The Gatehouse website record for Welbourn Castle Hill

In the civil parish of Welbourn. In the historic county of Lincolnshire (Modern Authority of Lincolnshire, 1974 county of Lincolnshire).

The remains of a medieval ringwork, thought to date from C11or C12. Castle Hill covers an area of 130 by 130m to the outer edge of its ditches. The northern part of the enclosure is defined by a curving earthen bank, between 3 and 5m in height. The monument is much overgrown by trees and plants. Geophysics survey was carried out in the 1990's for the parish council which revealed it as a ringwork with a stone curtain wall and a single tower butting against the curtain wall. Several buildings were discovered within the ringwork.
Sherds of 10th-12th century Stamford ware recovered during trial trenching suggest activity that either predates the castle or dates to the castle's initial construction and inhabitation. Two phases of rampart were identified, with the latter phase probably relating to the documented provision of a stone wall around the castellum in 1158; the earlier rampart appears to relate to a structure or complex in existence prior to this date. Wall tumble and a footing trench dating to the 13th-14th centuries were recorded, while finds were indicative of a medieval domestic assemblage and iron working on the site. Demolition rubble confirmed the site's abandonment after this period - historical data gives a date of 1374 for the abandonment. Robber trenches suggest the removal of building stone, probably for use in the village and the church of St. Chad. A lack of early post-medieval finds suggests that the site remained abandoned until the 18th century. (Lincolnshire HER Record)
The interior of the ring work formerly accommodated buildings, which were, referred to in a document of 1288 these include; a hall with two chambers, a kitchen, brew house, ox house, cowshed and sheepfold. Also mentioned were a wall surmounted by a tower, and a ditch around the court. Geophysical survey indicates buried building remains mainly on the western and central parts of the ring work, while an oven and pits have been suggested for features detected on the eastern side. A circular feature approximately 15m in diameter on the west side of the ring work may be the remains of the aforementioned tower. (English Heritage Scheduling Record, 2002)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK96805432

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 326140
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 60741 '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.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
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.

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