill A scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building given protection against unauthorised change 5 Map of Greater Manchester with the locations of castles Buckton Castle Bury Castle Dunham Castle Manchester Castle Radcliffe Tower Rochdale Castle Stockport Castle Ullerwood Castle Watch Hill Castle Radcliffe Tower is one of three fortified manor houses in Greater Manchester The purpose of a castle was not simply militaristic but was also considered to be a stamp of authority over the population of an area and a status symbol Some would have acted as centres of trade and administration for a manor 6 The earliest castles in Greater Manchester are Dunham Castle and Watch Hill Castle in Trafford Ullerwood Castle in Manchester and Stockport Castle in Stockport Dunham Ullerwood and Stockport castles were first recorded in 1173 as belonging to barons who had rebelled against Henry II 7 and Watch Hill likely dates from this period and at least three were motte and bailey castles probably because of the speed and ease with which they could be erected 8 Hamon de Massey who owned the Trafford castles and Ullerwood and Geoffrey de Constentyn who owned Stockport Castle were two of the three rebels from Cheshire the other was the Earl of Chester the owner of Chester Castle 7 Castles continued to be built in the area although the last to be built in Greater Manchester were two fortified manor houses near Bury built more for comfort than as utilitarian military structures Bury Castle and Radcliffe Tower followed the national trend in the 13th century they would most likely have acted as the centre of the manor they served 9 Contents 1 List of castles 2 See also 3 References 3 1 Notes 3 2 Bibliography 4 Further readingList of castles EditCastle Location Type Constructed Scheduled NotesBuckton Castle Buckton Hill CarrbrookSD98920162 10 Enclosure castle 10 06 1180s 10 Yes 10 Buckton Castle is on Buckton Hill near Carrbrook overlooking the Tame Valley 10 Its location possibly allowed the castle to guard the valley 11 It was probably built by the earls of Chester in the 12th century 12 and was first referred to in 1360 by which time it was ruinous 13 It was constructed with a stone curtain wall and is surrounded by a ditch 10 metres 33 ft wide and 6 metres 20 ft deep the site covers an area of 730 square metres 0 18 acres 14 The site has been damaged by 18th century treasure hunters and is close to Buckton Vale Quarry 10 15 Bury Castle BurySD803108 16 Fortified manor house 16 09 1469 17 Yes 16 The castle is on a slope overlooking the River Irwell in the centre of modern Bury It is a fortified manor house constructed from stone and was built for Sir Thomas Pilkington 17 The castle may have replaced an earlier house on the site surrounded by a moat 16 Excavation of known remains has revealed foundation walls 180 metres 590 ft by 82 metres 269 ft and a keep or tower 25 metres 82 ft by 19 metres 62 ft 18 Bury Castle was razed to the ground after the Wars of the Roses when Thomas Pilkington had his land confiscated 18 The remains previously buried have been excavated for public view forming the centre piece of Castle Square in the town centre 16 Dunham Castle Dunham MasseySJ73428742 Motte 19 02 Pre 1173 19 No It was first referred to in 1173 and belonged to Hamon de Massey Dunham Castle was still standing in 1323 and fell into disuse between then and 1362 19 The castle is 24 metres 79 ft in diameter and survives to a height of 2 metres 6 6 ft 20 The site is surrounded by a moat which has been turned into an ornamental lake 20 It used to be protected as a scheduled monument but was delisted as it may be a natural hummock of glacial sand 21 Manchester Castle ManchesterSJ839989 22 Fortified manor house 05 Pre 1184 23 No It is probably located on a bluff where the rivers Irk and Irwell meet near to Manchester Cathedral underneath where Chetham s School of Music now is putting it near the edge of the medieval town of Manchester 22 24 It may have originally been a ringwork castle before it became a manor house 24 First recorded in 1184 in 1215 Manchester Castle was recorded as being held by Gresle 23 the baron of Manchester 1243 Robert de Furch 25 Three rings of ditches have been discovered surrounding the likely site of the castle 22 Radcliffe Tower RadcliffeSD79580751 26 Fortified manor house 26 09 1403 26 Yes 26 Located on Church Street East in Bury the tower is all that remains of a medieval fortified manor house built in 1403 and constructed from stone with two towers and a moat 26 The house was demolished in the 19th century leaving only one remaining tower which is now a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument 26 27 The tower measures 9 6 metres 31 ft by 17 metres 56 ft and survives to 6 1 metres 20 ft in height 27 It was used as a pig sty before being restored 26 Rochdale Castle RochdaleSD89121286 28 Motte and bailey 28 01 Early post Norman Conquest 28 No The castle is defended by a ditch and an earth rampart the motte measures 30 metres 100 ft at the base and the bailey is 37 metres 121 ft by 30 metres 100 ft 28 It lay derelict by the early 13th century 28 Both the motte and bailey are obscured by housing developments 29 Stockport Castle StockportSJ897905 30 Motte and bailey 30 03 Pre 1173 30 No Stockport Castle is in the town of Stockport on the south side of a valley overlooking a ford over the River Mersey 31 It was first referred to in 1173 when Geoffrey de Constentyn held it against Henry II during the barons rebellion 30 Stockport Castle was originally constructed with timber and earthwork defences though these were replaced with stone walls at the start of the 13th century 