Buckton Castle
Encyclopedia
Buckton Castle is a medieval ringwork
near Carrbrook
, Stalybridge
, England. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
due to its proximity to the Buckton Vale Quarry. The castle is oval, with a stone curtain wall
3 metres (10 ft) wide, surrounded by a ditch 10 metres (32.8 ft) wide and 6 metres (19.7 ft) deep. Buckton Castle was probably constructed for William de Neville in the late 12th century; it was lying derelict by 1360. The small number of finds retrieved during archaeological investigation of the site indicates that Buckton Castle may not have been completed.
In the 16th century, the site was used as a beacon for the Pilgrimage of Grace
. During the 18th century, the castle was of interest to treasure hunters following rumours of the presence of buried treasure. It was used as an anti-aircraft decoy site in the Second World War. The castle is overgrown with heather and peat, and there are no above-ground ruins. Since 1996, the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit has been involved in excavations to maintain the site and reveal more information on its origins and purpose.
ridge . To the south is the valley of the Carr Brook, and to the west is the valley of the River Tame
. Buckton Vale Quarry is close to the east of the castle. Stalybridge
is about 4 kilometres (2 mi) south-east of the site. The castle's positioning may have been to allow its garrison to guard the Tame Valley; both castle and valley were in the medieval manor
of Tintwistle
. A manor was a division of land and administered by a Lord of the Manor
or his representative; in the case of Tintwistle, it was part of the larger lordship of Longdendale
.
Buckton Castle was probably built in the late 12th century by William de Neville, Lord of Longdendale, although it is possible that it was constructed for the Earls of Chester
before Longdendale was given to de Neville. A late 12th-century date would make it contemporary with other castles in Greater Manchester
such as Dunham
, Manchester
, Stockport
, and Ullerwood
. It is common for castles to be built first in timber and then rebuilt in stone, but Buckton was a stone structure from the start. It is likely that it was the centre of the lordship of Longdendale, as it is the only castle within its boundaries; however, a dearth of artefacts from the site suggests that construction may never have been completed.
The earliest documented evidence dating the castle was in 1360, when an estate survey recorded that "there is one ruined castle called Buckeden and of no value"; At the time, the lordship of Longdendale was the property of Edward, the Black Prince
, and the castle lay derelict. That the castle had fallen out of use by this period is consistent with the use of other castles in the Greater Manchester
area; by the 13th century, apart from at Dunham Castle
, there was no indication of activity in castles in Greater Manchester. During the 16th century, the site was used as a beacon during the Pilgrimage of Grace
.
The castle has been the subject of antiquarian
studies since the 18th century, and was originally thought to have been the location of an Iron Age
hill fort
. The interior of the castle has been damaged by the random insertion of trenches by treasure hunters since the early 18th century. Quarrying in the nearby Buckton Vale Quarry threatened to encroach onto the site and led to the castle's protection as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
on 9 July 1924. It is the oldest ruined building in the Tame Valley
. During the Second World War the castle was used as an anti-aircraft decoy until 1943, when it was felt to be no longer necessary.
Excavations at the site have been undertaken by the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit (UMAU) on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
since 1996. The work was partly funded by a £300,000 grant from Tameside Council. Initial excavations were to repair some of the holes made by treasure hunters and included test-pits, but in 2007 the unit began more extensive work to investigate the site and determine its use and a date for its construction. The final season of the excavation will be completed in 2009. Trenches have revealed that the castle had a stone wall and a gateway with a tower, but no internal buildings have been discovered. The first dating evidence was found in 2008, underneath the collapsed gateway; it consisted of some animal bones and shards of locally produced pottery from the 12th–13th centuries. Today, the site is overgrown with heather and peat.
Buckton Castle is a ringwork castle, which is a roughly circular area enclosed by defences such as a ditch; a ringwork is similar to a bailey from a motte and bailey castle. The castle is oval, measuring 35 metres (114.8 ft) across the minor axis and 45 metres (147.6 ft) along the major. It is surrounded by a 10 metres (32.8 ft) wide and 6 metres (19.7 ft) deep ditch dug into the sandstone. The entrance to the ringwork
is to the northwest of the site. Near the entrance are the possible remains of a stone tower. On the south-facing side of the site are the remains of a stone curtain wall 3 metres (10 ft) thick. Excavations in 1996 by the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit have shown that what was thought to be the bailey
was in fact of recent origin – probably part of the anti-aircraft decoy – and did not date back to the medieval period. The north-west gateway was protected by a stone tower 5 by, with 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) thick walls; the wall thickness suggests the tower was probably two storey
s high.
