Brent Pelham, Cole Green

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameBrent Pelham, Cole Green
Alternative Names
Historic CountryHertfordshire
Modern AuthorityHertfordshire
1974 AuthorityHertfordshire
Civil ParishBrent Pelham

A wet moat encloses, on three sides, a circular, tree-covered mound (c 6ft high), the top of which has been flattened. The whole area is 110ft in diameter. Thought to be a barrow of pre-Roman date? There is no knowledge of it being excavated although it looks disturbed (OS map record).

Possibly a Roman barrow (Andrews 1905).

"Tumulus, moated, west of Cole Green - condition fairly good" (RCHME).

A windmill mound situated in an exposed ridge top position. Measuring overall c 26.0m in diameter and 2.2m above the ditch level, the mound has a flat top with a circular depression 0.5m deep. The surrounding ditch is c 4.0m wide and 1.3m deep, and is waterfilled on the E side. A causeway is on the roadside (south). The feature is not shown on the tithe map of c 1837, which shows no significant names (F1 JRL 06-FEB-75).

TL 426312. Moated mound at Cole Green-scheduled. (Listed under Castles and Fortifications) (DOE).

TL 425312. Possible site of a castle, discribed as a large irregular mound with a surrounding wet ditch retained by a strong counterscarp bank on the S side (Renn). (PastScape)

Circular mound c26m diameter and c4m high surrounded by a now dry moat with a portion on the S side infilled. Once thought possibly a Roman or earlier barrow, but the OS call it a windmill mound, with a flat top and a 50cm deep depression in it, and Renn describes it as possibly a castle. (Hertfordshire HER)

Gatehouse Comments

Marked as 'mill mound' on modern OS map. Away from village and does not seem to be manorial centre. No evidence of a bailey, although a barn used to stand on the south side of the road opposite the mound. Gatehouse considers on broad topographic grounds most probably a mill mound.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTL425311
Latitude51.9607315063477
Longitude0.0737299993634224
Eastings542580
Northings231170
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 43
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 220
  • Renn, D.F., 1971, Medieval Castles in Hertfordshire (Chichester: Phillimore) p. 22 (doubtful)
  • Fox, Cyril, 1923, The archaeology of the Cambridge region p. 198
  • RCHME, 1910, An inventory of the historical monuments in Hertfordshire (London: HMSO) p. 71 online transcription

Journals

  • (Dunning and Jessup), 1936, Antiquity Vol 10 p. 52
  • Andrews, R.T., 1905, 'Brent Pelham Hall and its Owners' Transactions of the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Society Vol. 3.1 p. 58-60