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Watch Hill mote-hill

In the civil parish of Burgh By Sands.
In the historic county of Cumberland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Cumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY31385970
Latitude 54.92729° Longitude -3.07215°

Watch Hill mote-hill has been described as a Timber Castle but is rejected as such.

There are no visible remains.

Description

Watch Hill, and Skew Hill, approach very closely to the less distinct forms of mote-hill. (VCH 1901)
Comments

Collingwood was writing at a time when many thought mottes were Saxon and therefore were pre-Conquest earthworks although castle studies writers seem to have ignored his chapter in the VCH. The information given by Collingwood in the VCH, where he is suggesting a number of possible mottes, is scant. Watch Hill is a fairly ubiquitous place name but this may be Watch Hill at Burgh by Sands where the Cumbrian HER records an unclassified cropmark at the given map reference although Collingwood may actually have been referring a collapsed mile castle, which may have had some medieval use as a base for a residential tower (see Burgh by Sands Towers of Andrew the Chaplain and Radulph Wallensis). Regardless, the fact no other castle studies writer has identified this site is significant and it can be rejected.
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:52

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