The Gatehouse website record for Bradfield Bailey Hill

In the civil parish of Bradfield. In the historic county of Yorkshire West Riding (Modern Authority of Sheffield, 1974 county of South Yorkshire).

Bailey Hill is a fine motte 60 ft high; the top has been mutilated and is now very narrow, but in Bowman's time it was 12 yds in diameter. The bailey covers about three quarters of an acre; it is placed on the edge of a steep slope, and appears to have trusted to a stockade on this side, but on the south side there is a lofty bank on the scarp, 30 ft high; and a ditch from 20 to 30 ft broad once surrounded the entire motte (VCH). Bailey Hill occupies a good defensive position on a plateau overlooking the low ground to the south and east. The steepsided motte is 10.5m in height. It has been extensively mutilated on the southern side to provide access to the top. The top shows some stone content, but nothing identifiable as the remains of foundations. Mutilation has also occured on the eastern side of the counterscarp to the circumscribing ditch. This has an average depth of 3m on the north side, and 1.5m elsewhere. A modern causeway occurs in the north west. The only defensive earthwork visible on the vulnerable northern side of the bailey is the remains of a bank 0.5 high now forming a field boundary. This bank links the steep natural scarp in the west with the ditch surrounding the motte, and probably forms the base of the stockade indicated by OS. In the south of the bailey, the rampart has an average height of 4m, and its associated ditch is 2.5m deep. There is no obvious approach to the site (Field Investigators Comments-F1 RWE 03-JUL-61). (PastScape)
The very rocky local soil must have been difficult to dig and this castle represents a considerable effort.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK26629268

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 312726
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

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