Rickling Hall Motte (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Quendon And Rickling.
In the historic county of Essex.
Modern Authority of Essex.
1974 county of Essex.
Medieval County of Essex.

OS Map Grid Reference: TL49923022
Latitude 51.94955° Longitude 0.18006°

Rickling Hall Motte has been described as a certain Timber Castle.

There are earthwork remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Remains of a large quadrangular building of C14-C15, built in what was probably the bailey of the former castle. Motte and bailey castle south of Rickling Hall. The mount is 18 1/2 ft high and 135ft in diameter at the base. The ditch, now 5ft deep, has been partly destroyed. The ditch and part of a bailey, which apparently existed on the north, have been converted into the moat of the present house. In 1950 the mount was in rather poor condition, was tree covered and apparently a favourite place for cattle in the summer, consequently it was much trampled and somewhat despoiled. Height 4-5m above ground. According to OS 1975 the motte has been disturbed by landscaping and the ditch destroyed. 40m overall in diameter and 5m high. The bailey ditch to the west was converted into the hall moat. Traces of a continuation of the bailey to north and east survive in the form of a farm pond (TL 49983024) and a scarp 1m high to the east of the Hall. Where best preserved the ditch is 22m wide x 2m deep. (Unlocking Essex's Past)

At TL 49913013 to the S of Rickling Hall are the remains of a motte. It has been extensively mutilated by garden landscaping, and the ditch which formerly surrounded it has been filled in, but it survives to a height of 5.0m and measures c 40.0m, in diameter. There is no certain remains of a bailey, though the homestead moat which remains around Rickling Hall could be utilising an earlier defence. No documentary evidence for a castle pre-dating Rickling Hall (c 1500) was found. (PastScape Ref. Field Investigators Comments–F1 NKB 24-MAR-75)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1216666
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 370689.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 3921.

Books
- Neville, David, 2003, Lost Castles of Essex (Ian Henry) p. 88
  Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 39
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 146
  RCHME, 1916, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex Vol. 1 (north-west) p. 222-4 no. 2 online transcription
  Gould, Chalkley, 1903, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Doubleday, Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Essex Vol. 1 p. 300-1, 345-6 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Gould, I.Chackley, 1906, 'Rickling Mount' Essex Archaeological Society Transactions Vol. 9.4 p. 377-9 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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