Pilton Mound

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Morcott Spinney

In the civil parish of North Luffenham.
In the historic county of Rutland (Modern Authority of Rutland, 1974 county of Leicestershire).

Wide low mound which has been interpreted as a motte, a barrow or a C17 civil war gun emplacement for the siege of North Luffenham Hall 1100m away. Also as a C17 garden feature for the hall. The mound is 9ft in height, 78ft in diameter, surrounded by a 12 foot wide ditch with a 4 foot counterscarp. From the location my opinion is that the least likely of these interpretations is that of a medieval motte. Creighton convincingly argues this is a C17 prospect mound for the much landscaped environs of North Luffenham Hall.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
This site is rejected as a medieval fortification or palace.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK92800234

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; 325263

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p99
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p418
Hartley, R. F., 1983, The Mediaeval Earthworks of Rutland, A survey (Leicester)
Page, Wm (ed), 1908, VCH Rutland Vol1 p111-2, 119

Journal Articles

Creighton, O.H., 2000, 'The Medieval Castles of Rutland: Field Archaeology and Landscape History' Rutland Record Vol20 p415-24
Creighton, O.H., 1999, 'Early Castles in the Medieval Landscape of Rutland' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol73 p19-33 [plan]

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This record last updated on Friday, April 6, 2007

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