Monument record 264/1 - Castle Hill

Norman ringwork which was excavated between 1960 and 1976, revealing a Late Saxon hall house. Roman pottery was also found during the excavations. The most recent interpretation suggests that the first occupation of the site was in the late 10th century. In the early 11th century a bank and ditch were constructed with a massive rampart added in the mid 11th century. Soon afterwards the rampart was heightened and widened and the present ringwork was perhaps created at this stage. The site was abandoned by the mid 12th century.

{1} At Domesday Sulgrave held by Ghilo of Picquigni as part of honour along with Culworth & Weedon Lois

{2} Watching brief during construction of 2 houses in 1979 - no features or finds were recovered.

{4} Trial tenching before construction of a new house in 1987: no features were recovered. Residual late Saxon and medieval pottery was found but there was no evidence for the survival of stratigraphy of those dates.

{11} Photo and drawing of find.

{13} Ringwork (SP 557453). A tenurial link exists between this site and possibly contemporary ringworks at Culworth [SP 54 NW 10] and Weston and Weedon [SP 54 NW 10] all of which were held in 1086 by Ghilo and his undertenants. The most recent interpretation suggests that first occupation of the site was in the late C10th. In the early C11th a bank and ditch were constructed with a massive rampart added in the mid C11th. Soon afterwards the rampart was heightened and widened; the present ringwork was perhaps created at this stage. The site was abandoned by the mid C12th. A scatter of Roman pottery was found during the excavations. [RCHM plan; additional references].

{15} Excavations in 1968 showed that the "high" end of the pre-conquest hall had been provided with an L-shaped chamber block of timber carried on stone footings capable of sustaining an upper storey. It would now seem to be over 80ft long, apparently a sophisticated building of 5 square bays with a porch at one end.
The Conquest-period defences to the NW of the hall were excavated and it is clear that the Saxon perimeter was destroyed by the Norman ditch. The existing gap in the ringwork was found to be a 19th c feature. Access in the second half of the 11th c was made through the opposed doors of a pre-conquest stone building 30ft by 35ft, set into the ramparts and used as a gatehouse.
The pre-conquest layout seems to have been a freestanding building of stone, possibly with timber upper storeys, set to one side of the Great Hall. Further excavations are proposed in 1970 and 1971.

{18,19} Brief report of continuing excavation.

{23-24} During excavation of the Norman ringwork a timber framed aisleless hall of the early 11th c was found. It measured 75 ft by 20ft and had a dais at one end for the solar. It had opposed doorways and a cross-screen. After partial rebuilding on stone foundations the hall seems to have been abandoned by the mid 11th c in favour of successive timber buildings on stone footings, backed against the rampart.

{25} During excavations on the building remains within the ringwork an unusual nummular brooch was found dated to the 11th century. Description and discussion of find.

{30} (SP 5565). Planning consent granted in 1981, resulted in an excavation on land to the north of the castle site. No datable features were recovered but a limestone surface was identified underlying deposits containing Medieval pottery. It is possible that the limestone surface was part of an approach to the castle although no Late Saxon pottery was found. Several later post holes were uncovered but these remained unidentified.

{32} A Norman ringwork with a maximum height of 3.6m; it is partly quarried on the north-east face but some soil replacement has taken place. The ditch has been filled to the south-west and south-east, but to the north has a maximum depth of 0.8m. Owing to previous excavations, the top of the mound is greatly disturbed and many infilled areas are evident.
1:2500 AM revised.

{33} The site appears to represent an upper stratum of late Saxon society, Davison believes the site to have been a thane's residence, which then incorporated a Norman ring work into a rectangular structure.

{34} Listed by Cathcart king.

<1> English Heritage, 1994, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, SAM 13662 (part checked) (Report). SNN1342.

<2> BROWN K., 1979, SMR REPORT FORM, (unchecked) (Note). SNN50336.

<3> Kenyon J.R., 2008, Castles, Town Defences and Artillery Fortifications in the United Kingdom and Ireland: A Bibliography 1945 - 2006, (unchecked) (Bibliography). SNN106309.

