Arkholme with Cawood Chapel Hill

In the civil parish of Arkholme with Cawood. In the historic county of Lancashire (Modern Authority of Lancashire, 1974 county of Lancashire).

Medieval motte surviving as an earthwork, with traces of probable former bailey. Chapel hill is a conical motte, 110ft in diameter at the base, 45ft across the summit and circa 20ft high situated in Arkholme churchyard. There was no distinct traces of ditch around the mound although the sunken footpath to the north west probably represented part of its former course. A raised earthen platform covering about half an acre stood adjacent to the motte and may have acted as a bailey. a small excavation on the summit of the Motte in 1904 revealed two distinct phases, one below the turf and another 9ft lower. The lower deposit may represent a possible ringwork phase. Further excavations in 1973-4 confirmed the presence of two phases and suggested the upper phase was incomplete. Medieval pottery and a Neolithic or Bronze Age scraper were also found.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SD58937184

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 43036
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 629 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/archaeologyandheritage/heritage/castle/chill1.asp
    http://web.mac.com/philipdavis/iWeb/Philip%20Davis/Norman%20Castles%20of%20Lunesdale.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/arkholme.html
    http://www.matthewpemmott.co.uk/2007/01/chapel-hill-arkholme.html
    http://www.matthewpemmott.co.uk/2006/01/arkholme-motte-and-bailey.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/97/arkholme.html
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2007/05/15/bus_motte.shtml
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p22
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p244
    Gibson, Leslie Irving, 1977, Lancashire Castles and Towers (Dalesman Books)
    Gardner, 1908, in Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (eds), VCH Lancaster Vol2 p521-3
• Journal Articles
  • Higham, Mary, 1991, 'The Mottes of North Lancashire, Lonsdale and South Cumbria' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol91 p79-90 [reprinted in Crosby, A.G. (ed), 2007, Of names and places: selected writings of Mary Higham (Nottingham: English Place-Name Society and the Society for Name Studies) p81-91]
    White, A.J., 1975, 'Arkholme Excavations' Contrebis Vol3 No1 p25-9
    Moorhouse, S., 1971, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol43 p85, 89-90, 98
    White, H.M., 1905, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol5 p309 http://www.archive.org/stream/transactionsofcunsvol5cumb#page/309/mode/1up
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' The Archaeological Journal Vol46 p197-217 esp206 http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo46brit#page/197/mode/1up
• Guidebooks
  • White, A.J., 1998, Norman Castles of Lunedale A History Trail (Lancaster City Museums) [Leaflet]