Ashley Tuck is Research Manager at the Sheffield office of Wessex Archaeology, who have been appointed to undertake excavation work by the developers of the former Castle Market site and Sheffield City Council on the historic remains of Sheffield Castle.
Until the recent demolition of the market and proposed redevelopment, the remains had been hidden from view for many years. Ashley has been involved in initial research with colleagues and volunteers since 2016, leading the field excavation since 2018.
He commenced his talk showing four depictions of what could have been the nature and construction of the castle, none of which are contemporary and as a result highly speculative – and in Ashley’s opinion mostly inaccurate.
The original castle dating back to the Norman period was in the form of a motte and bailey, the castle itself most probably being initially of timber construction located at the confluence of the rivers Don and Sheaf, the motte being a man-made structure as opposed to a natural hill feature. Little remains of the timber buildings, though evidence of post holes in the top of the motte would seem to lead to this conclusion and recent scientific magnetic testing has confirmed that the castle is of Norman origin. The destruction of the castle is evidenced by a layer rich in environmental evidence including insect remains found in what are thought to be stables dating back to 1266 or thereabouts. The castle was then rebuilt in stone with a license to crenulate in1270. The site was large with an outer bailey extending to approximately four acres.
The castle was besieged on a number of occasions, all of which are believed to have been successful. The most serious damage occurred following the civil war after which the castle was left as a ruin.
Remnants of the castle have reputedly been used in the construction of properties in Sheffield but little concrete evidence is available. However, a map by William Fairbanks, circa 1771, indicates that on part of the site a bowling green was created, and housing was built on the western fringes of the castle site with, most probably, materials from the castle with some buildings utilising some parts of the remaining structure itself.
As Sheffield developed and industry expanded, the area around the castle was developed for the steel trades and a map identifying the area from 1853 shows no sign of the castle other than areas defined by names such as as “Castle Hil.” The buildings shown including furnaces, dating to the 18th and 19th centuries, low quality housing and slaughter houses which must have led to increasingly dire conditions for the local populace.
In more recent times the site was developed in the 1920s for a Co-op store at which time archaeologist Leslie Armstrong was invited to inspect the site and exposed elements of the original castle and pottery fragments were found and along with other items. These were displayed in the Co-op, but sadly the shop was destroyed in the Sheffield blitz and the display was lost.
There is ongoing work at the present time prior to the site being developed as a park with displays and some new buildings on parts of the site where there is little sign of any significant remains.
Evidence is still being uncovered as site investigation proceeds giving further insights as to the extent of the historic uses on the site with discoveries of a 12-metre deep well, a 16th century Nuremberg Jetton, a token contemporary with the time of Mary Queen of Scots’ incarceration, more pottery fragments, a silver coin and the identification of parts of the castle itself including towers, draw bridge, the inner court yard of the castle and from more recent times evidence of two cementation furnaces and associated structures.
Work continues to transform the site into a city park and display facility. This was an educational and interesting talk on what has until recently been part of Sheffield’s history that has not been well known. Further information can be found in the book co-authored by John Moreland and Dawn Hedley with Ashley Tuck and Millica Rajic “Sheffield Castle Archaeology Archives Regeneration 1927-2018” was published in 2020 and is available free of charge on the internet.