Site of Possible Castle 100m NW of Church, Halford

1 At Halford Bridge is a small enclosure with a slight mound and a ditch, at one time, no doubt, filled with water by the river. It is known as ‘The Castle’ and is presumably the site of the first manor house or ‘Castle’. In the 1332 Subsidy Roll there are the names in Halford of Robert de Castro and Johne atte Castel, men who lived near to the place then known as ‘castle’. It is marked on the OS 1:2500 map but is not called a castle.
2 The mound is rectangular and was probably cut from the adjacent river terrace, by which it is overlooked. There are no traces of foundations on the mound and no associated enclosure or ditch were identified.
3 A motte standing about 4.3m high and with a diameter of 27.5m, it has a bailey to the N 73m long and 36.6m wide. It stands on a bend of the Stour and in the grounds of Halford Manor.
4 Scheduling information.
5 This site was Re-Scheduled in March 1998, the number was changed from SAM Warw 170 to Monument No 21668. There is no visble trace of the ditch but it will survive beneath the ground and is therefore included in the protected area. There are references to a castle at Halford in an early 14th century Subsidy Roll and the motte castle is believed to be the predecessor to the present manor house situated some 260m to the north east.
6 Correspondence about proposed works within the scheduled area.
7 Photocopies of maps showing the castle site.