Bradfield Castle Hill

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

At Castle Hill in Hunter's time the remains of a keep were visible, with a ditch round it except on the steep side of the hill (VCH). An elongated motte with circumscribing ditch occupies the northern extremity of the long natural ridge at Castle Hill. The motte, which has an average height of 4.0m, merges with the steep scarp of the ridge in the south. Its sides have been extensively quarried, and the top has been mutilated. No traces of any building foundations are visible. A surrounding ditch has been partially infilled by the quarrying activity. It is best preserved on the northern side where it has a maximum depth of 1.0m. There are no other apparent outworks (Field Investigators Comments–F1 RWE 03-JUL-61). Listed as a probable ringwork. It is suggested the site could be a seige castle or a predecessor to Bailey Hill (SK 29 SE/12). (Birch, 1981)
If this keep was medieval then this is clearly not a siege work, nor is its form or location likely to be that of a predecessor site. The area on top of the motte is narrow but I suspect it contained a small habitation, possible built in a castellated style but without much genuine substance (and the bare minimum of mortar)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK27109233

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 312710
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.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/110/bradfieldmotte.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p26
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p514
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield)
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol2 p26-7
    Hunter, 1869 (2edn), History and Topography of Sheffield (London) p460-1
• Journal Articles
  • Birch, J., 1980, ‘Castle Hill, Bradfield’ Archaeological Journal Vol137 p458-9
    Birch, J., 1981, 'The castles and fortified houses of South Yorkshire' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p374-6
    Renn, D.F., 1959, 'Mottes: a classification' Antiquity Vol33 p106-12
    Watson, John, 1779, 'An account of some hitherto undescribed remains of antiquity' Archaeologia Vol5 p92