Shackerstone Motte

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

Medieval motte with a fishpond and later formal garden surviving as earthworks. The motte measures 40m in diameter at the base and has a flat area 20m across on the top and is approximately 4.5m high from the bottom of the ditch. The ditch encircles the mound with the exception of a 12m stretch on the south west and is up to 2m deep and 6m wide on the south east side and 1m deep and 8m wide on the north side. A water filled fishpond 70m long and 12m wide is also present along with formal garden earthworks relating to a hall which stood on the site. Creighton writes prospect mound with little circumstantial evidence that it is a reused motte. However, mound is in village and 50m from church (which is mentioned in Domesday), though it may have been part of garden landscaping, on the bases of location and the fact the ditches around the mound are deep and of labour greater than usual for a prospect mound, I find it hard to dismiss this site. Indeed I would suggest the row of houses which now separate the mound from the church may actually lie on, or near, to the bailey ditch and are the reason the bailey has been lost.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK37480685

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; 312807

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/140/shackerstone.html
• Books
  • Cantor, Leonard, 2003, The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Leicestershire and Rutland (Leicester: Kairos Press) p38-9
    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 p261
• Journal Articles
  • Creighton, O.H., 1997, 'Early Leicestershire Castles: Archaeology and Landscape History' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol71 p27-9
    Cantor, Leonard, 1977-8, 'The Medieval Castles of Leicestershire' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol53 p39