Ecclesall Castle Dyke (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Ringinglow; Castle Dike Field

In the civil parish of Sheffield.
In the historic county of Yorkshire.
Modern Authority of Sheffield.
1974 county of South Yorkshire.
Medieval County of Yorkshire West Riding.

OS Map Grid Reference: SK310838
Latitude 53.35042° Longitude -1.53448°

Ecclesall Castle Dyke has been described as a Uncertain although is doubtful that it was such.

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains.

Description

SK 308839. A circular entrenchment known as Castle Dykes at Ecclesall. (Castle Dike Field is mentioned in 1655) (Hunter).
There are no remains of this earthwork apart from a slight indefinable depression as SK 30818383 which may have represented part of a ditch. It is not defensively sited, however, and could be natural (F1 ECW 19-MAR-65).
SK 310838. Circular cropmark of entrenchment showing as a broad ring on AP, its diameter is 76m by 68m and the NE circumference is obliterated by the field boundary. A possible entrance at the NW can be seen. Visited by Welsh in 1976 who agreed with the grid reference given by authy 4 and stated by him that the bank and ditch were not natural. (PastScape)

Site of "A circular entrenchment" at Castle Dykes ('Castle Dike Field' is mentioned in 1655). Now no visible remains except sligt depression at SK 30818383, which may however be natural. (Hunter's South Yorkshire Vol I, 1828, iv.).
PIN 00256/01 may have been duplicated by PIN 3011. The Hunter Index records this feature at SK 310838 (the location of PIN 3011), but the OS record (used to create PIN 256) cites this source and then gives the grid reference as SK 308839 - this appears to be how confusion about the location of the site has arisen). DJS 16-1-15. (South Yorkshire SMR)

This circular bank earthwork SW of Sheffield, with a section of shallow ditch and outer bank to the east is discussed in YAJ No. 49, 1977. Apears 1841 OS. (Sneyd 1995)

Comments

A slight semi-circular cropmark is visible on some air photos. It seems likely there was an archaeological feature here but, arguably, more probably a pre-historic ring-ditch rather than a medieval ringwork. However this may well have been within Barnsdale Forest (at a time when it covered much of South Yorkshire) so just possibly the site of a forester dwelling. The C19 house bearing the name Castle Dykes clearly took its name from this feature but was not the site of a medieval manor house.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 314678.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 00256/01; 03011/01.

Books
- Sneyd, Steve, 1995, The Devil's Logbook Castles and Fortified Sites around South Yorkshire (Hilltop Press) p. 11
  Hunter, J., 1828, South Yorkshire. The History and Topography of the Deanery of Doncaster in the Diocese and County of York Vol. 1 p. iv
Periodical Articles
- 1977, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 49

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Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
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