Moat Hill (Wark)
(NY 86127680). Moat Hill represents the remains of a motte and bailey probably dating from the first half of the 12th century. Raised on a flat-topped, natural hill, the motte stood in the north west corner. Its site is now occupied by modern farm buildings, but two fragments of bank are still visible, one on the north side against the wall surrounding the stockyard, and the other at the south east corner of the hill-top. The ditch between motte and bailey can also be traced as a shallow depression crossing the farmyard. The pele of Wark is mentioned in 1399, and a tower in 1415, but all trace of it has vanished. (1)
A Manor House of the Ratcliffes was subsequently erected on the site but only a doorway of it remains and this is incorporated in one of the present farm buildings. (2)
NY 86127680. Surveyed at 1/2500. The Ratcliffe doorway is incorporated in a small outbuilding at NY 86107680, and carries a stone inscribed 1676. See illustration card. (3)
Survey checked: No change. (4)
Wark Castle. Motte was levelled to build present farm. Farm has a Tudor doorhead incorporated in it. Although mentioned in 1399-1400 and 1415, nothing was standing in 1538. In 1541 'apparence of a fortresse that hathe bene in tyme past'. (5)
The farmhouse and buildings are grouped around a rectangular yard. A triangular doorhead, with the worn date '1676' is reused in a building on the east side of the yard. The farmbuildings are clearly of a variety of dates, although a cursory inspection revealed nothing that was pre-1800. The farmhouse, at the south east corner of the yard, was not inspected in any detail; the rubble walling of its rear elevation (seen above an outshut) might be earlier than the farmbuildings. (6)
Additional references (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)
The castle of Wark on Tyne is thought to have been constructed by Prince Henry of Scotland (d.1152) shortly after he was created Earl of Northumberland in 1139. Passing through a number of hands, the old fortress was granted by King James to the Howards, earls of Suffolk, who in 1665 sold it to Sir Francis Radcliffe, who built a house of some sort on the site, as witnessed by a surviving door head dated '1676'. Wark followed the other Radcliffe lands in being confiscated after the 1715 rebellion and later granted to Greenwich Hospital, who in turn sold it to the Duke of Northumberland in 1835.
The site is a steep-sided natural plateau, roughly 100m square in plan, with natural escarpments on all four sides. There are clear signs of artificial scarping on the slope to the south; there is also scarping bounding the south-east side of the area occupied by farm buildings. The evidence for this being a motte and bailey castle is inconclusive. (12)
An archaeological evaluation at the western end of the stackyard of Mote Hill Farm, in June 2003, failed to find any trace of the medieval castle. (13)
Further archaeological investigations in 2004 and 2005 to the west and north east of the farmhouse also failed to find any trace of the medieval castle. (14)
Listed by Cathcart King. (15a)
Moat or Moot Hill was the site of Anglian Council meetings until 1165 when William the Lion made Wark the centre of his Liberty and ceated a motte and bailey on the site. The Scottish Kings held Tynedale liberty for homage only until 1295. A series of people held the lordship and used Wark as their administrative and judicial centre. The Crown took possession early 15th century and 1495 the liberty status was revoked, Tynedale became subject to laws of state.
