Cherry Hill, Ely

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; The Mount

In the civil parish of Ely.
In the historic county of Cambridgeshire (Modern Authority of Cambridgeshire, 1974 county of Cambridgeshire).

Ely Castle, or Cherry Hill Castle, a motte and bailey built by William I in 1070 to subdue Ely. Once Ely was quiessent, the motte was abandoned. However it was refortified in 1140 and immediately captured by King Stephen, and was captured by Geoffrey de Mandeville in 1143. It lies on the south side of the Cathedral Park just inside 'Ely' Porta and close to the old tithe barn of the monastery. The motte is 40ft high with a basal diameter of 250ft and a summit diameter of 50ft. No ditch remains. The bailey consists of a four-sided enclosure on the south east of the motte, 300ft x 250ft. The surrounding bank is slight and there is no trace of an outer ditch. There is a gap in the north side where it should join the motte

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL541799

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 375091

Books

Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p19
Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p175
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p12
Taylor, Alison, 1986, Castles of Cambridgeshire (Cambridge)
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p40
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p227
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Pugh, R.B. (ed), 1953, VCH Cambridge and the Isle of Ely Vol4 p28-30
Phillips, 1948, in Salzman, L.F. (ed), VCH Cambridge and the Isle of Ely Vol2 p29-30
Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p149-50
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p249-51

Journal Articles

Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106
Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
Clark, G.T., 1882, The Builder Vol43 p176, 185-6

Guidebooks

Holmes, R. and Blakeman, P., 1983, Cherry Hill, Ely (Ely Society)

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#cantab16]

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