Kilpeck Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cilpedec; Chipcete

In the civil parish of Kilpeck. In the historic county of Herefordshire (Modern Authority of Herefordshire, 1974 county of Hereford and Worcester).

Motte and five baileys with strong counterscarp banks above combe to south, and flanking baileys to north-west and south-east and rectangular village enclosure of bank and ditch. Parts of a polygonal rubble shell-wall remain on the motte, with a round-headed fireplace and circular flue to the north, two drains to the east and an interior cross-wall. The shell may have been circular internally, it has a sloping external plinth.Trial excavations in 1982 revealed seven periods of occupation with pottery giving a date range from C12-C15. Excavation revealed evidence of both timber and stone buildings, and a metalled yard or trackway, overlying the tail of the rampart.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 155573)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO44423046

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape Defra ELS number; 107913 County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number; 714

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/kilpeck.html
    http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/castles/castlesdata_az/kilpeck.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/kilpeck.html
• Books
  • Phillips, Neil, 2005, Earthwork Castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250 (University of Wales) [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?phillips_phd_2005] p213-15
    Salter, Mike, 2000, Castles of Herefordshire and Worcestershire (Malvern) p44
    Shoesmith, Ron, 1996, Castles and Moated Sites of Herefordshire (Logaston Press)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p99
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p345, 356
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p207
    Sawle, J., 1982, Excavations at Kilpeck Castle, 1982: an interim report (Hereford and Worcester County Council)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p248
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N., 1963, The Buildings of England Herefordshire p203
    RCHME, 1931, An inventory of the historical monuments in Herefordshire. Vol1: south-west p158-9
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p148
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Chalkley Gould, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Hereford Vol1 p240
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p110-11
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p162-8
    Robinson, Rev C.J., 1867, The Castles of Herefordshire and Their Lords (Logaston Press, 2002 reprint) p80-4
• Journal Articles
  • Impey, E., 1997, 'The buildings on the motte at Kilpeck Castle, Herefordshire' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol 146 p101-8
    Shoesmith, Ron, (ed), 1992, 'Excavations at Kilpeck, Herefordshire' Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club Vol47 p162-209
    Halliwell, P.R. (ed), 1990, Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol53, 14
    Thomas, A., 1989, Medieval Settlement Research Group: annual report Vol4 p40
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p314
    Shoesmith, Ron, 1982-4, Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club Vol44 p121-3
    Sawle, J., 1983, ‘Kilpeck Castle, Hereford and Worcester' West Midlands Archaeology Vol26 p100–2
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1983, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1982' Medieval Archaeology Vol27 p180 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1982, Rescue news Vol27 p6
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Talbot, E.J., 1965, ‘Kilpeck Castle' The Hundred-and-Twelfth Annual Meeting at Hereford, 1965, CAA 29
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    Bannister, 1927, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol82 p464-6
    1887, Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club p143-4
    Clark, G.T., 1873, 'Kilpeck Castle' Archaeologia CambrensisVol28 p50-8
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p246
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/hertseng.html#herts5]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p226, 228
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p185
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Dalwood, H., 1996, Archaeological Assessment of Kilpeck, Hereford and Worcester (Central Marches Historic Towns Survey, Herefordshire and Worcester County Council)