Addington Castle Hill

Description

Traditional site of Addington Castle; the manorial residence of Sir Rovert de Aguillion at Castle Hill, Addington; for which licence to embattle was granted in 1270. It had apparently fallen into decay by c. 1400 and rubble was visible temp. Elizabeth I. Ploughing has revealed "timbers and other remains of ruined buildings "and worked flints have also been found. Neither defensive earthworks nor signs of a building can be traced - possibly the building was in Addington village itself Castle Hill is a prominent rise of ground at the north end of a ridge, being a Thanet Sand outline upon chalk. The hill is covered with trees and scrub. Numerous shallow pits dug by children all over the summit reveal only pure sand. (PastScape 404156 (TQ 36 SE 21) at map ref TQ386635)

TQ 3724 6371. Signs of earthworks in the S.W. corner of "Church Meadow" possibly indicate the site of Addington Castle, the licence for the embattlement of which was granted in 1270. But see also TQ 36 SE 21 for its traditional site. Coarse 13-14th C. pottery found by Hore & R.I. Little. These earthworks are the positive/negative lynchets of old field boundaries. The soil is clay with flints and the system is therefore probably of Md. date. The lynchets can be traced south and west of Church Meadow giving an area centred at TQ 372 636. (PastScape 404129 (TQ 36 SE 12))

The park at Addington Palace is the traditional site of a hunting lodge, but there is no evidence to suggest that one existed here prior to the present park being laid out. (PastScape 404111 at map ref TQ37046414)

Eastward from Croiden standeth Addington, now the habitation of Sir Oliff Leigh, wherby is to be seene the ruble of a Castle of Sir Robert Aguilon, and from him of the Lords Bardolph, who held certaine lands here in fee by Serjainty to find in the Kings Kitchen at the coronation one to make a dainty dish which they called mapigernoun and dilgerunt. What that was I leave to the skillfull in ancient Cookerie, and returne to the river. (Camden)

Sir Robert Aguillon, had a licence to fortify and embattle his manor house at Addington. A spot of ground near the church, being still called the Castle Hill, serves to ascertain the site of this mansion, which, most probably, continued to be the manerial residence till the year 1400, when the manor house, which was pulled down about twelve years ago, (and which was situated at the foot of the hill,) was erected; as appears by the following inscription which was over the door: In fourteen hundred and none, Here was neither stick nor stone, In fourteen hundred and three The goodly building which you see. This house was built chiefly of flint, mixed with chalk, and very strongly cemented. (Lysons)

Comments

The 'Castle Hill' at TQ386635 is hardly 'near the church' and may well not be the same site as the Castle Hill mentioned by Camden and Lysons. (Was this hill actually just part of the demense of the manor?). However, there are elderly records of 'timbers' being revealed by ploughing at this site. TQ37046414 is marked 'henry VIIIths hunting seat' on the 1871 OS map. This is near the church. There is no evidence to support a royal hunting lodge at Addington but the location is consistent with a manorial centre and it seems probably this was the location of Aguilon's house. The account that a house licenced in 1269 and, presumably, built around this time had entirely disappeared by 1400 suggests the house was not strongly fortified.