Site Event/Activity record ECH157 - MPP Scoring ~ Beeston Castle, Inner Bailey Ditch

The Monuments Protection Programme was a comprehensive review and evaluation of England's archaeological resource, designed to collect information to enhance the conservation, management, and public appreciation of the archaeological heritage. One of its principal aims was to identify those monuments and sites whose national importance and conservation needs justify some form of statutory protection (generally scheduling). Scoring Remarks Beeston Ditch - SAM 1 Additional Note: Inner ditch - original cutting of inner ditch involved systematic quarrying of thousands of tonnes of sandstone using wedges, chisels and hammers. Bands of diagonal chisel marks, still apparent low down on the north side of the ditch indicate that where the rock was suitable, care and efforet was taken to excavate the sandstone in regular blocks for use in constructing the castle. Several nets of wedge holes survive in the rock. Much of the rock which was extracted from the ditch must have been in the form of irregular blocks and sandstone brash and was probably used as wall core material or crushed and mixed with lime to make mortar. To the west of the causeway several very large irregular rocks restinng on a rock cut ledge had been detached but left because they were not worth the effort involved in raising them. (JCAS 61, 1978, p.1-23, P.D. Hough)