List of castles in Greater Manchester

Map of Greater Manchester with the locations of castles:
Radcliffe Tower is one of three fortified manor houses in Greater Manchester.

There are nine castles in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. They consist of four motte-and-bailey castles, three fortified manor houses, an enclosure castle, and a possible shell keep. A motte-and-bailey castle is characterised by two elements: the motte is an artificial mound with a wooden stockade and stronghold on top, usually a stone keep or tower,[1] while the bailey is a defended enclosure adjacent to the motte, typically enclosed by a ditch and a bank topped by a timber palisade or stone wall.[2] Motte-and-bailey castles were the most common type of castle in England following the Norman Conquest.[3] A shell keep was a motte with a stone wall rather than a wooden stockade on top; there would have been no tower within the walls.[4] Four of Greater Manchester's castles are scheduled monuments: Buckton, Bury, Radcliffe Tower, and Watch Hill. A scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.[5]

The purpose of a castle was not simply militaristic, but was also considered to be a stamp of authority over the population of an area and a status symbol. Some would have acted as centres of trade and administration for a manor.[6] The earliest castles in Greater Manchester are Dunham Castle and Watch Hill Castle in Trafford, Ullerwood Castle in Manchester, and Stockport Castle in Stockport. Dunham, Ullerwood, and Stockport castles were first recorded in 1173 as belonging to barons who had rebelled against Henry II,[7] and Watch Hill likely dates from this period; and at least three were motte-and-bailey castles, probably because of the speed and ease with which they could be erected.[8] Hamon de Massey, who owned the Trafford castles and Ullerwood, and Geoffrey de Constentyn, who owned Stockport Castle, were two of the three rebels from Cheshire; the other was the Earl of Chester, the owner of Chester Castle.[7]

Castles continued to be built in the area, although the last to be built in Greater Manchester were two fortified manor houses near Bury, built more for comfort than as utilitarian military structures. Bury Castle and Radcliffe Tower followed the national trend in the 13th century; they would most likely have acted as the centre of the manor they served.[9]

List of castles

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See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Friar (2003), p. 54, 214.
  2. ^ Friar (2003), p. 22.
  3. ^ Rowley (1997), p. 71.
  4. ^ Friar (2003), p. 259.
  5. ^ "Scheduled Monuments". PastScape. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  6. ^ Friar (2003), p. 186, 193.
  7. ^ a b Arrowsmith (1997), p. 31.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Redhead (1997), pp. 34–35
  9. ^ Friar (2003), p. 186–7.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Nevell (1998), pp. 60–61, 63.
  11. ^ Grimsditch, Nevell, and Redhead (2007), p. 7.
  12. ^ Grimsditch, Nevell & Nevell (2012), pp.  82–85.
  13. ^ P. Booth, M. Harrop & S. Harrop (1976–1978). The Extent of Longdendale, 1360. Cheshire Sheaf, 5th series, #83.
  14. ^ Grimsditch, Nevell, and Redhead (2007), p. 16.
  15. ^ Grimsditch, Nevell, and Redhead (2007), p. 5.
  16. ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Bury Castle (45189)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  17. ^ a b "Bury Castle". Eduweb.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 June 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  18. ^ a b Ashworth (1999)
  19. ^ a b c Nevell (1997), p. 33.
  20. ^ a b "Dunham Massey". The Gatehouse – the comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  21. ^ Historic England. "Dunham Castle (74865)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 26 February 2008.
  22. ^ a b c Historic England. "Manchester Castle (1386094)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  23. ^ a b "Manchester Castle". The Gatehouse – the comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  24. ^ a b Newman (2006), p. 141.
  25. ^ Kidd (1996), p. 13.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "Radcliffe Tower (44210)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  27. ^ a b Historic England. "Radcliffe Tower (1309271)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  28. ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Rochdale Castle (45159)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  29. ^ a b Newman (2006), p. 140.
  30. ^ a b c d e f Historic England. "Stockport Castle (1085399)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 5 January 2008.
  31. ^ Dent (1977), p. 1.
  32. ^ Arrowsmith (1997), p. 32.
  33. ^ Dent (1977), p. 4.
  34. ^ a b Historic England. "Ullersford Castle (76615)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  35. ^ a b c Historic England, "Watch Hill motte and bailey castle, 450m south of Streethead Farm (1014377)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 26 August 2022

Bibliography

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  • Arrowsmith, Peter (1997). Stockport: A History. Stockport: Stockport MBC Community Services Division, and Stockport Libraries, in association with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN 0-905164-99-7.
  • Ashworth, Terry (Summer 1999). "The Rediscovery of Bury Castle". Bury Local History Society Journal.
  • Dent, J.S. (1977). "Recent Excavations on the site of Stockport Castle". Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society. 79: 1–13.
  • Friar, Stephen (2003). The Sutton Companion to Castles. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-3994-2.
  • Brian Grimsditch; Mike Nevell & Norman Redhead (September 2007). Buckton Castle: An Archaeological Evaluation of a Medieval Ringwork – an Interim Report. University of Manchester Archaeological Unit.
  • Grimsditch, Brian; Nevell, Michael; Nevell, Richard (2012), Buckton Castle and the Castles of North West England, University of Salford Archaeological Monographs volume 2 and the Archaeology of Tameside volume 9, Centre for Applied Archaeology, School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, ISBN 978-0-9565947-2-3
  • Kidd, Alan (1996). Manchester. Keele: Keele University Press. ISBN 1-85331-028-X.
  • Nevell, Mike (1998). Lands and Lordships in Tameside. Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN 1-871324-18-1.
  • Nevell, Mike (1997). The Archaeology of Trafford. Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council with the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. ISBN 1-870695-25-9.
  • Newman, Caron (2006). "Medieval Period Resource Assessment". Archaeology North West. 8: 115–144. ISSN 0962-4201.
  • Redhead, Norman (1997). "Watch Hill Castle". The Archaeology of Trafford. Trafford Metropolitan Borough with University of Manchester Archaeological Unit. pp. 34–35. ISBN 1-870695-25-9.
  • Rowley, Trevor (1997). Norman England. Batsford and English Heritage. ISBN 0-7134-8060-2.

Further reading

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