30 The castle lay in ruins by 1535 and was demolished in 1775 to be replaced by a cotton mill 30 32 Although no trace of the keep on top of the motte survives it was recorded in 1775 as being irregular in shape and measuring 31 by 60 metres 102 by 197 ft The bailey is located to the south east of the motte 33 Ullerwood Castle RingwaySJ8083 34 Shell keep 34 04 Pre 1173 8 No It has been confused with Watch Hill Castle in nearby Bowdon both probably belonged to Hamon de Massey 8 Ullerwood Castle was first referred to in 1173 as one of the castles de Massey held against Henry II 8 The site is topped by a modern house 29 Watch Hill Castle BowdonSJ74788599 35 Motte and bailey 35 07 Probable 12th century 8 Yes 35 It is located on the boundary of Bowdon and Dunham Massey The castle was constructed from timber with a 6 metres 20 ft high motte measuring 40 metres 130 ft wide at its base and 17 metres 56 ft across at the top the bailey covers approximately 2 400 square metres 0 59 acres 8 A coin from Henry II s reign was discovered at the castle and the castle may have been built in this period It most likely belonged to Hamon de Massey 8 If it was built in Henry II s reign it may have been used in the barons rebellion against Henry II 8 The castle had fallen out of use by the 13th century 8 See also Edit Greater Manchester portalCastles in South Yorkshire Castlesteads Greater Manchester List of castles in Cheshire List of castles in England Scheduled monuments in Greater ManchesterReferences EditNotes Edit Friar 2003 p 54 214 Friar 2003 p 22 Rowley 1997 p 71 Friar 2003 p 259 Scheduled Monuments PastScape Retrieved 27 July 2011 Friar 2003 p 186 193 a b Arrowsmith 1997 p 31 a b c d e f g h i Redhead 1997 pp 34 35 Friar 2003 p 186 7 a b c d e f Nevell 1998 pp 60 61 63 Grimsditch Nevell and Redhead 2007 p 7 Grimsditch Nevell amp Nevell 2012 pp 82 85 P Booth M Harrop amp S Harrop 1976 1978 The Extent of Longdendale 1360 Cheshire Sheaf 5th series 83 Grimsditch Nevell and Redhead 2007 p 16 Grimsditch Nevell and Redhead 2007 p 5 a b c d e Historic England Bury Castle 45189 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 4 January 2008 a b Bury Castle Eduweb co uk Archived from the original on 24 June 2007 Retrieved 4 January 2008 a b Ashworth 1999 a b c Nevell 1997 p 33 a b Dunham Massey The Gatehouse the comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales Retrieved 18 March 2008 Historic England Dunham Castle 74865 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 26 February 2008 a b c Historic England Manchester Castle 1386094 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 20 January 2008 a b Manchester Castle The Gatehouse the comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales Retrieved 18 March 2008 a b Newman 2006 p 141 Kidd 1996 p 13 a b c d e f g Historic England Radcliffe Tower 44210 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 5 January 2008 a b Historic England Radcliffe Tower 1309271 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 5 January 2008 a b c d e Historic England Rochdale Castle 45159 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 10 January 2008 a b Newman 2006 p 140 a b c d e f Historic England Stockport Castle 1085399 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 5 January 2008 Dent 1977 p 1 Arrowsmith 1997 p 32 Dent 1977 p 4 a b Historic England Ullersford Castle 76615 Research records formerly PastScape Retrieved 21 March 2008 a b c Historic England Watch Hill motte and bailey castle 450m south of Streethead Farm 1014377 National Heritage List for England retrieved 26 August 2022 Bibliography Edit Arrowsmith Peter 1997 Stockport A History Stockport Stockport MBC Community Services Division and Stockport Libraries in association with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit ISBN 0 905164 99 7 Ashworth Terry Summer 1999 The Rediscovery of Bury Castle Bury Local History Society Journal Dent J S 1977 Recent Excavations on the site of Stockport Castle Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society 79 1 13 Friar Stephen 2003 The Sutton Companion to Castles Stroud Sutton Publishing ISBN 978 0 7509 3994 2 Brian Grimsditch Mike Nevell amp Norman Redhead September 2007 Buckton Castle An Archaeological Evaluation of a Medieval Ringwork an Interim Report University of Manchester Archaeological Unit Grimsditch Brian Nevell Michael Nevell Richard 2012 Buckton Castle and the Castles of North West England University of Salford Archaeological Monographs volume 2 and the Archaeology of Tameside volume 9 Centre for Applied Archaeology School of the Built Environment University of Salford ISBN 978 0 9565947 2 3 Kidd Alan 1996 Manchester Keele Keele University Press ISBN 1 85331 028 X Nevell Mike 1998 Lands and Lordships in Tameside Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit ISBN 1 871324 18 1 Nevell Mike 1997 The Archaeology of Trafford Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit ISBN 1 870695 25 9 Newman Caron 2006 Medieval Period Resource Assessment Archaeology North West 8 115 144 ISSN 0962 4201 Redhead Norman 1997 Watch Hill Castle The Archaeology of Trafford Trafford Metropolitan Borough with University of Manchester Archaeological Unit pp 34 35 ISBN 1 870695 25 9 Rowley Trevor 1997 Norman England Batsford and English Heritage ISBN 0 7134 8060 2 Further reading EditSwallow Rachel 2018 Hilltop castles in a medieval landscape Beeston and Buckton Cheshire England Chateau Gaillard Etudes de castellologie medievale 28 271 282 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of castles in Greater Manchester amp oldid 1148606749, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
