Burlough Castle

Heritage listing

Details This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 27 November 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records. The monument includes a motte and bailey castle, known as Burlough Castle, which survives as earthworks and below-ground archaeological remains. It is situated on a chalk hill, east of Cuckmere River, which is bounded on the west side by a steeply scarped and wooded cliff. It commands the entrance to the river valley near Alfriston on the north-eastern edge of the South Downs. The remaining earthworks of the castle include escarpments on the north, east and south sides forming a broadly D-shaped fortified area on which foundations of walls originally stood. According to documentary sources, these were robbed out after 1824 and used for the construction of nearby barns. The traces of a flint wall or revetment have been identified on the south-east escarpment. Fieldwalking in the area has recovered pieces of 12th and 13th century pottery. Other finds have included Prehistoric flints, axes and a pick as well as Iron Age or Romano-British potsherds. The original mount or motte is thought to have been sited at the northern part of the castle bailey. In 1996, a geophysical survey was carried out on the site, which indicated possible buried remains but provided no conclusive evidence. Legacy The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system. Legacy System number: ES 114 Legacy System: RSM - OCN

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.