Scheduled Monuments›England›Dalton Castle

Dalton Castle

England
List entry 1020457
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020457
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.01 hectares
Grid reference
SD 22618 73945
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Dalton Castle is a pele tower located in Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, constructed in the 14th century as a defensive stronghold. The tower was built by the monks of Furness Abbey to protect their extensive estates and serve as a refuge during border raids and civil unrest. It stands as a compact, rectangular stone structure typical of northern English pele towers, rising several storeys with thick walls designed to withstand attack. The castle remains an important example of medieval monastic fortification and reflects the vulnerability of religious communities in late medieval Lancashire.

Dalton Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020457. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Dalton Castle?

Dalton Castle is a pele tower located in Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire, constructed in the 14th century as a defensive stronghold. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020457.

Who is responsible for protecting Dalton Castle?

Dalton 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 1020457.

What other scheduled monuments are near Dalton Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks. (2.2 km), Bow Bridge medieval multi-span bridge (2.5 km), Romano-British farmstead on Little Urswick Crags (3.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Dalton Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Dalton Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Furness Abbey Savignac and Cistercian monasteries: precinct wall, great gatehouse, 'chapel outside the gates', south west gateway and earthworks.
2.2 km
Bow Bridge medieval multi-span bridge
2.5 km
Romano-British farmstead on Little Urswick Crags
3.4 km
Romano-British farmstead east of Little Urswick Crags
3.5 km
Enclosure castle known as Gleaston Castle
4.3 km
Romano-British enclosed hut circle settlement 660m south east of Holme Bank
5 km
Romano-British farmstead and associated enclosure west of Scales Haggs, 300m NNE of Scales Green Farm
5.2 km
Lime kiln 100m east of Scales Green Farm
5.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Dalton Castle

Dalton Castle stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.

Domesday entry for Killerwick, Yorkshire →
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