Scheduled MonumentsEnglandShocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure

Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure

England
List entry 1012620
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1012620
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.68 hectares
Grid reference
SJ 43331 50789, SJ 43460 50843
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Shocklach Castle is a motte and moated enclosure located in Cheshire, England, representing a significant example of Norman military architecture from the eleventh or twelfth century. The site comprises a substantial earthen motte surmounted by defensive works, surrounded by a moated enclosure that provided additional protection and marked the extent of the castle's defensive perimeter. The monument demonstrates the characteristic design of early medieval fortifications in the Welsh Marches, where such works served both military and administrative functions for Norman lords establishing control over newly conquered territories. The survival of both the motte and its associated moated features makes Shocklach an important archaeological record of Norman settlement patterns and castle construction in the region.

Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1012620. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure?

Shocklach Castle is a motte and moated enclosure located in Cheshire, England, representing a significant example of Norman military architecture from the eleventh or twelfth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1012620.

Who is responsible for protecting Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure?

Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure 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 1012620.

What other scheduled monuments are near Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 250m SSE of Meadows Farm (3.2 km), Sutton Green round barrow (3.7 km), Medieval and post-medieval settlement remains and associated field system immediately east of Overton Hall (4.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure'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 Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure

Shocklach Castle motte and moated enclosure stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.