Newburgh Priory, The Mount (The Gatehouse Record)

In the civil parish of Oulston.
In the historic county of Yorkshire.
Modern Authority of North Yorkshire.
1974 county of North Yorkshire.
Medieval County of Yorkshire North Riding.

OS Map Grid Reference: SE55747507
Latitude 54.16841° Longitude -1.14770°

Newburgh Priory, The Mount has been described as a Timber Castle but is rejected as such.

There are earthwork remains.

Description

A possible belvedere in the grounds of Newburgh Park, constructed after 1600. Field investigations in 1976 found it to be 30 metres in diameter, 2 metres high. It is completely hollowed out to accommodate what appears to be the cellar of a building. The cellar walls do not exceed the height of the mound, and access into it is provided by a sunken way cut through the north side. Two earthen ramps in the southeast quadrant lead onto the top of the mound. (PastScape)
(SE 5574 7507) "There is an antiquity here ... probably mediaeval and a cellar. It is approximately at this point on the map and your symbol may imply this site (referring to the apparent outline of a building on the OS 6" 1909-50). A mound surrounds it and it may have been originally 'the Mount'. It is, as it were, built into a tumulus and is now half filled with rubbish. The walling is ? dry stone, but there are quantities of plaster, etc. about, though these may be parts of the rubbish. (May possibly be a Castle Mound). (PastScape ref. Annotated Record Map–Corr 6" & MS notes (S V Morris 1953))
'The Mount' is an earthen mound approximately 30m diameter and externally 2m high. it is completely hollowed out to accommodate what appears to be the cellar of a building. The cellar walls do not exceed the height of the mound, and access into it is provided by a sunken way cut through the north side of the latter. Two earthen ramps in the SE quadrant lead onto the top of the mound. It is situated on the southern edge of Newburgh Priory Estate, and is probably the remains of a belevedere associated with the house, which dates as a private dwelling from the Dissolution. (PastScape ref. Field Investigators Comments–F1 RE 20-JUN-74)

Situation: The site lies within a commercial plantation (Mount Plantation), on a natural, oval hill top.
Preservation: If the site is indeed a motte it has been mutilated by conversion to a garden feature; otherwise it is a well-preserved post-medieval earthwork.
Description: The Mount is a circular mound with a base diameter of c. 30m, raised c. 2m above the surrounding ground surface, and characterised by two small earthen ramps adjoining to the south and east of the feature, which lead to its summit. A dry-stone, plastered building (possibly a cellar) is sunk into the mound, accessed from the north via a passage cut through it. Although it has been alleged that the mound is a small motte, it appears rather to be a post-medieval landscape garden feature on the edge of Newburgh Priory Estate. (Creighton 1998)

Comments

Isolated from modern settlement. On top of a prominent hill visible from Newburgh Priory. The suggestion this was a castle mound does not appear to have been made by someone with castle studies expertise. Clearly not a castle and rejected by Gatehouse.

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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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