Coanwood Castle Hill (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Lambley

In the civil parish of Coanwood.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.
Medieval County of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY67675858
Latitude 54.92088° Longitude -2.50602°

Coanwood Castle Hill has been described as a probable Timber Castle.

There are earthwork remains.

Description

Site of a probable motte of the Scottish ridge or promontory type partly removed by the construction of a railway. On the north east and east sides a ditch measuring 26m in width and having a maximum depth of 10m has been cut across the lower slopes forming a defensive area. A signal station is also thought to have been present on Castle Hill. (PastScape)

A signal station upon CASTLE HILL, rectangular in shape, but only 35 yards by 24. On three sides it is defended by steep escarpments; on the east and partly on the south, it is cut off from the main land by a ditch 60 feet wide by 25 deep (Hodgson 1840).
CASTLE HILL is a natural flat-topped knoll, the greater part of which has been removed by the construction of a railway. On the north-east and east sides, a ditch measuring 26.0m. in width and having a maximum depth of 10.0m. has been cut across the lower slopes forming a defensive area. There are no traces of an entrance or causeway across the ditch. The feature is probably a Motte of the Scottish ridge or promontory type (F1 ASP 22-NOV-56).
Correctly described, but in poor condition (F2 RWE 14-SEP-66). (PastScape)

A natural mound, which has been converted for defensive purposes possibly in medieval times. A steep slope naturally protects three sides of the mound, while one side has had an enormous ditch constructed to protect it. Much of the site has been damaged by the construction of a railway. (Keys to the Past)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 13771.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N5951.

Books
- Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 114 (slight)
  Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlisle) p. 45
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 356 (possible)
  Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 178
  Hodgson, J., 1840, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Part 2 Vol. 3 p. 91 (as Roman signal station) online copy
  Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol. 12 p. 111
Periodical Articles
- King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol. 3 p. 90-127
  Hodgson, J.C., 1916, 'List of Ruined Towers, Chapels, etc., in Northumberland; compiled about 1715 by John Warburton, Somerset Herald, aided by John Horsley' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser3) Vol. 13 p. 11

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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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