Ullerwood Castle is an early medieval castle, possibly a

shell keep A shell keep is a style of medieval fortification, best described as a stone structure circling the top of a motte. In English castle morphology, shell keeps are perceived as the successors to motte-and-bailey castles, with the wooden fence arou ...

, in Ringway,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England (). The castle is first referred to in 1173, in a document stating

Hamon de Masci The first Hamon de Massey was the owner of the manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington after the Norman conquest of England (1066), taking over from the Saxon thegn Aelfward according to Domesday Book. He was pos ...

held the castles of Ullerwood and Dunham. There is no other contemporary documented reference to the castle. Ullerwood Castle has been confused with

Watch Hill Castle Watch Hill Castle (also known as Yarwood Castle, Castle Hill, and Bowdon Watch) is a medieval motte-and-bailey on the boundary of Bowdon and Dunham Massey, Greater Manchester, England. It is a scheduled monument. The castle is located north of th ...

in nearby Bowdon, but the two are separate castles, though both probably owned by de Masci.Nevell (1997), p. 33, 35. The site is underneath a house and surrounded by trees. ° It is possible that the site of the castle is at the top of Castle Hill at 53°20'57"N, 2°17'32"W. Examination of aerial views of the location on Google EarthGoogle Earth indicates a circular structure with less well defined adjacent structures to the South East. The site is very close to a runway at Manchester Airport and lies within a restricted area.

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* * Google Earth Buildings and structures in Trafford Castles in Greater Manchester {{England-castle-stub

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