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Shotwick Castle
In the civil parish of Shotwick Park.
In the historic county of Cheshire (Modern Authority of Cheshire, 1974 county of Cheshire).
Motte and bailey castle on the crest of a steep escarpment above the east bank of the former course of the River Dee. Its defensive position is enhanced by two steep sided watercourses flanking it on the north and south sides. The motte itself is a small mound, hexagonal in plan and 40m by 20m at the top. From limited excavation in C19 there appears to be the foundations of a stone keep surviving to a depth of 2.3m under the turf. The motte ditch surrounds the motte and is about 25m wide and 3m deep. This would have been flooded at high tide. To south east is a small bailey 38m wide at the top. Built by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, during C11. Under various owners formed part of the defence of the borders with the Welsh until 1281 when peace was finally made with the rulers of Wales. In 1327 the manor was emparked as a royal game park for the recreation of Edward III. An archaeological field investigation was carried out in Dec1995-Jan 1996 and identified a medieval formal garden on the castle site.
This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
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 SJ350704
PastScape number;
67153
County Sites and Monuments Record number; 2025/1/1
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p21
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p17 [slight]
Cullen, P.W. and Hordern, R., 1986, Castles of Cheshire (Crossbow Books) p9-10
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p68
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p297
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p833-4
Ridgway, Maurice Hill, 1958, 'Medieval Castles' in Sylvester, D. and Nulty, G. (eds), The Historical Atlas of Cheshire (Cheshire Community Council) p24-5
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Barber, 1910, in Barber and Ditchfield, Memories of Old Cheshire (London) p51-2
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p180-1
Sulley, P., 1889, The Hundred of Wirral p114-16
Ormerod, G., 1882 [2edn], History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol2 p571
Journal Articles
- Carrington, Peter, 1993, 'Shotwick Castle: anatomy of a reconstruction painting' Chester City Council Archaeol Service News
Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1970, 'Castles in Wales and the Marches (Additions and corrections to lists published in 1963 and 1967)' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol119 p119-124
Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
Stewart-Brown, R., 1912, 'The royal manor and park of Shotwick' Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire Vol64 p82-142 [illus, plan]
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
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