Kilton castle. A timber castle is thought to have been constructed at Kilton between 1135-40 AD. The remains visible today are those of a stone built castle, constructed about 1190-1200 by the Kilton family. The castle is mentioned in a document of 1265 in which a chantry was granted to an existing chapel at the site. The castle was abandoned and in 1341 it was described as small and worthless. It was totally abandoned during the 16th century. The castle occupies a naturally defensible position with steep slopes to the south, north and east. The entrance at the west is through a narrow neck of land where it is defended by a moat, 46m long, 16m wide and 3.5m deep. The castle is roughly rectangular with dimensions of 98.5m north-south and 30m east-west. The rubble built curtain wall survives from 1.3 to 5.3 metres in height. The north wall was defended with four towers. The interior is divided into inner and outer wards. The inner ward occupies the eastern part, with the tower keep, domestic buildings, courtyard, well and chapel. The outer ward contains one large building interpreted as the stable block. The site was partly excavated from 1961-1979 but remains unpublished. The excavations show that the castle remained in use in the 15th century.

(417 of 824)