Motte and bailey, Hentland.
SMR NO. 6415 GRID REF: SO 5380 2420
In The Text Bookof the Llan Dav' (a series of old Welsh texts c 1130) Hentland is known as 'Hennllann' which means 'old church'. (Herefordshire Place Names - Copleston-Crow, BAR British Series 214, 1989)
This motte and bailey site has been much altered and defaced by modern cottages and gardens, however some basic outlines can still be seen.
The enclosure is c0.75acre with traces of a bank to the NW and SE sides. A surrounding ditch remains on the SW side, where the outer scarp is rock cut – up to 16m wide and 1.5m deep.
The bailey is c50m square and contains the motte on its North corner.
The motte has a diameter of approx. 26m; this is difficult to be certain of, as the motte has been cut away on the South side. The motte still stands to 2.5m on the North side, with the interior rising about 8ft above the bottom of the ditch.