Scheduled MonumentsEnglandRitton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle

Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle

England
List entry 1020150
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020150
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.59 hectares
Grid reference
SO 34440 97644
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Ritton Castle is a slight univallate hillfort situated in Shropshire, England, representing a multi-period defensive site. The monument comprises both Iron Age hillfort earthworks, defined by a single defensive bank and ditch, and later medieval fortifications constructed as a ringwork and bailey castle. The superimposition of these features reflects the site's extended use across distinct periods, from prehistory through the medieval era. The modest scale of the surviving earthworks indicates that Ritton Castle, whilst strategically positioned, was never developed as a major fortified centre.

Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020150. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle?

Ritton Castle is a slight univallate hillfort situated in Shropshire, England, representing a multi-period defensive site. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020150.

Who is responsible for protecting Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle?

Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey 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 1020150.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Motte and bailey castle with associated remains of a medieval village and ridge and furrow cultivation, 200m west of St Peter's Church (6.2 km), Motte and bailey castle 100m west of Holy Trinity Church (6.7 km), Hardwick castle motte and bailey castle 140m WSW of Hardwick Hall (7.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle

Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic tuff.

The wider landscape

Around Ritton Castle: a slight univallate hillfort and a ringwork and bailey castle

Offa's DykeArchaeological site · ~6.1 milesWroxeterRoman town · ~15.3 milesBattle of Shrewsbury 1403Battle (1403) · ~15.7 miles