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Monument details

HER Number:TR 24 NE 4
Type of record:Monument
Name:Coldred Castle, Possible Medieval Earthwork near St. Pancras Church

Summary

A probable mutilated motte and bailey castle with the church of St. Pancras (TR 24 NE 3) within the north-west bailey. At Domesday the manor of Coldred was in the hands of Odo, bishop of Bayeux. The site has produced much Roamn and Saxon material and there have been suggestions that it is an enclosure of 8thC date. The dedication of the church to St. Pancras suggests Saxon origins.


Grid Reference:TR 2743 4754
Map Sheet:TR24NE
Parish:SHEPHERDSWELL WITH COLDRED, DOVER, KENT

Monument Types

  • ENCLOSURE (Possible Saxon enclosure (or earlier), Early Medieval or Anglo-Saxon - 700 AD? to 1065 AD?)
  • MOTTE AND BAILEY ( Possible Motte and Bailey, Medieval - 1066 AD? to 1070 AD?)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1012260: RINGWORK AND BAILEY AT COLDRED COURT

Full description

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[TR 27474757] EARTHWORK [G.T.] (1)

VCH classifies this earthwork as possibly Romano-British; Crawford says it is unlikely to be prehistoric and is possibly Medieval. Hasted gives a plan showing it as a waisted oval bisected by the road with Coldred Church in the NW half and a `mount' in the SE half; he also records the discovery of a well at approx. TR 27474757. The work is situated in a poor defensive position on a broad flat-topped ridge at a height of 370ft and has been extensively mutilated by quarrying and the construction of farm buildings of Coldred Court. (3, 5)

The NW half surrounding Coldred Church (TR 24 NE 3), a small two-celled early Norman building, consists of a strong rampart and V-shaped ditch. The SE half is of much more massive proportions with a U-shaped ditch and a slightly raised inner area. The two halves are off-set from one another and appear to be separate works. At Domesday the manor of Coldred was possessed by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Four years later he was disgraced and his possessions, including Coldred, were confiscated. The earthwork is probably therefore, a much mutilated castle mound with a small church in the bailey. The short life may account for the lack of tradition or documentary evidence. Published 25" survey revised. (8, 7, 9)

Additional Bibliography (2-6)

Photographs (10, 11)

From the National Heritage List for England:

Details:

The monument includes the earthworks and interior area of an early Norman ringwork, along with its bailey or outer ward. To the north-west of the modern road that bisects the remains is the ringwork itself, defined on two- thirds of its boundary by massive earthworks comprising a bank up to 2.5m in height and a ditch on the outside as much as 2m deep. On this side of the road a number of farm buildings, some medieval in date, have been constructed over the position of the former earthworks. In this area would have stood the main residential buildings, along with a chapel which has continued in use as the parish church. On the south-east side of the road is the bailey area in which ancillary buildings such as stables, workshops and soldiers' accommodation would have been sited. Here the bank attains maximum dimensions of 14m in width and over 3m in height while the ditch reaches a maximum depth of nearly 4m. Towards the road on the north-east side, the ditch has been partially infilled by soil from the bank, but here a low outer bank is also visible. In 1086 the manor of Coldred was in the hands of the powerful Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and Earl of Kent, but he was dispossessed of it soon afterwards having been disgraced for raising an unauthorised army for a foreign expedition. Within the protected area are two excluded areas, one a chalk quarry, as defined by the quarry fences, and the other the church of St Pancras and churchyard as defined by the churchyard fence. Within the rest of the area all of the modern buildings and their service trenches, the fences and the surface of the road are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

Reasons for Designation:

Ringworks are medieval fortifications built and occupied from the late Anglo-Saxon period to the later 12th century. They comprised a small defended area containing buildings which was surrounded or partly surrounded by a substantial ditch and a bank surmounted by a timber palisade or, rarely, a stone wall. Occasionally a more lightly defended embanked enclosure, the bailey, adjoined the ringwork. Ringworks acted as strongholds for military operations and in some cases as defended aristocratic or manorial settlements. They are rare nationally with only 200 recorded examples and less than 60 with baileys. As such, and as one of a limited number and very restricted range of Anglo-Saxon and Norman fortifications, ringworks are of particular significance to our understanding of the period.

