The Gatehouse website record for Beetham Castle Hill

In the civil parish of Beetham. In the historic county of Westmorland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

A medieval mound is visible as an earthwork on air photographs, within the grounds of Dallam Park. The feature appears to be extant on the latest 1991 Ordnance Survey vertical photography, albeit under some tree cover. Earthwork remains of a flat-topped mound, irregular in plan, partly levelled during C18. It is in a good defensive position on a prominent hilltop known as Castle Hill. It is an irregular oval in plan, The top of the mound contains an an earth and stone bank around its eastern, southern and western edges. During levelling, quantities of bone, metal and wall foundations were discovered. A section on the south side in 1965 showed a ditch outside the bank with stone revetting on the outer face of the bank, and a post hole. No finds were recovered. Though no documentary evidence relating to the construction of the ringwork is known, it is thought to be a precursor to C14 Dallam Tower which lies a short distance to the north west. (PastScape)
Recorded as Norman ringwork in Cumbria HER.
The location, in the centre of a deer park, is not typical of a Norman castle, although not unknown. There remains a possibility this was a park lodge of post-Norman date, sited on a hill to give views of the hunting, rather than to be defensive. However, the lack of datable finds does suggest a Norman work, with the deer park possibly being a later features, surrounding the castle.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SD49378082

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 41636
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 2492 '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 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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