The interior of the castle is artificially raised 1.5 metres (5 ft) above ground level. Ringworks were an uncommon form of fortification in medieval England, with the majority of castles being motte-and-bailey
s, as demonstrated by the fact that Buckton Castle was one of only three ringworks in the historic counties of Cheshire
and Lancashire
. Buckton may be a ringwork because the local soil was too thin to build a motte
. According to a 1360 survey of property in Longdendale, Buckton Castle may have had a hall and a chapel. In the 18th century, antiquarian Thomas Percival
recorded a well
within the castle, and walls of buildings inside the castle still standing to a height of 2 metres (7 ft). However, these features were no longer obvious when George Ormerod
wrote about the castle in 1817, and have not been discovered by archaeological excavations.
Ringwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
near Carrbrook
Carrbrook
Carrbrook is an area in the east of Stalybridge, in Greater Manchester, England. The area still has many seventeenth and eighteenth century buildings. Much of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century village was built during the industrial boom brought by the printworks. Modern Housing...
, Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
, England. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester
There are 37 Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. In the United Kingdom, a Scheduled Monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauthorised change...
due to its proximity to the Buckton Vale Quarry. The castle is oval, with a stone curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
3 metres (10 ft) wide, surrounded by a ditch 10 metres (32.8 ft) wide and 6 metres (19.7 ft) deep. Buckton Castle was probably constructed for William de Neville in the late 12th century; it was lying derelict by 1360. The small number of finds retrieved during archaeological investigation of the site indicates that Buckton Castle may not have been completed.
In the 16th century, the site was used as a beacon for the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
. During the 18th century, the castle was of interest to treasure hunters following rumours of the presence of buried treasure. It was used as an anti-aircraft decoy site in the Second World War. The castle is overgrown with heather and peat, and there are no above-ground ruins. Since 1996, the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit has been involved in excavations to maintain the site and reveal more information on its origins and purpose.
Location
Buckton Castle lies 335 metres (1,099.1 ft) above sea level on Buckton Hill, a steep sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ridge . To the south is the valley of the Carr Brook, and to the west is the valley of the River Tame
River Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
. Buckton Vale Quarry is close to the east of the castle. Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
is about 4 kilometres (2 mi) south-east of the site. The castle's positioning may have been to allow its garrison to guard the Tame Valley; both castle and valley were in the medieval manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Tintwistle
Tintwistle
Tintwistle is a village and civil parish in the High Peak district of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,401. The village is just north of Glossop at the lower end of Longdendale Valley...
. A manor was a division of land and administered by a Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
or his representative; in the case of Tintwistle, it was part of the larger lordship of Longdendale
Longdendale
Longdendale is a valley in the north of England, north of Glossop and south east of Holmfirth. The name means "long wooded valley".- Geography :...
.
History
Earl of Chester
The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales.- Honour of Chester :The...
before Longdendale was given to de Neville. A late 12th-century date would make it contemporary with other castles in Greater Manchester
Castles in Greater Manchester
There are nine castles in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. They consist of four motte-and-baileys, three fortified manor houses, a ringwork, and a possible shell keep. A motte-and-bailey castle has two elements, the motte is an artificial conical mound with a wooden...
such as Dunham
Dunham Castle
Dunham Castle is an early medieval castle in Dunham Massey, England . The castle is first referred to in 1173, in a document stating Hamo de Masci held the castles of Dunham and Ullerwood. Documentary evidence suggests the castle at Dunham was still standing in 1323. The castle fell into disuse...
, Manchester
Manchester Castle
Manchester Castle was a medieval fortified manor house, probably located on a bluff where the rivers Irk and Irwell meet, near to Manchester Cathedral, underneath where Chetham's School of Music now is, putting it near the edge of the medieval township of Manchester .-History:Manchester Castle was...
, Stockport
Stockport Castle
Stockport Castle was a motte-and-bailey castle in Stockport, Cheshire. The castle was in the medieval town, overlooking a ford over the River Mersey. It was first documented in 1173, but the next mention of it is in 1535 when it was in ruins. What remained of the castle was demolished in...