It was replaced by a stone tower, first documented in 1399 but probably built a century earlier. By 1541 the tower was ruinous and was replaced by a fortified tower. Wark manor passed through Lordly hands until after the 1715 Jacobite fiasco it was granted to Greenwich Hospital. The Duke of Northumberland bought it in 1835. Sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century the buildings were demolished and the top of the hill levelled, except for a short dyke which may be a remnant of the bailey. Farmhouse and buildings were erected on the site, where a Tudor door-head has been inserted into one of the buildings, probably removed and saved from the 1541 mansion. (15b)
A Manor House of the Ratcliffes was subsequently erected on the site but only a doorway of it remains and this is incorporated in one of the present farm buildings. (2)
NY 86127680. Surveyed at 1/2500. The Ratcliffe doorway is incorporated in a small outbuilding at NY 86107680, and carries a stone inscribed 1676. See illustration card. (3)
Survey checked: No change. (4)
Wark Castle. Motte was levelled to build present farm. Farm has a Tudor doorhead incorporated in it. Although mentioned in 1399-1400 and 1415, nothing was standing in 1538. In 1541 'apparence of a fortresse that hathe bene in tyme past'. (5)
The farmhouse and buildings are grouped around a rectangular yard. A triangular doorhead, with the worn date '1676' is reused in a building on the east side of the yard. The farmbuildings are clearly of a variety of dates, although a cursory inspection revealed nothing that was pre-1800. The farmhouse, at the south east corner of the yard, was not inspected in any detail; the rubble walling of its rear elevation (seen above an outshut) might be earlier than the farmbuildings. (6)
Additional references (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)
The castle of Wark on Tyne is thought to have been constructed by Prince Henry of Scotland (d.1152) shortly after he was created Earl of Northumberland in 1139. Passing through a number of hands, the old fortress was granted by King James to the Howards, earls of Suffolk, who in 1665 sold it to Sir Francis Radcliffe, who built a house of some sort on the site, as witnessed by a surviving door head dated '1676'. Wark followed the other Radcliffe lands in being confiscated after the 1715 rebellion and later granted to Greenwich Hospital, who in turn sold it to the Duke of Northumberland in 1835.
The site is a steep-sided natural plateau, roughly 100m square in plan, with natural escarpments on all four sides. There are clear signs of artificial scarping on the slope to the south; there is also scarping bounding the south-east side of the area occupied by farm buildings. The evidence for this being a motte and bailey castle is inconclusive. (12)
An archaeological evaluation at the western end of the stackyard of Mote Hill Farm, in June 2003, failed to find any trace of the medieval castle. (13)
Further archaeological investigations in 2004 and 2005 to the west and north east of the farmhouse also failed to find any trace of the medieval castle. (14)
Listed by Cathcart King. (15a)
Moat or Moot Hill was the site of Anglian Council meetings until 1165 when William the Lion made Wark the centre of his Liberty and ceated a motte and bailey on the site. The Scottish Kings held Tynedale liberty for homage only until 1295. A series of people held the lordship and used Wark as their administrative and judicial centre. The Crown took possession early 15th century and 1495 the liberty status was revoked, Tynedale became subject to laws of state.
It was replaced by a stone tower, first documented in 1399 but probably built a century earlier. By 1541 the tower was ruinous and was replaced by a fortified tower. Wark manor passed through Lordly hands until after the 1715 Jacobite fiasco it was granted to Greenwich Hospital. The Duke of Northumberland bought it in 1835. Sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century the buildings were demolished and the top of the hill levelled, except for a short dyke which may be a remnant of the bailey. Farmhouse and buildings were erected on the site, where a Tudor door-head has been inserted into one of the buildings, probably removed and saved from the 1541 mansion. (15b)
N7746
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1962; W D Johnston
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1965; R W Emsley
THEMATIC SURVEY, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland 1995; P RYDER
PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland 1995; P RYDER
TRIAL TRENCH, Mote Hill Farm 2003; Alan Williams Archaeology
DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, Mote Hill Farm, Wark on Tyne 2003
WATCHING BRIEF, Mote Hill Farm, Wark-on-Tyne, Northumberland. Archaeological Monitoring and Building Recording during Residential Developments 2003-2005 2005; Alan Williams Archaeology
TRIAL TRENCH, Mote Hill, Wark-on-Tyne Proposed Residential Development: Archaeological Evaluation 2013; Alan Williams Archaeology
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1965; R W Emsley
THEMATIC SURVEY, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland 1995; P RYDER
PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland 1995; P RYDER
TRIAL TRENCH, Mote Hill Farm 2003; Alan Williams Archaeology
DESK BASED ASSESSMENT, Mote Hill Farm, Wark on Tyne 2003
WATCHING BRIEF, Mote Hill Farm, Wark-on-Tyne, Northumberland. Archaeological Monitoring and Building Recording during Residential Developments 2003-2005 2005; Alan Williams Archaeology
TRIAL TRENCH, Mote Hill, Wark-on-Tyne Proposed Residential Development: Archaeological Evaluation 2013; Alan Williams Archaeology
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