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Clifford Hill is a motte and bailey castle located in Northamptonshire, England, and dates to the Norman period following the conquest of 1066. The monument consists of a substantial mound, or motte, which would have originally supported a wooden palisade and defensive structures, together with an adjoining bailey or outer courtyard. The site represents a characteristic example of early Norman fortification strategy, whereby such earthwork castles were rapidly constructed across England to consolidate military control. The precise details of its construction sequence and later occupation remain subjects of local historical study, though the earthworks themselves survive as significant evidence of medieval fortification in the region.
Clifford Hill motte castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1012328. View the official record →
Clifford Hill is a motte and bailey castle located in Northamptonshire, England, and dates to the Norman period following the conquest of 1066. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1012328.
Clifford Hill motte castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1012328.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 530m north east of Roe's Farm (3.5 km), Place House moat and fishpond (4.2 km), Romano-British settlement and pottery kilns W of Ecton North Lodge (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Clifford Hill motte castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Clifford Hill motte castle stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.