Rydal Mound (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
The Mount

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

OS Map Grid Reference: NY36400632
Latitude 54.44828° Longitude -2.98231°

Rydal Mound has been described as a Timber Castle although is doubtful that it was such.

There are earthwork remains.

Description

Terraced Mound, 120 yards N.N.W. of the church, consists of a mound of an average height of 9 ft. above the natural level, the top being rather more than half a circle on plan and flat. Two continuous terraces are formed round the mound except on the straight, or N., side where there is only one terrace. This side, however, may have been damaged to some extent by the making of a modern lawn, though there would appear to be no evidence that the mound ever formed a complete circle. A modern wall has been built along the scarp of the lowest terrace and this terrace as a consequence is now wider than the others. Beyond the lowest scarp is a later pathway forming a further terrace for part of the circuit. (RCHME 1936)

Earthwork remains of a mound which is terraced and is 9 feet high. It is present in the grounds of Rydal Mount and may be 16th century in date. (PastScape)

The Mount, an unclassified terraced mound 9 ft high. ~ See the RCHM Westmorland 1936 (p. 203). ~ The mound has been imaginatively described as "? a sighting place for early Norse settlers?" (Carnie p. 227). (Lake District National Park HER)

Comments

Perriam and Robinson record McIntire (1936) as writing 'motte in valley... guarding one of the principal routes.' The location, as a place to control passage through the Lake District, is undoubtable. However it is questionable how much passage there was through this high land area in the medieval period. The suggestion of this being a motte does not seem to have been taken up by any castle studies writer. It has clearly been used as a prospect mound but it may not have originated as one. See Rydal Old Hall for medieval manorial centre.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 10161.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 1867.

Books
- Carnie, J.M., 2002, At Lakeland's Heart: Eighteen Journeys into the Past of Ambleside and its Locality from Rydal to Clappersgate until AD1900 (Windermere: Parrock Press) p. 227
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 361
  RCHME, 1936, An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland (HMSO) p. 203 no. 36 online transcription

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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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