The example at Coldred, despite having been partially destroyed by quarrying, survives well and is visually a very impressive monument. Its historical association with Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, Earl of Kent and half- brother to William the Conqueror adds to its importance. The survival of the chapel associated with the ringwork, albeit with structural alterations, also adds to the importance of the monument of which it was an integral part. (12)

Historic England archive material: AA55/01465 POSSIBLY RB,PROBABLY CASTLE MOUND AND BAILEY Donor: UNKNOWNCopyright: UNKNOWNAA55/01466 POSSIBLY RB,PROBABLY CASTLE MOUND AND BAILEY Donor: UNKNOWNCopyright: UNKNOWN


<1> OS 25" 1957. (OS Card Reference). SKE48273.

<2> F1 AC 06-AUG-64 (OS Card Reference). SKE41767.

<3> Page, W. (ed), 1908, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volumne I, VCH, Kent 1, 1908, 394 (plan) (I.C. Gould) (Monograph). SKE7882.

<4> Rev. O.N.B., 1938, 13, (O.G.S. Crawford) (OS Card Reference). SKE49235.

<5> Hasted, E, 1798, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Volume 8, `History of Kent' 4, 1799, 1-12 (plan) (E. Hasted) (Monograph). SKE7940.

<6> Arthur Clarke, 1964, Field report for monument TR 24 NE 4 - August, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE5646.

<7> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1992, Church Report - St Pancras's Church., T Tatton-Brown 1992 Report on St Pancras, Coldred for Canterbury Diocese (Unpublished MS) (Unpublished document). SKE7556.

<8> Hoskins, R., 1996, St. Pancras Church, Coldred, KAR 126 (1996) R Hoskins p.127 (Article in serial). SKE7883.

<9> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage, KD40 (Unpublished document). SKE6956.

<10> Palmer, F. J., 1954, POSSIBLY RB,PROBABLY CASTLE MOUND AND BAILEY (Photograph). SKE92.

<11> Palmer, F. J., 1954, POSSIBLY RB,PROBABLY CASTLE MOUND AND BAILEY (Photograph). SKE91.

<12> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 25" 1957..
<2>XYOS Card Reference: F1 AC 06-AUG-64. [Mapped feature: #881 Castle, ]
<3>Monograph: Page, W. (ed). 1908. The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Kent Volumne I. VCH, Kent 1, 1908, 394 (plan) (I.C. Gould).
<4>OS Card Reference: Rev. O.N.B., 1938, 13, (O.G.S. Crawford).
<5>Monograph: Hasted, E. 1798. The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Volume 8. `History of Kent' 4, 1799, 1-12 (plan) (E. Hasted).
<6>Bibliographic reference: Arthur Clarke. 1964. Field report for monument TR 24 NE 4 - August, 1964.
<7>Unpublished document: Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown). 1992. Church Report - St Pancras's Church.. T Tatton-Brown 1992 Report on St Pancras, Coldred for Canterbury Diocese (Unpublished MS).
<8>Article in serial: Hoskins, R.. 1996. St. Pancras Church, Coldred. KAR 126 (1996) R Hoskins p.127.
<9>Unpublished document: Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders. 2001. Kent's Defence Heritage. KD40.
<10>Photograph: Palmer, F. J.. 1954. POSSIBLY RB,PROBABLY CASTLE MOUND AND BAILEY. AA55/01466. Black and White. Negative.
<11>Photograph: Palmer, F. J.. 1954. POSSIBLY RB,PROBABLY CASTLE MOUND AND BAILEY. AA55/01465. Black and White. Negative.
<12>Scheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments.

Related records

TR 24 NE 144Part of: CHURCH OF ST PANCRAS (Listed Building)

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