Hunmanby Castle Hill

Description

Motte and bailey of the Norman castle at Hunmanby. The village of Hunmanby lies on the western scarp of the Wolds and the castle is situated on Castle Hill, a slight promontory overlooking the village, 100m west of the 11th century All Saints' Church. The monument also lies in the grounds of Hunmanby Hall, a 17th century house later converted into a school for girls and subsequently extended by major new building in the early 1900s. The motte occupies the highest point on Castle Hill, a natural knoll which provided an easily defended site requiring little modification. A ditch, 10m wide and 3m deep, defines the western edge of the motte, providing an additional fortification against attack from the high ground to the west. The ditch once surrounded the motte and, although to the south and east it has become infilled over the years or altered by garden landscaping so that it is no longer visible as an earthwork, it will survive as a buried feature. To the north the motte is bounded by the steep scarp of the road embankment. The motte is estimated to be 60m in diameter and the top is about 4m above the surrounding land surface. A recent study of historical documents and aerial photographic records has identified the original extent of the bailey and, although the southern part of the bailey has been altered by terracing associated with modern buildings, the northern portion remains undeveloped. This portion, estimated to be one quarter of the original area of the bailey, measures 220m east-west by 100m north-south. The northern edge of the bailey is defined by the modern road, Castle Hill or Ratten Row, which runs in a 5m deep cutting down into the town centre. Hunmanby Castle was built by Guilbert de Gant. In the 14th century, the site of the motte is referred to as 'Castlegarth', while a field containing the bailey is called 'Erlesing'. The castle, together with a large area of land to the west of the village, was emparked in the 18th century. (Scheduling Report)