Hobs Moat is a

ruined Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

12th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

located to the west of Hobs Moat Road and north of Castle Lane in

Olton Olton is an area/suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands, England. In the 13th century, the Lords of the Manor moved their seat and formed a new settlement, at the junction of tw ...

Solihull Solihull ( ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe in the Arden, Warwickshire, Forest of Arden ar ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The site is designated a

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

, however, only the earthworks remain above the ground level.

Etymology

The prevailing theory is that the name 'Hobs Moat' is a corruption of 'Odingsells' Moat', so called because the founders of the castle were the de Odingsells, anciently written as 'Hoginsells', family. Other suggestions have been put forward, such as that after the ruin of the castle, the site was a location for the practice of

pannage Pannage is the practice of releasing livestock- pigs in a forest, so that they can feed on fallen acorns, beechmast, chestnuts or other nuts. Historically, it was a right or privilege granted to local people on common land or in royal forests ...

– where pigs ('hogs' corrupted to 'hobs') could be sent to eat acorns. Another, more fanciful theory, suggests that prior to the construction of the castle, the site was locally believed to be home to Hobs – creatures of English folklore derived from the ''

Cofgod 'Cofgod' (plural ''Cofgodas'' ("cove-gods")) was an Old English term for a household god in Anglo-Saxon paganism. The classicist Ken Dowden opined that the ''cofgodas'' were the equivalent of the ''Penates'' found in Ancient Rome. Dowden also co ...

as'' or "cove-gods" of

Anglo-Saxon paganism Anglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, or Anglo-Saxon polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between t ...

History

The castle is believed to have been constructed as the

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

of Ulverli (today in Solihull) by the de Ogdinsells family. The family were believed to be of Flemish origin, with their heir marrying the grand-daughter and heir of

Ralph de Limesy Ralph de Limesy (''alias'' de Limesi) lord of the manor of Limésy in Normandy (now a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France) was a Domesday Book Anglo-Norman magnate and tenant-in-chief of King Willi ...

, thereby inheriting the Lordship of the Manor of Ulverli. It is not exactly clear when the castle fell into ruin, but it is believed to have happened in the 14th century. Antiquary

Sir William Dugdale Sir William Dugdale (12 September 1605 – 10 February 1686) was an English antiquary and herald. As a scholar he was influential in the development of medieval history as an academic subject. Life Dugdale was born at Shustoke, near Colesh ...

would visit the site in 1656, finding only "a large Moat", and was informed by the locals that the castle there had long since been removed. Following the

subinfeudation In English law, subinfeudation is the practice by which tenants, holding land under the king or other superior lord, carved out new and distinct tenures in their turn by sub-letting or alienating a part of their lands. The tenants were termed ...

of the manor of Ulverli into the manor of Solihull, the Odingsells had constructed a new purpose-built manor house closer to the new Solihull town centre, called Silhill Hall, at some point in the 13th century.

Structure

The site has been subject to numerous archaeological inspections, which have uncovered evidence for a collapsed sandstone wall, and suggested a late-13th-century date for its construction – pottery has been found at the site further affirming this date. The remains of the wall had been overlain by the base of a later structure. Excavation, geophysical and field survey were carried out at Hob's moat between 1985 and 1986 and found a number of medieval buildings. In addition a late medieval/early post medieval shed-like structure was found indicative that the site had at one time been used for agriculture after the castle was ruined, however a later survey carried out in October 1997 by RCHME concluded that it was probably a hunting lodge. The castle would have stood on the remaining large rectangular earthwork platform, which is encased by a

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * LAPD Rampart Division, a division of the Los Angeles Police Department ** Rampart scandal, a blanket ter ...

, a wide

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate trench created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ...

and a

counterscarp A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides, respectively, of a ditch or moat used in fortifications. Attackers (if they have not bridged the ditch) must descend the counterscarp and ascend the scarp. In permanent fortifications, the ...

bank. The moat was spring-fed, with the northern boundary of the moat on a

spring line Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

. Immediately alongside the north side of Hob's Moat are the earthwork remains of a

hollow way A sunken lane (also hollow way or holloway) is a road or track that is significantly lower than the land on either side, not formed by the (recent) engineering of a road cutting but possibly of much greater age. Holloways may have been formed i ...

which is medieval in origin and is thought to have run westwards to connect Hob's Moat with Castle Lane.

References

{{Reflist History of Warwickshire Ruins in the West Midlands (county) Archaeological sites in the West Midlands (county) Castles in the West Midlands (county) Scheduled monuments in the West Midlands (county)

Etymology

History

Structure

See also

References