Green Castle, Dun Fell (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Greencastle, Dunfell

In the civil parish of Milburn.
In the historic county of Westmorland.
Modern Authority of Cumbria.
1974 county of Cumbria.
Medieval County of Westmorland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY715313
Latitude 54.67595° Longitude -2.44347°

Green Castle, Dun Fell has been described as a Timber Castle although is doubtful that it was such.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

Hodgson writing in 1820, identified an earthwork at Greencastle on the south side of Dunfell, which was a round enclosure with deep trenches. Possible ringwork. A Roman altar is alleged to have been found there. (PastScape - as medieval circular enclosure/medieval ringwork)

In this manor, near to a place called Green Castle (which is a round fort with deep trenches about it, on the south end of Denfell) was an altar found with this inscription, DEO SILVANO. (Nicholson and Burn 1777)

Comments

King writes nothing known of castle mention by Moore as existing in Westmorland; Moore's source being, presumably, Nicholson and Burn. Perriam and Robinson identify this as 'Greencastle' (formerly) in Kirkby Thorpe parish, a round enclosure with deep trenches. Site of find of Roman Altar 'DEO SILVANO' Far from settlement, in area of mining, possibly Romano-british settlement or post medieval. The location does dominate a high pass over Great Dun Fell, but this is not a major route. PastScape does give the possibility of this being a medieval ringwork. A location is on a fell side in an area of high rainfall and, consequently, high erosion rates so site may be eroded away and there seems to be no actually artificial earthworks here now. The castle name may being derive for the Roman or Iron Age remains (possibly a mining camp) although it may be that the 'round fort and deep trenches' was the natural cliffs of the gorge (and a line of sink holes and mining leats?) which the road goes up through and the name may be a reference to an impressive natural feature. This is unlikely to have ever been a medieval fortification.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 1390159.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 2757.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Old Cumbria Gazetteer
Books
- Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 279
  Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press)
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 495 (possible)
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Britton, 1813, The Beauties of England and Wales Vol. 14 p. 94 online copy
  Moore, James, 1798, List of the Principal Castles and Monasteries in Great Britain (London) p. 44 online copy
  Nicholson, J. and Burn, B., 1777, The History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland (London) Vol. 1 p. 388 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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