<4> 1988, Medieval Archaeology (32), 32/267 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN57385.

<5> CADMAN G.E., 1988, SMR report form, (unchecked) (SMR Report Form). SNN51451.

<6> Davison, B K, 1967, Three eleventh-century earthworks in England: their excavation and implications, 39-48 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN59230.

<7> Everson, P, 1975, Castle Hill, Sulgrave, (unchecked) (Photographs). SNN45705.

<8> Cadman G., 2000, Castle Hill Ringwork, Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, National Monument 13662, (unchecked) (Report). SNN100337.

<9> Lanning K.; Pearson V.; Walker D., 1995, Castles in Northamptonshire: A Resource Pack for Teachers, (unchecked) (Educational Resource Pack). SNN75536.

<10> 1969, Current Archaeology, 12/19-22 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN9233.

<11> ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, 2002-13, Royal Archaeological Institute Newsletter, 45/8 (checked) (Newsletter). SNN106556.

<12> Petrie, J, 2019, Mottes and 'Ringworks', Wednesday 10th April 2019 (Gazetteer). SNN111445.

<13> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.139 site 3 (unchecked) (Series). SNN77382.

<14> Davison, B K, 1977, Excavations at Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, 1960-76: An interim report, p.106-13 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN9243.

<15> Davison, B K, 1968, Excavations at Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, 1968, p. 305-7 (Journal). SNN114426.

<16> Brown, R A, 1969, An Historian's Approach to the Origins of the Castle in England, p. 131-148 (Journal). SNN114428.

<17> Ordnance Survey, 1950s/1960s, Ordnance Survey Record Cards, SP54NE6 (unchecked) (Index). SNN443.

<18> 1973, CBA GROUP 9 NEWSLETTER, 3/20 (unchecked) (Interim Note). SNN60053.

<19> 1973, Medieval Archaeology (17), (unchecked) (Journal). SNN35139.

<20> 1967, Current Archaeology, 2/39-48 (unchecked) (Article). SNN55593.

<21> The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.649-56 (unchecked) (Series). SNN10247.

<22> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1973, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1972, 8/19 (Unchecked) (Journal). SNN8956.

<23> Wilson, D M & Hurst, G, 1962-3, Medieval Britain in 1961, 6-7/333 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN55591.

<24> 1964, Medieval Archaeology (8), 8/237 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN21326.

<25> CLEMOES; HUGHES (EDS), 1971, England Before the Conquest, (unchecked) (Extract). SNN76231.

<26> Woodfield P., 1981, The Larger Medieval Houses of Northamptonshire, p153 (unchecked) (Article). SNN23550.

<27> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.421 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<28> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Medieval), p.27-9 (unchecked) (Article). SNN57956.

<29> 1969, Medieval Archaeology (13), 8/237 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN38357.

<30> Brown A.E.(ed), 1982, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1981, p.103 Sulgrave (Unchecked) (Journal). SNN100413.

<31> SOCIETY FOR MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 1961, Medieval Archaeology (5), 5/328 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN9232.

<32> Colquhoun, FD, 1977, Field Investigators Comments, F1 FDC 12-MAY-77 (Notes). SNN114135.

<33> Wilson D.M. (Editor), 1976, The Archaeology of Anglo-Saxon England, p. 63-4 & 85-6 (Book). SNN107011.

<34> Cathcart King, D J, 1983, Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II : Norfolk-Yorkshire and the islands, p. 318 (Book). SNN112899.

<35> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, Air Photographs (RAF CPE/UK/1994 1098-99 13-APR-77) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<36> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, Air Photographs (RAF CPE/UK/1926 1215-6) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<37> Historic England, Undated, Castle Hill, Sulgrave (Archive). SNN114558.

<38> Blackburn, M A S, 1979, Waerin: a Northampton moneyer for Eadgar, p. 217-9 (Article). SNN116792.

Record last edited

Apr 30 2025 8:47AM