Peel Hall Motte

In the civil parish of Horton Cum Peel. In the historic county of Cheshire (Modern Authority of Cheshire, 1974 county of Cheshire).

This site has been considered by some writers to be a castle but is rejected as such by Hogg and King as is considered to be a moated house. However, in the later Castellarium Anglicanum King considers it a possible motte (Had King forgotten his earlier dismissal or had he reconsider it?). PastScape records 'Remains of a moat and motte and bailey which were bulldozed in 1948.' This was a mound in the grounds of Peel Hall measuring '50ft in circumference' (sic - ? diameter) with gazebo on top. A medieval pele tower (qv) is said to have stood within a moat at the site of the current Hall.
Earthworks and structures alleged by previous authorities to a form a moat or motte and bailey are in fact remains of a formal garden arrangement associated with the Hall. Although now much degraded and visible as only as a roughly circular ditch or sunken area some 10m wide and 0.2m deep with an overall diameter of 54-56m, the earthworks are pricipally the remains of a ditched ornamental mound or mount, originally 54m in diameter overall with the mound itself 37m in diameter: a structure on the mound may have been a summerhouse or gazebo. There is evidence that this mound was part of a more extensive formal garden which has been subjected to changes in layout throughout the history of the house. (Everson)
Clearly the mound was used in the formal gardens of what was a considerable larger house than now currently stands but this, of itself, does not exclude earlier origins. However, site is to east of Chester (away from Wales) and not near a existing parish church (although Peel seems to have some sort of parish status) and these do make it less likely that it was a castle mound.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ49896965

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 68940
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1902/2/2 '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.

• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p21 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p69 [possible]
    Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p443 http://www.archive.org/details/earthworkofengla00allc
• Journal Articles
  • Wilshaw, E., 1983, Cheshire Archaeological Bulletin Vol9 p34
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1970, 'Castles in Wales and the Marches (Additions and corrections to lists published in 1963 and 1967)' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol119 p119-124
    Jackson, S., 1960, The Cheshire Historian Vol10
    Lawrence, C.F., 1912, Cheshire Notes and Queries Vol10 p190-1
    Cash, S., 1897, Cheshire Notes and Queries Vol2 p190-1
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Everson, Paul, 1986, RCHME: Peel Hall Survey