Kilton
Medieval Castle
&
Kilton Village
Kilton Castle
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From January 1985 onwards, Cleveland County
Archaeology Section (now Tees Archaeology), undertook
a programme of scrub clearance and fabric survey
at Kilton Castle, Cleveland (NZ704 177). This
was designed to prevent further decay of the
stonework through root action and to assess the
condition of the surviving fabric. The work at
the castle was complemented by survey and excavation
in the Kilton area to better ascertain the medieval
settlement pattern.
Topography
Kilton Castle stands on a promontory commanding
the precipitous valley of Kilton Beck and it
is this which governs the design of the castle.
The steep slopes provided defence enough to the
south and this aspect was only ever guarded by
a wall, the construction of defensive towers
being concentrated on the more accessible northern
and western sides.
Access to the castle was from the west and here
the defences were augmented by ditches.
History
The formation of the Percy fief of Kilton took
place at the beginning of the 12th century, the
estate coming into their hands following the
dissolution of the holdings of the Earl of Mortain.
Kilton was the granted to one Walter Fitz-Walter
to be held by knight service and it was this
family, later to change its name to 'de Kilton',
which was responsible for the construction of
the castle.
There is no trace of an early earthern or timber
structure, if such existed it may have been no
more that a timber palisade across the promontory.
Excavations by Alan Aberg between 1965 and 1978
have however allowed some progress in understanding
the development of the stone fortifications.
The earliest stonework seems to date from the
13th century and consists of the surviving line
of the walls, defining an inner and outer bailey
both being fronted by ditches to the west. In
this first period the gateway to the inner bailey
may have been guarded by two semi-circular towers.
Round towers being built in the north and south
east corners of the inner bailey and a hall being
constructed against the north-eastern battlements.
In the 4th century the buildings separating
the inner and outer baileys were rebuilt as a
domestic range with a central gatehouse, the
hall was converted into kitchens and smaller
apartments.
The 15th century saw a complete change in the
layout of the castle; the inner bailey was given
over to domestic structures, including a large
oven in the base of the now demolished south-eastern
tower and a new hall was built in the outer bailey.
Either in this or the preceding phase the ditch
guarding the inner bailey was back filled.
The castle was abandoned in the 6th century
and was allowed to decay until the late 19th
century when the surviving stonework was refurbished.
Description
The castle is built of the local ironstone with
facings of dressed stone and a core of mortared
rubble. The whole of the castle has been heavily
robbed and the upstanding walls have all lost
a high proportion of their facings.
Outer Bailey
This is guarded by a deep ditch which is still
clearly visible. There is a causeway marking
what was probably the original entrance to the
castle although there is no trace of the gatehouse.
However over 8m of the western battlement does
survive, to a maximum height of 4m. This is continuous
into the north-west corner.
The angle between the western and the north-western
battlement contains a small rectangular tower
which projects the curtain wall and survives
to a maximum height of 5m.
The north-western battlement survives almost
continuously for 23m, from the north-western
tower. A large building, latterly a stable block
occupied the north-western corner of the bailey.
The eastern corner of this building was defended
by a tower identical to the north-western. This
does not survive, but a fragment of the east
wall of the 'stable' survives to a height of
5.25m. In addition, the remains of a first floor
doorway survive, leading from the building into
the north-western tower.
The north-western rampart beyond the building
survives to a height of 1.5m and contains a small
buttress within its length. There is then a gap
in the surviving fabric beyond which a length
of battlement surviving to 5.3m in height abutts
the main North Tower. A drain runs through the
eastern end of the wall.
On the opposite side of the outer bailey, 19.5m
of the south-western battlement survive. This
runs from the castle entrance but is badly ruined.
Inner Bailey
The North Tower was the main defensive work
and survives as a rectangular structure with
a doorway at basement level. There are no surviving
windows in the tower which has been heavily robbed
and which survives only to a height of 8.5m at
its highest point. A buttress 1.65m wide is sited
at the eastern end of the north wall of the tower
The main robbing of the tower may have taken
place at the same time as a range of rooms was
built along the line separating the two baileys.
These were recovered by excavation but do not
survive above ground level.
Underlying the North Tower is a curved wall
of early date which may represent the remains
of one of a pair of gate towers to the inner
bailey.
The north-east battlement runs from the main
North Tower to the North-East Tower with the
Well Tower set between The length of wall between
the North Tower and the Well Tower is almost
completely covered by rubble.
The Well Tower is a later insertion into the
wall and projects beyond it, housing an off-centre
well shaft. The floor and well lining survive.
Running from the Well Tower, the battlement
abutts the North-East Tower and has a drain at
its western end.
The North-East Tower stands to an internal height
of 7.5m and is apsidal, of Early English type
with lancet and crossbow windows. The interior
contains the remains of a fine fireplace with
mantel corbels, whilst the south side of the
tower contained a doorway which opened onto a
garderobe buttress on the eastern battlement.
The eastern battlement is level with the surface
on the interior but stands a maximum of 3.5m
high to the exterior. Set midway along it is
a buttress 2m wide projecting 0.8m beyond the
wall.
There is a gap in the defences at the south-east
corner where a tower of the same design as the
North-East has been demolished. This may have
occurred in the 15th century when a wall was
constructed across the courtyard between the
two towers to create kitchens. An oven was also
inserted into the base of the South-East Tower.
The south-east battlement forms the southern
boundary of the inner bailey. Although it has
been robbed to ground level, the precipitous
slope to the south suggests that it did not need
to be very high and there are no towers along
its length. The interior in this area was courtyard
with the buildings occupying the northern half
of the bailey. None of these stands above foundation
level, nor does the gatehouse to the interior
survive.
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