Whittington Motte

In the civil parish of Whittington.
In the historic county of Lancashire (Modern Authority of Lancashire, 1974 county of Lancashire).

Medieval motte and bailey castle surviving as a mutilated earthwork. A later church and churchyard occupy much of the original site. The low and oval-shaped motte, to the west of the bailey, is about 170ft in diameter at the base and circa 12ft high where it abuts the bailey. On the south side it stands about 37ft high above the low meadows. A church is built within the former crescentic-shaped bailey, but no remains of its surrounding ramparts or ditches are now visible. The interior is sloped downwards from east to west and elevated about 20ft above the low ground to the south and east.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SD59937627

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; 42997

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 601

• Web site links
  • http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/heritage/castle/whittington.asp
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p40
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p248
    Gardner, 1908, in Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (eds), VCH Lancaster Vol2 p545-6
• Guidebooks
  • White, A.J., 1998, Norman Castles of Lunedale A History Trail (Lancaster City Museums) [Leaflet]