Mount Holles (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Sullia; Mout Hughes Battery

In the civil parish of St Marys.
In the historic county of Isles of Scilly.
Modern Authority of Isles of Scilly.
1974 county of Isles of Scilly.
Medieval County of Isles of Scilly.

OS Map Grid Reference: SV90111061
Latitude 49.91478° Longitude -6.31822°

Mount Holles has been described as a probable Timber Castle, and also as a certain Artillery Fort.

There are no visible remains.

Description

The site of possibly the earliest castle on St Mary's is suggested by Borlase, who describes a round hillock called 'Mount Holles' "which seems to have had a keep on top of it". His drawing shows the site as corresponding with the mound-like feature below the Garrison walls, shown on OS 6" 1963. O'Neil agrees that the rocky knoll astride the road from Hugh Town to the Garrison could be a likely site for the first castle in Scilly. A declaration of Ordnance in 1554 includes one culverin and one demi-culverin on the Hugh. These heavy pieces were perhaps mounted in the work known as 'Mount Holles' or 'The Folly'. (This is not one work as implied by Saunders, but two: see SV 81 SE 42) "Upon Mount Holles are the remains of an old fort. Guns were formerly on it, and a watch tower on the south side, the walls of which were stripped to build the lines." (Troutbeck). Borlase's drawing cannot be reconciled with the conventional representation by Cosmo in 1669, and on Lilly's plan of 1715 the fortification is shown as an angular walled battery, about 20.0m long and 12.0m wide overall (Saunders and Miles). Mount Holles is now cut across by a road and though it generally appears as a rise the mound is now a terraced garden encompassed by houses. No evidence of any fortification survives (Field Investigators Comments–F1 NVQ 01-JUN-78) A reference in the October 1661 'survey of the contents of His Majesties Castles and Garrisons' makes reference to 'Mout Hughes Battery'. It details an estimate to lay a new timber floor and repair the slate roof in the guardhouse; also to lay a new timber floor in the Match Room (PRO WO55/1697). (PastScape)

Projection of a hillside, may have carried a motte. (King 1983)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 304119.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 7900.04.

Books
- Bowden, Mark and Brodie, Allan, 2011, Defending Scilly (London: English Heritage)
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (New York) Vol. 2 p. 552
  Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 356
  Troutbeck, J.A., 1796, A survey of the ancient and present state of the Isles of Scilly p. 53
  Borlase, Wm., 1756, Observations on the Ancient and Present State of the Islands of Scilly (Oxford) p. 12 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Saunders, A.D. and Miles, T.J., 1970, 'King Charles's Castle, Tresco, Scilly' Post-Medieval Archaeology Vol. 4 p. 1-30
Guidebooks
- O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1950, Ancient Monuments of the Isles of Scilly (HMSO) p. 16
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Palgrave, F. (ed), 1835 Rotuli Curiae Regis (Record Commission) Vol. 1 p. 86 online copy
  SP16/368, No. 110 (Survey of 1637) The National Archives reference
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Bowden, Mark, 2011, Isles of Scilly: Military Defences, 1540-1951: Earthworks and Minor Sites (English Heritage Research Department Report series 56-2011) p. 27 online copy
  Graeme Kirkham, April 2003, Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey: Hugh Town (Cornwall County Council) Download 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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