1775
A mystery castle
A square feature called Castle Hill is marked just south of Castleford, on the map of Yorkshire published in 1775 by Thomas Jefferys. Could this also be something Roman? It is in the area of Bean Croft Field where Camden described frequent coin finds and Stukeley saw stone pavements and foundations.
1. 1775 map is more like a Roman fort than a medieval castle. Jefferys was usually accurate in his recording of visible archaeological sites.
In the 19th century local historian Samuel Johnson heard of something similar that had been seen in about 1820 in the Bean Croft. According to local tradition, it was the site of a castle, which could mean a Roman fort. However, the remains seen in 1820 looked more like a moat.
Samuel Johnson made a thorough search of the Bean Croft Field in about 1860, but found no evidence either for a moated site or a castle.