, and Ullerwood
Ullerwood Castle
Ullerwood Castle is an early medieval castle, possibly a shell keep, in Ringway, England . The castle is first referred to in 1173, in a document stating Hamo de Masci held the castles of Ullerwood and Dunham. There is no other contemporary documented reference to the castle...
. It is common for castles to be built first in timber and then rebuilt in stone, but Buckton was a stone structure from the start. It is likely that it was the centre of the lordship of Longdendale, as it is the only castle within its boundaries; however, a dearth of artefacts from the site suggests that construction may never have been completed.
The earliest documented evidence dating the castle was in 1360, when an estate survey recorded that "there is one ruined castle called Buckeden and of no value"; At the time, the lordship of Longdendale was the property of Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
, and the castle lay derelict. That the castle had fallen out of use by this period is consistent with the use of other castles in the Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
area; by the 13th century, apart from at Dunham Castle
Dunham Castle
Dunham Castle is an early medieval castle in Dunham Massey, England . The castle is first referred to in 1173, in a document stating Hamo de Masci held the castles of Dunham and Ullerwood. Documentary evidence suggests the castle at Dunham was still standing in 1323. The castle fell into disuse...
, there was no indication of activity in castles in Greater Manchester. During the 16th century, the site was used as a beacon during the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
.
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
studies since the 18th century, and was originally thought to have been the location of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
. The interior of the castle has been damaged by the random insertion of trenches by treasure hunters since the early 18th century. Quarrying in the nearby Buckton Vale Quarry threatened to encroach onto the site and led to the castle's protection as a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester
There are 37 Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. In the United Kingdom, a Scheduled Monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building that has been given protection against unauthorised change...
on 9 July 1924. It is the oldest ruined building in the Tame Valley
River Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
. During the Second World War the castle was used as an anti-aircraft decoy until 1943, when it was felt to be no longer necessary.
Excavations at the site have been undertaken by the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit (UMAU) on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after the River Tame which flows through the borough and spans the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Its western...
since 1996. The work was partly funded by a £300,000 grant from Tameside Council. Initial excavations were to repair some of the holes made by treasure hunters and included test-pits, but in 2007 the unit began more extensive work to investigate the site and determine its use and a date for its construction. The final season of the excavation will be completed in 2009. Trenches have revealed that the castle had a stone wall and a gateway with a tower, but no internal buildings have been discovered. The first dating evidence was found in 2008, underneath the collapsed gateway; it consisted of some animal bones and shards of locally produced pottery from the 12th–13th centuries. Today, the site is overgrown with heather and peat.
Layout
Ringwork
A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte...
is to the northwest of the site. Near the entrance are the possible remains of a stone tower. On the south-facing side of the site are the remains of a stone curtain wall 3 metres (10 ft) thick. Excavations in 1996 by the University of Manchester Archaeological Unit have shown that what was thought to be the bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
was in fact of recent origin – probably part of the anti-aircraft decoy – and did not date back to the medieval period. The north-west gateway was protected by a stone tower 5 by, with 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) thick walls; the wall thickness suggests the tower was probably two storey
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
s high.
The interior of the castle is artificially raised 1.5 metres (5 ft) above ground level. Ringworks were an uncommon form of fortification in medieval England, with the majority of castles being motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
s, as demonstrated by the fact that Buckton Castle was one of only three ringworks in the historic counties of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. Buckton may be a ringwork because the local soil was too thin to build a motte
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
. According to a 1360 survey of property in Longdendale, Buckton Castle may have had a hall and a chapel. In the 18th century, antiquarian Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival
Thomas Percival FRS FRSE FSA was an English physician and author, best known for crafting perhaps the first modern code of medical ethics...
recorded a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
within the castle, and walls of buildings inside the castle still standing to a height of 2 metres (7 ft). However, these features were no longer obvious when George Ormerod
George Ormerod
George Ormerod was an English antiquary and historian. Amongst his writings was a major account of the history of Cheshire, a county in northwestern England.-Biography:...
wrote about the castle in 1817, and have not been discovered by archaeological excavations.
See also
- Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
- List of castles in Greater Manchester
- List of Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester