This polygon details the very heart of the medieval core of Sheffield. It covers the site of the castle and present day Castle Markets. The medieval settlement would have been focused on the castle with the market place and cathedral also important loci. Current buildings date to the 1960s (Harman and Minnis, 2004) and date to rebuilding around earlier Victorian covered markets. Site fossilises that of Sheffield's medieval castle the foundations of which are preserved within. The date of earliest settlement within the centre of Sheffield is uncertain and evidence is sparse. Bronze Age cinerary urns, discovered in the early 19th century at Bank Street account for all the prehistoric evidence. A small assemblage of Roman pottery was noted amongst the finds recovered by Armstrong’s excavations at the Castle in the late 1920s although some doubt has been raised about this identification. The current whereabouts of this assemblage is unknown. Place name evidence suggests an Anglo-Saxon origin for Sheffield. Records indicate the existence of a defended site under the control of Earl Waltheof of Hallamshire. A number of locations have been suggested for this, of which the city centre and castle site, is just one. The cross shaft of an Anglo-Saxon cross, dating to the late 8th/ early 9th century probably stood in the churchyard of the current cathedral and is indicative of some form of Saxon settlement. Soon after the Norman Conquest, a motte and bailey castle was constructed on the site occupied now by castle markets by William de Lovetot. This was burnt down in 1265 during the Barons war instigated by Simon de Montfort. Thomas de Furnival applied for permission, to Henry III, to rebuild the castle in stone. This was granted in 1270. The castle survived until 1648 when it was demolished by an act of parliament. This was due to its use by the Royalists during the civil war. After demolition, stone from the castle was enthusiastically used by the people of the town in further construction projects. In 1764 the Rev. Edward Goodwin of Attercliffe stated in an article for "Gentleman's Magazine" that no visible traces of the castle existed, apart from street names including Castle Hill, Castle Folds, Castle Green and Castle Lathes. Goslings plan of 1736 can be presumed to show the medieval plan with little change and much of the present day street plan in the markets area reflects this. Dixon Lane, King Street, Shude Hill and Snig Hill all remain and retain the same name though their prominence is somewhat diminished. West Bar still retains some importance as a route way out of the city. The main street, shown on Gosling as Pryor Gate is now formed by Church Street and High Street. The Townhead Cross, which stood at the western end of Church Street probably marked the extent of the medieval town to the west. A group of burgage plots stretched from the High street to present day Norfolk Street. Although little internal trace of the burgage plots remains, the overall shape created by the plots is still extant today. It can be seen bounding the top of Fargate, through the High Street and around to Norfolk Street. Today, the area still represents the commercial centre of the city. A narrow lane through the plots, Tucker Alley, labelled on the Gosling plan, is preserved as Chapel Walk. The free tenants of the town had their ancient rights formally recognised in a charter of 1297, granted by Thomas de Furnival. This effectively created the Burgers of Sheffield. This was split into two bodies during the 16th century- the Church Burgesses and the Town Trustees. One looked after ecclesiastical matters, the other civil matters. Both bodies still exist today. The Lord of the Manor still retained a considerable degree of control over affairs though and the character of the medieval town was heavily influenced by the nature of political administration. The feudal institutions of the Lord of the Manor, the castle and deer park to the north and east, restricted growth in those areas, encouraging development to the south and west. The town did not really expand into the north and east until the castle was demolished and the park disparked. Castle & Markets Although it was demolished over 350 years ago, the castle has exerted an enormous amount of influence over the character and development of this area. The association of the castle with this area is preserved through the retention of the name ‘Castle Markets’. The markets have been held in this vicinity for over 700 years. Many of the current buildings make reference to the history of the area through the incorporation of turrets or crenellations in their design. The inner court of the stone castle probably occupied the site of the previous motte and bailey castle whilst the outer court probably extended down to Commercial street. Waingate and Exchange Street probably mark the western and southern limits of the inner court. Elements of the castle structures are contained within the markets cellars. Archaeological fieldwork, both recent and in the 20th century, has demonstrated very good survival of remains pertaining to the castle over the whole area. The archaeological potential and importance of the area is very high. Legibility is partial due to the name of the area, architectural references and street pattern.