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Parishes: T (castles)

Thruxton: Thruxton Tump

Historic Environment Record reference no. 6808, Ordnance Survey grid reference: SO 4360 3460

Thruxton is a village in the south-west of the county, some 9km from Hereford. The motte lies 100m west of the village church, above a tributary of the River Dore on land that slopes gently to the north.

The site consists of a circular mound with traces of a surrounding ditch and a slight outer bank to the north-west. The mound is approximately 38m in diameter at the base and rises 5.5m above the bottom of the ditch to a top some 20m in diameter. There is a slight bank on top, probably due to excavation for a reservoir built on top of the mound.
 
This site is thought to be that of a motte and bailey. Remnants of buried foundations on the motte probably indicate a shell keep. There is a lot of loose stone in and around the site. There is also some diagonally-tooled stone present in the farmyard wall next to the motte.

A stone-lined cavity in the motte was thought to have been a burial chamber, with the motte having been raised on a barrow as at St. Weonards. However, the present cavity in the motte appears more likely to be a stone-lined basement or blocked well shaft, now plastered and forming some sort of water storage cistern, which is now disused.  

There are indications of several baileys or outer enclosures, now under the modern farm and houses.

The base of the slope has been cut away on the east side and on top is a slight bank, most probably modern, which forms a ring-shaped enclosure.

The mound has been excavated by the Rev. C. Archer. He reported that it appeared to contain a small rude chamber of stone, some fragments of pottery and iron, some glass bottle fragments and animal bones, but no human burial.

Titley: castle site

HER no. 21800, OS grid ref: SO 3300 5965

Titley is in the north-west of the county, close to the town of Kington. The site is situated in a 15 acre ploughed field on the lower eastern edge of the Knoll Garaway, about 1000ft from the River Arrow.

Description of the Titley site today

The landscape is lumpy with moraine hills, one of which has been turned into a motte approximately 63m long, 32m wide and c. 7m-10m high at the most.

There is a small curved earthwork at the northern end, which gives the site away as being man-made.

Early and late medieval pottery sherds, as well as gunflint, have been found on this site.

In the Domesday Survey (1086), Titley is recorded as having been held by Earl Harold but now held by Osbern son of Richard. There were three hides which paid tax and land for six ploughs. Before and after 1086 it was waste, although it is recorded that there was a hedged enclosure. (Frank and Caroline Thorn (ed.), Domesday Book 17: Herefordshire, 24,3; 24,6, Phillimore, 1983)

Turnastone: Cothill Tump

HER no. 1106, OS grid ref: SO 3386 3630

Six hundred metres to the west of Cothill Farm and 2.2km south-south-west of Peterchurch. Turnastone is thought to mean the "estate of Tornai". In the 1130s a Ralph de Tornai was associated with the area of Turnastone. (Bruce Coplestone-Crow, Herefordshire Place-Names, British Archaeological Reports British Series 214, 1989, p. 192)

Description of the Turnastone site today

The mound is 34m in diameter, rising approximately 4m above the bottom of the surrounding dry ditch.

On the top of the mound there is a sinking 1m deep. There has been some damage done to the south and west of the mound by tree removal in 1967-8.

A field map seems to indicate a large circular bailey on the north-east.

Opinion on the nature of this site varies from suggestions of a minor fortification to a Bronze Age burial mound.

Turnastone: motte

HER no. 1467, OS grid ref: SO 3568 3653

Turnastone is in the south-west of the county, approximately 1.5km south-east of Peterchurch. Turnastone is probably named after Robert Turuei, who held the Domesday estate of Wuluetone in 1160-70 (Bruce Coplestone-Crow, Herefordshire Place-Names, British Archaeological Reports British Series 214, 1989, p. 192).

Around 40m north-west of the parish church lies a possible ringwork that is now ploughed over.

It has been described as a mound and moat, however the only visible remains of the mound are a light mark surrounded by a dark rectangular cropmark.