Bradfield Bailey Hill

In the civil parish of Bradfield.
In the historic county of Yorkshire West Riding (Modern Authority of Sheffield, 1974 county of South Yorkshire).

Medieval motte and bailey castle, visible as an earthwork. Bailey Hill occupies a good defensive position on a plateau overlooking the low ground to the south and east. The steep sided motte is 10.5m in height, but has been mutilated on the southern side to provide access to the top. There are some stones on top of the motte, but insufficient to suggest the presence of a building. Both motte and bailey bank seem to be made of piled stone.

This site has been described as a;
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 SK26629268

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; 312726

• Web site links
  • http://oldster.future.easyspace.com/mound.html [for pictures The history given looks debateable]
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/110/bradfieldmotte.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p26
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p17
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p310 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p514
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield)
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Yorkshire Vol2 p26, 29
    Hunter, 1869 (2edn), History and Topography of Sheffield (London) p460-1
• Journal Articles
  • Birch, J., 1980, 'The castles and fortified houses of South Yorkshire' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p374-6
    Birch, J., 1980, ‘Bailey Hill, Bradfield’ Archaeological Journal Vol137 p457-8
    Renn, D.F., 1959, 'Mottes: a classification' Antiquity Vol33 p106-12
    Adely, S.O., 1909, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol20 p119-20
    Chalkley Gould, 1904, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol10 p39-40
    Hills, 1874, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol30 p408-10
    Watson, 1779, Archaeologia Vol5 p91-2 and plate IV