Sapcote Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Toot Hill

In the civil parish of Sapcote.
In the historic county of Leicestershire (Modern Authority of Leicestershire, 1974 county of Leicestershire).

Medieval motte and bailey castle partly destroyed and partly surviving as an earthwork. Late Medieval moated site infilled and visible as cropmark. Roman sherds found. Excavations revealed stone buildings of castle. The remains of a motte, partly modified in circa 1778 but currently surviving as a mound rising to about 1m. The bailey ditch has been infilled in recent years and can be seen as a grass mark 100m to the west of the motte. There are also remains of three sides of a late Medieval moat, constructed adjacent to the castle bailey which survives as a grass mark.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry 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 SP486934

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; 338037

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/140/sapcotecastle.htm
• Books
  • Cantor, Leonard, 2003, The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Leicestershire and Rutland (Leicester: Kairos Press) p37-8
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p43
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p255
    Wall, 1907, in Page, Wm, (ed), VCH Leicestershire Vol1 p253
    Nichols, J., 1811, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire Vol4 p898
• Journal Articles
  • Cantor, Leonard, 1977-8, 'The Medieval Castles of Leicestershire' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol53 p39
    1968, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol43 p64
    Hawkes, C.J., 1967, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol42 p87
    Hawkes, C.J., 1966, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol41 p69
    Addyman, P.V., 1960, 'Excavations at a moated site at Sapcote, 1958' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol36 p1-5
    Addyman, P.V., 1959, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol35 p84