Project Background

Our dig site is tucked away in a field beside Soulton Hall, among the beautiful rolling Shropshire hills. Just eight miles from today’s border with Wales, the manor itself dates back the 16th century, and the surrounding farmland is filled with Bronze Age, Roman, and medieval archaeology. But it’s the large, rectangular mound next to the manor which is the focus of our excavation.

Despite being a protected scheduled ancient monument, no one knew why it was there, and we were given permission to find out. After a week of digging, the evidence started to emerge: a moat, a wooden structure, and a solid stone wall. As the excavation continued, the evidence started piling up: a medieval ampulla, a medieval necklace, medieval cups, bowls, and jug handles, and a medieval token, all dating to around 1250. And when we finally went over the mound with a geophysics survey, the results were beginning to show the remains of even more structures and features lying just below the surface. It’s not every day that archaeologists discover a long-forgotten castle, but that’s exactly what our evidence is pointing to!

In 2021, our team of archaeologists made the BBC headlines when we discovered the remains of a 13th century castle. Measuring just 20 x 20m, this dimunitive castle is strategically positioned along the English-Welsh border. Despite it’s small size, it’s perfectly placed to control a single crossing point over the surrounding floodplain, and access along the main road leading to Wem.

This year, we’re returning to look for evidence that can help us piece together the story of this long-forgotten castle. What did it look like? How was it built? Who by? When? And what for?

To find out, we’ll excavate several different locations, including the moat, the wooden structure, and the surrounding wall. We’ll also investigate some of the ghostly underground features revealed in our geophysics surveys. Along the way, we’ll be gathering any evidence that can tell us more about when it was built, and what that’s got to do with the shifting border between England and Wales, and who controlled the road to Wem.

We’ll examine the pottery, bones, coins, wood, environmental samples, and put everything together to build up a chronology of the site and reveal the big story behind this tiny castle: was it built and abandoned at a specific point in time? Or will an altogether different and more complex picture emerge?