Castlehaw Motte and Bailey, Sedbergh

Castlehaw, Sedbergh, Cumbria.
The two grassy mounds at Castleshaw are the site of a wooden motte and bailey castle. This defensive Norman fortification would have been a great vantage point to guard the Rawthey, Garsdale and Dentdale valleys from Scottish attack. The oval motte (on which would have stood the keep) is about nine metres high and is surrounded by a five metre ditch and a steep drop to the south. The lower and larger bailey (a fenced courtyard which would have contained living accommodation and possibly an area for livestock) is thirty metres in length.