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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Skipsea Castle » Skipsea |
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Yorkshirepedestrian 81 posts |
Jan 30, 2008, 16:26
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I doubt anyone can help but here goes. I live in Hull (not my fault) and just north of us is the spectacular "ritual landscape" of Rudston and the Gypsey Race. So far it's my favourite place on the planet--anyone who's stood beneath the monolith will praps know why! Now there's a grey weathered stone to shelter behind :) But not far to the south is the huge conical mound of Skipsea Castle, or Drogo's Castle. All the pamphlets (damn those things) have informed me it's a Norman motte but I'm not sure. Stood atop her observing the shimmering summer fields for miles around I felt she had to be something more than just an oppressive Norman castle. The whole place has a wonderful vibe. All this is probably not sounding too scientific, heh. But the first thing I thought when I saw it was Silbury Hill. Plus as you drive towards it it's hidden in a sort of bowl formed by the huge surrounding earthworks and reveals itself slowly as you move around it. And then I found an old Time Team where they were investigating a nearby farm, and the fantastic local landscape interpreter, Stuart Ainsworth, visited this place. He thought it was originally Neolithic! and the huge earthworks surrounding it were, according to him, Iron Age! I was just wondering if anyone had any more information? The place is so huge (it dwarfs the nearby artificial hill of Willy Howe) and it'd blow me away if it could be proved to be contemporary with this whole prehistoric complex. Approaching the mound:- http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/nodarkthings/skipsea22.jpg View of the mound (and my parents' doggy) from one of the huge surrounding earthworks:- http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/nodarkthings/skipsea.jpg Here she is waiting to be sacrificed in a tiny stone circle hehe:- http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a394/nodarkthings/sacrifice.jpg Love you all, Matt.
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Rhiannon 5291 posts |
Jan 31, 2008, 13:42
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Apparently the mound used to be surrounded by water.... so maybe the island would have been noticeable and important before it was resculpted for castley purposes. Ooh could it have looked like silbury surrounded by its moat? er I may be getting far too carried away now. But you'd think there might have been a bump there before the castle becuase it would make less work to build up. From the record on 'magic': http://www.magic.gov.uk/rsm/13334.pdf "While the bailey is located on a natural ridge of boulder clay, during the Middle Ages the motte stood on an island of sand and gravel within a lake known as Skipsea Mere. The mere was drained in c.1720 and the resultant reclaimed land allotted to various owners."
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Penske666 161 posts |
Jan 31, 2008, 16:28
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Tickhill castle has the same feeling - the area around it was once marsh. I'm guessing the Normans built on top of existing mounds to save time building mottes (me mum's idea not mine - but I agree) Any evidence out there?
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scubi63 463 posts |
Jan 31, 2008, 16:57
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My first impression was that it was similar to 'Old Sarum' near Salisbury which was an iron age hill fort before various transformations by Roman, Saxons et all. However 'Old Sarum' has a distinctly flat top. :o) Chris
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ryaner 679 posts |
Jan 31, 2008, 23:13
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Penske666 wrote: I'm guessing the Normans built on top of existing mounds to save time building mottes (me mum's idea not mine - but I agree) I'm sure your mum's right. Some of the mottes I've seen here in Ireland, particularly one below the Slieve na Calliagh hills, have that air of the pre-historic about them.
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FourWinds 10943 posts |
Feb 01, 2008, 07:04
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ryaner wrote: Penske666 wrote: I'm guessing the Normans built on top of existing mounds to save time building mottes (me mum's idea not mine - but I agree) I'm sure your mum's right. Some of the mottes I've seen here in Ireland, particularly one below the Slieve na Calliagh hills, have that air of the pre-historic about them. If you're talking about the one just south of Patrickstown, I believe that one is known to have been a barrow first. I don't have details, but I know that a number of mottes have been dug into in Ireland and a large proportion of them had burials in them.
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Johnnyboy 2 posts |
Feb 26, 2008, 23:31
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I grew up in nearby Hornsea, and always thought that Skipsea Brough looked like a mini-Silbury. it seems to have something which other local mottes don't have, such as Noddle Hill near Hull (perhaps that one's proximity to Bransholme takes something from it!) Last time I was at Skipsea, the base of the Brough was partially flooded - a fine sight. There's a very clearly defined circular bank around the mound, and separated from it by the moat. Again, I thought of Silbury with its "moat". I'd also agree that the bailey earthworks are very reminiscent of a hillfort - the castle was apparently dismantled and abandoned long before it had a chance to be rebuilt in stone. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/JRSewell68/new%20year/skip4.jpg (The mound in its hollow) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/JRSewell68/new%20year/skip3.jpg (The circular bank and damp moat) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/JRSewell68/new%20year/skip1.jpg (Bailey earthworks from the top of the motte - the area between them was once water, and they were connected by a causeway)
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Monganaut 2382 posts |
Edited Oct 03, 2016, 16:14
Oct 03, 2016, 10:53
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Well, looks like much of the speculation on this earlier thread has born out. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/oct/03/skipsea-castle-yorkshire-built-on-iron-age-mound Maybe were not so mad when we are mooching in the countryside and speculate something similar when we see impressive hills, mounds or hummocks that have later been used to construct castles/churches etc... Stands to reason that if our forbears found a large 'hill' somewhere strategically/culturally important for them, they are gonna re-use it. After all, if you don't have to build a massive base to start with, your half way to wherever you need to be.
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Yorkshirepedestrian 81 posts |
Edited Oct 03, 2016, 15:27
Oct 03, 2016, 14:11
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My brother texted me with this story this morning and I've just headed here to see that I've been beaten to it! I was so excited to read it, but a little disappointed that the mound is only iron age--I really hoped it'd be older and related to the gypsy race monuments of Rudston and Willy Howe...that would have been staggeringly important. But this is still really cool news for a Monday morning. I wonder how big the iron age mound was because skipsea castle's "motte" is huge. I want to get back there now and check it out. Funny, I was there just a couple of weeks ago, musing on its ancient vibes. Good old mister Ainsworth was correct! He usually was on time team though. Before the earth had even been broken he'd often solved the site's mysteries by just walking and thinking. I'm definitely prone to wild speculation about humps and bumps. The council estate where I live is part of a vast druidic ritual landscape....
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Monganaut 2382 posts |
Edited Oct 03, 2016, 16:27
Oct 03, 2016, 16:12
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Y'know, I wouldn't be surprised that if (big 'if' I know) they get to use ground penetrating radar or even dig it, that they find it's older still for all the reasons I stated above. Would be great if it could be linked to the Gyspy Race etc.... though of coarse, that is wild speculation. I'm a firm believer that if we spend enough time out and about in the wilds, we develop a sense of what looks natural and what looks interfered with by human hand. I do believe that like Ainsworth, you can learn to 'read' a landscape, if only a little. Anyoo, well done you fer spotting/noting it's possibly older origins. Anyhoo, a little off topic, but I read a review of this book by Nicolas Crane 'The Making Of The British Landscape: From the Ice Age to the Present' the other day, and sounds like it might be worth a punt. Have read a few of his books, and while I don't really like his presenter style on TV, have found him to be an honest and engaging writer. I'm sure it covers similar topics to the Francis Pryor book 'The Making of the British Landscape: How We Have Transformed the Land, from Prehistory to Today', so takes yer pick. I'm sure both follow in the footsteps of W G Hodgkis 'The Making of the English Landscape', but obvs cover Scotland, Wales and Possibly Ireland, as well as the myriad of Islands in our not so little archipelago. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/30/making-of-british-landscape-nicholas-crane-review
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