Clough Castle

Clough Castle was constructed during the 12th century by John de Courcy. At this time the motte was defended by a relatively soft and flammable timber palisade of posts under 10cm in diameter, which may have been covered with clay for added strength.^[3] Behind the palisade, there were three pits for archers to stand in, with rough loopholes framed by boulders.^[3] In the mid-13th century, a stone hall was built within the palisade, and seems to have burnt down almost immediately.^[3] A stone keep was then built, and the palisade was replaced by an earth bank.^[3] The castle may have been abandoned during the early 14th century before the keep was rebuilt as a tower house in the 15th or 16th centuries.^[1][3]

The motte was almost completely excavated under Dudley Waterman in 1951–52, revealing the early phases of the site's occupation.^[4][3]