The Gatehouse website record for Hope Motte

In the civil parish of Hope. In the historic county of Derbyshire (Modern Authority of Derbyshire, 1974 county of Derbyshire).

Mound and ditch of Hope Motte, an earthwork sitauted on a natural spur overlooking the Peakshole Water in the village of Hope. The mound is likely to date to the early Norman period. From the north, the mound is 4.5m high but from the south the earthwork rises to about 11m above the river, due to the landslope. The mound has been truncated on its southern side due to river erosion, forming a cresent shaped earthwork. The mound has overall dimensions of 45m by 28m. To the north and west of the mound is a shallow ditch about 7m wide and up to 1.5m deep. Due to river erosion, it is not possible to say whether there was ever a ditch around the southern edge of the mound. (PastScape)
This is likely to have been the Saxon administrative centre of the area before William Peveril built his mighty castle over the the nearby Peaks Arse cavern (Peveril Castle - q.v.) before 1086 and may have had some post-Conquest modification into a Norman style motte, althought the term motte here maybe a reference to a ringwork, and maintained some short term post-Conquest administrative role whilst Peveril was being built.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK17158343

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 309460
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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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

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