U3A Warsop History Group A short account on the Castles of Nottinghamshire based on the presentation given by James Wright on Tuesday 17 th November 2020 to the Warsop U3A History Group. James first produced todays presentation in the mid-2000’s after a period employed by Nottinghamshire County Council Archaeological Department assisting in the mapping and recording of the then known sites of castle in Nottinghamshire. He particularly worked on and helped determine the existence of the Fortified Manor of the de Strelley family at Strelley Hall. James began by asking “what is a castle”? There are between 12 and 21 medieval castles in Nottinghamshire and possibly as many as 30 depending on definition and evidence considerations. James commented that since the making of this map in 2004 further research has indicated that there could be as many as 30 “castle” sites in Nottinghamshire . The definition of a castle was suggested by Reginald Allen Brown in the 1950’s as “the private fortress and residence of a lord”. The definition considers three vital points:- • A castle must be a militarily defensible structure. • A castle must have a private residential function. • This residence must belong to an aristocrat. If a building does not fulfil these criteria, then it cannot be a castle. It is generally accepted that castles were first built in the county after the Norman Conquest. These first castles were campaign castles, built to defend against attack from the Saxon populace and to impose Norman rule on the conquered. These early castles were mostly motte and baileys or ringworks. The advantage of these types of castle are that that can be built quickly. The great royal castle at Nottingham was first built shortly after the Saxon revolt of 1067, and is strategically important, situated midway between the north and the south of England, and guarding the crossing of the Trent. Newark Castle also dates from this time and was originally a motte and bailey. Newark and Nottingham are the only two Nottinghamshire castles built to play a part on the national scale and over time were transformed into great medieval palaces and strongly defended fortresses. They are castles in the traditional sense, most Nottinghamshire castles are hard to understand or visualise, and are entirely representative of the majority of castles in England. What they show us is what was occurring all over medieval England, lords were attempting to demonstrate their status through the architecture of their dwellings to the best of their abilities and wealth. Hence a variety of dwellings were created to suit the requirements and resources of their owners. Below is a list of the castles described by James at the time of the survey conducted by Notts County Council. Nottinghamshire Castles (as at 2004) Annesley. Castle Hill A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century, disused from around 1232. There is a small motte 3m high and 42m diameter. The site is on private land and access is strictly forbidden. Aslockton Cranmer’s Mount A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century. Small motte 5m high 6m diameter at the summit, with two rectangular baileys. Private land but visible from an adjacent footpath. Blyth Lost castle Possibly confused with nearby Tickhill Castle as no site as ever been identified. Bothamsall Castle Hill A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century. Occupies a high point overlooking the valley of the River Meden. Substantial motte 5m high by 22m diameter at the summit with a rampart enclosing the interior. The site is on private land but is visible from the roadside verge. Clipstone Beeston Lodge (Clipstone Peel) Clipstone Peel was built as an extension to the Clipstone deer park in the early 14 th Century as a refuge for Edward II. The peel was dismantled in the reign of Edward III and the small ruin know as Beeston Lodge is all that remains. On private land but visible from footpath Clipstone King’s House (King John’s Palace) Only three rubble wall fragments remain of a once thriving and important royal palace known as the King’s House associated with the Deer Park of Clipstone. The site is first recorded in 1164 and appears in the accounts of all English monarchs until the late 15 th century. The Palace was surrounded by a moat and consisted of several buildings. The site was ruinous by 1525. The site has been the subject of a Channel 4 “Time Team” programme in 2011 and a Channel 5 programme in 2019. The site is on private land, but access is possible through application to the landowner. Cuckney Castle Hill A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century. Overlooking a crossing of the River Poulter. The motte and most of the bailey is now part of the parish church graveyard, St Mary’s. A confused site as the graveyard has eroded much of the earthworks. The castle is often linked with Thomas de Cuckney who founded the Abbey of Welbeck. Easily accessible by visiting the church grounds. Darlton Kingshaugh Considerable amounts of Roman pottery have been found here and the earthworks may date from before the medieval period. The site was referred to as a fortified “castrum” by followers of Prince John during his 1194 rebellion against Richard I. Subsequently the site was probably no more than a hunting lodge. Open to the public by appointment only. East Bridgford Pancake Hill A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century. Probably built to protect a major river crossing of thew River Trent. Motte 5m high and 30m by 10m with a separate bailey to the south-east. The site is equidistant between Nottingham and Newark Castles. On private land but visible from a nearby footpath. Egmanton Gaddick Hill A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century. Adjacent to St. Mary’s parish church in the centre of Egmanton village and is now part of a working farm. The motte is 14m high with steep sides, with a 12m by 7m terraced summit. The baileys to the north and south are now difficult to see, due to farm buildings, but the bailey defences to the west of the motte survive. Egmanton is visible from Laxton Castle. It is on private land but is visible from the pavement of Main Street. Greasley Greasley Castle Farm A mid-14 th century fortified manor house. Started by Nicolas de Cantelupe in 1340 the result is a large square earthwork enclosure with fishponds and a masonry castle. Several walls survive complete with mid-14 th century doorways and windows and other architectural fragments. It was demolished in the late 17 th century or early 18 th century. The site is now a working farm, it is on private land, but parts of the earthworks and medieval walls are visible from the pavement of Church Road. Haughton Haughton Decoy A motte & bailey castle late 11 th or early 12 th century. Now standing in dense woodland, although once visible from Bothamsall Castle. The motte is 11m high by 40m in diameter at the base. The bailey lies 100m south of the motte. The site was redeveloped as part of the formal grounds of Haughton Hall. The site is on private land and access is strictly forbidden. Kirkby in Ashfield Castle Hill The earthworks of a small, fortified manor house. The site once belonged to the Stuteville family and was visited by Edward I in 1292. The de Statesville’s lost their estates in 1340 and the site fell into disuse. A public footpath crosses the site and is accessible from the churchyard. Laxton Laxton Castle Laxton is the best-preserved motte and bailey castle in Nottinghamshire. Built shortly after the Norman Conquest with a motte 30m in diameter at its summit with a strongly defended bailey. In the 12 th century a larger outer bailey was added. The castle was rebuilt in stone but fell out of use during the late 13 th century and was gradually robbed of its building stone. Nowadays the castle is used for pasture. Laxton is on private farmland, but permissive access is allowed. Beware of the herd of cattle and the possible bull!!! Lowdham Lowdham Mount A small motte like feature 3m high and 30m in diameter. Surrounded by a wet moat on three sides and the Cocker Beck to the north. King John is known to have stayed at Lowdham in 1205 and 1207. The mound stands in the grounds of the Old Hall which has elements of its fabric dating back to c.1500. The site is on private land, but the earthworks are visible from an adjacent footpath. Newark Newark Castle Built as a motte and bailey shortly after the Norman Conquest, the original castle was demolished in the early 12 th century. The present castle was begun in the 1120’s by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln. It was a massive three storey building. The castle was besieged during the civil war that saw the end of King John’s reign. The castle continued in occupation throughout the medieval period and was then used at part of Newark’s Royalist fortifications during the English Civil War of the 1642 - 1651. At the conclusion of the war the castle was “slighted” so what stands today is about a fifth of the original. The castle and grounds are a public park and are open daily with free access. Nottingham Nottingham Castle A wooden castle was established at Nottingham in 1067 as a reaction to a widespread Anglo-Saxon revolt.