Bishopton Castle Hill

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castle Holl; Biscoptun

In the civil parish of Bishopton.
In the historic county of Durham; County Palatinate of (Modern Authority of Darlington, 1974 county of County Durham).

Castle Hill consists of a motte some 38 ft.high, surrounded by a ditch and outer bank, flanked by two lines of lower banks on the west and a single line on the east. The earthworks are complex and well-preserved with a bailey to the south which itself appears to be divided into inner and outer wards. A rectangular area on the north of the motte would also appear to have been enclosed by a bank. The whole motte and bailey is surrounded by a much larger area of low lying ground. Two causeways run across this area to the motte from the east and north-west. A stream to the west of the earth works would presumably have been used to flood this area should the occasion arise. Aerial photographs appear to show evidence for other buildings within the 'ward' areas. Sometimes cited as being been given a licence to crenellate in 1143, but Roger de Conyers was chief supporter of Bishop William de Santa Barbara against usurpation by William Comyn in 1143, so more a fortification by necessity than by consent.

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

A supposed Durham licence to crenellate was granted in 1143.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ36662089

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; 25795

County Sites and Monuments Record number; D335

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=D335
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=281
    http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index127.html
    http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index315.html
    http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index316.html
    http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index713.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern) p19
    Jackson, M.J., 1996, Castles of Durham and Cleveland (Carlise) p18-9 [plan]
    Dodds. G.L., 1996. Historic Sites of County Durham, (Sunderland), 30-2
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p26
    Corfe, Tom (ed), 1992, 'The Visible Middle Ages' in An Historical Atlas of County Durhan p28-9
    Proud, K., 1990. The Prince Bishops of Durham (Durham) p14
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p134
    Hugill, Robert, 1979, The Castles and Towers of the County of Durham (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p37
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Page, Wm (ed), 1928, VCH Durham Vol3 p213
    Page, Wm (ed), 1907, VCH Durham Vol2 p141-2
    Gould, Chalkley, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Durham Vol1 p353-4
    Boyle,J.R., 1892, Comprehensive Guide to the County of Durham: its Castles, Churches, and Manor-Houses (London) p162-3
    Surtees, R., 1816 [1972 Reprint], History and Antiquities of Durham (London) Vol3 p67
    Brayley, E. and Britton, J., 1803, Beauties of England and Wales; Durham Vol5 p97-8
    Hutchinson, Wm, 1785-94, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol1 p195-6; Vol3 p195-7
• Journal Articles
  • 1883-4, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol1 p75-6 [where taken for a barrow]
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Arnold, T. (ed), 1882-5, Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia (London: Records Society No75) Vol1 p150, Vol2 p314