Dinmore Preceptory (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;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

In the civil parish of Dinmore.
In the historic county of Herefordshire.
Modern Authority of Herefordshire.
1974 county of Hereford and Worcester.
Medieval County of Herefordshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SO48835033
Latitude 52.14893° Longitude -2.74909°

Dinmore Preceptory has been described as a Timber Castle although is doubtful that it was such.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

Mound near to chapel of preceptory of Knights of St John of Jerusalem.
Mound c87' diam surrounded by shallow ditch. Mound rises c 5' above the lowest part of the ditch. Level circular platform some 23m diam, surrounded by shallow ditch up to 0.8m deep average width 5m. Situated on promontory sloping gently to SE. Scarp slope on uphill side, suggesting the former presence of outer ditch, while the inner ditch is supported by outer bank on downhill side. Although well situated strategically, unlikely to be motte. Ditch though shallow has well preserved sides, this together with form suggests medieval construction. (Shoesmith 2009)

Comments

It would seem unlikely that the Hospitaller's themselves, who's preceptory was founded before 1189 would build a motte but presumably they were granted this land and it maybe that this was a unwanted manorial site with an earlier small castle. "Tanner says, It was given to the Hospitalars by one Sir Thomas ......, a brother of the Order, temp. Hen. II." (Dugdale). However this is a highly landscaped area and, despite of Shoesmith's assertion, this may be a post medieval feature.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 108262.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 6326.

Books
- Shoesmith, Ron, 2009 (Rev edn.), Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press) p. 100
  Dugdale, William (Caley, J., Ellis, H. and Bandinel, B. (eds)), 1817-30 (originally pub. 1655-73), Monasticon Anglicanum (London) Vol. 6.2 p. 802 online copy
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1908, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 2 p. 71 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.

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