Arkholme with Cawood Chapel Hill

In the civil parish of Arkholme with Cawood.
In the historic county of Lancashire (Modern Authority of Lancashire, 1974 county of Lancashire).

Medieval motte surviving as an earthwork, with traces of probable former bailey. Chapel hill is a conical motte, 110ft in diameter at the base, 45ft across the summit and circa 20ft high situated in Arkholme churchyard. There was no distinct traces of ditch around the mound although the sunken footpath to the north west probably represented part of its former course. A raised earthen platform covering about half an acre stood adjacent to the motte and may have acted as a bailey. a small excavation on the summit of the Motte in 1904 revealed two distinct phases, one below the turf and another 9ft lower. The lower deposit may represent a possible ringwork phase. Further excavations in 1973-4 confirmed the presence of two phases and suggested the upper phase was incomplete. Medieval pottery and a Neolithic or Bronze Age scraper were also found.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SD58937184

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 43036

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 629

• Web site links
  • http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/heritage/castle/chill1.asp
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p22
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p244
    Gibson, Leslie Irving, 1977, Lancashire Castles and Towers (Dalesman Books)
    Gardner, 1908, in Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (eds), VCH Lancaster Vol2 p521-3
• Journal Articles
  • Higham, Mary, 1991, 'The Mottes of North Lancashire, Lonsdale and South Cumbria' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol91 p79-90
    White, A.J., 1975, 'Arkholme Excavations' Contrebis Vol3 No1 p25-9
    Moorhouse, S., 1971, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol43 p85, 89-90, 98
    1905, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol5 p309
• Guidebooks
  • White, A.J., 1998, Norman Castles of Lunedale A History Trail (Lancaster City Museums) [Leaflet]