Beighton Castle

Description

Alleged moat lying beneath the River Rother recorded in 1900. No trace of a moat, or of any archaeological feature, has been found during subsequent fieldwork.
Near Beighton railway station is a field called Castle Stead, and the moat is still traceable (Bulmer & co. 1895). "Castlesteedes" occurs in 1608 but nothing is known of its character although it lies close to the probable line of a Roman Road (EPNS).
The remains of a moat, with large blocks of dressed stone in its centre, beneath the surface of the River Rother, was pointed out over 50 years ago (c.1900) by a Mr. Smith, an amateur archaeologist, to Mr. J.Stone whose family farmed the land at the time. Site indicated by J. Stone at SK 44658376. It was not possible to identify
the moat because of river pollution. Nothing of archaeological interest was seen in Castle Field. (F1 VM 05-JAN-53)
There is no surface evidence of antiquity at the indicated site or in the immediate area; nor is the name 'Castlesteads' known to local persons questioned. The Rother is a very ancient river (which gave the name to Rotherham) and it would appear to still follow its original course through this region; a moat beneath the surface is not conceivable and the width at this point is too narrow to warrant an island. The water is clear but no dressed stone was seen, and authority 3 could not be confirmed in any respect (F2 FC 31-MAY-66). (PastScape)



there are not many surface indications at a site at Beighton, suggested by an early 13th century reference to 'the tower of the former castle'. (South Yorkshire HER ref. Hey, 1979)

Comments

PastScape locates this, quite precisely, at SK44658376 while the South Yorkshire SMR locates it at SK447838. Beighton, and both these map references, were in Derbyshire before 1967, although the former is west of the River Rother and the second east of the river. Despite the comment by the field investigator in 1966 it does seem that the Rother has moved a little in its course and the line of the pre-1967 county boundary shows an earlier line of the river.
Located in an area marked Castle Stead on the 1854 OS map, although no feature is marked on this or later maps. The existence of railways and mine workings make the interpretation of features difficult. It may be this was a 'place' (of some ?form), in the demense of the Beighton manor, rather than the site of a moat. If so then the historical record for a 'castle' at Beighton may be the manor house which would most likely be at the site occupied by the current early C18 manor house at SK443831. There is no evidence this was the site of a timber castle, although any such evidence is likely to have been long destroyed. The location of the manor house is not inconsistent with the location of a timber castle, while the Castlesteads site was always at risk of flooding and, thefefore, unlikely as a site of a residence of any form.