Aldford Castle

Last updated

Aldford Castle
Blobb Hill
Aldford, Cheshire
Aldford Castle.jpg
Earthworks of Aldford Castle
Cheshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Aldford Castle
Coordinates 53°07′49″N2°52′11″W / 53.1304°N 2.8698°W / 53.1304; -2.8698
Grid reference grid reference SJ419596
Type Motte and bailey
Site information
Open to
the public
No
ConditionEarthworks
Site history
Built12th century
Built byRichard de Aldford

Aldford Castle is a motte and bailey castle in the village of Aldford in Cheshire. The motte is to the north of St John's Church, and the church stands on the site of an infilled bailey ditch. [1]

Contents

The origin and dates of construction of the castle are uncertain. It is thought that it was initially an earth-and-timber construction, possibly built by Robert de Alford in the mid-12th century, in the time of Henry II. However, archaeological evidence of the date is lacking and it may have been significantly earlier, as there are some sources [2] who claim that the castle had been built much earlier, as its command was handed over to Robertus, one of the descendants de Bigod in 1160. One of the earliest written records establishes that it was in the possession of Richard de Alford in the early 13th century and, after his death in 1213, of the family of John de Aderne who likely married de Alford's daughter Margaret. Archaeological findings show that it was rebuilt in stone as a shell keep castle in the 13th century. The purpose of the castle appears to have been as a defensive fortification against the hostile Welsh tribes. There is some debate as to whether the castle, the lands and the title were hereditary or granted due to military service. Some sources even suggest that, up until 1224, the owners had to pay for the lease of the castle. [3] [2] [4] [5]

Today fragments of the stonework around the bailey and significant earthworks survive, five miles from Chester where the tributary stream joins the River Dee at an angle. The castle appears to have been triangular, shaped like a harp, with the keep in the northwestern corner of the triangle. Where the keep used to be is now a mound overlooking the River Dee, which the locals call Blobb Hill. [6] [2] [7] [8] The site is a Scheduled Monument. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldford</span> Human settlement in England

Aldford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aldford and Saighton, in the Cheshire West and Chester district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.. The village is approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the south of Chester, on the east bank of the River Dee. The Aldford Brook joins the Dee just north of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Castle</span> Castle is in the city of Chester

Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the neoclassical buildings designed by Thomas Harrison which were built between 1788 and 1813. Parts of the neoclassical buildings are used today by the Crown Court and as a military museum. The museum and the medieval remains are a tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motte-and-bailey castle</span> Medieval fortification

A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to build with unskilled labour, but still militarily formidable, these castles were built across northern Europe from the 10th century onwards, spreading from Normandy and Anjou in France, into the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the Low Countries it controlled, in the 11th century, when these castles were popularized in the area that became the Netherlands. The Normans introduced the design into England and Wales. Motte-and-bailey castles were adopted in Scotland, Ireland, and Denmark in the 12th and 13th centuries. By the end of the 13th century, the design was largely superseded by alternative forms of fortification, but the earthworks remain a prominent feature in many countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beeston Castle</span> Former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England

Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England, perched on a rocky sandstone crag 350 feet (107 m) above the Cheshire Plain. It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester (1170–1232), on his return from the Crusades. In 1237, Henry III took over the ownership of Beeston, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century, when it was considered to be of no further military use, although it was pressed into service again in 1643, during the English Civil War. The castle was slighted in 1646, in accordance with Cromwell's destruction order, to prevent its further use as a bastion. During the 18th century, parts of the site were used as a quarry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Castle</span> Partly ruined castle in Oxford in Oxfordshire, England

Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Most of the original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced in stone in the late 12th or early 13th century and the castle played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy. In the 14th century the military value of the castle diminished and the site became used primarily for county administration and as a prison. The surviving rectangular St George's Tower is now believed to pre-date the remainder of the castle and be a watch tower associated with the original Saxon west gate of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickering Castle</span> Castle in North Yorkshire, England

Pickering Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification in Pickering, North Yorkshire, England. The original castle was made of timber, and the later stone castle was a temporary prison for Richard II in 1399.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiston Castle</span> Motte-and-bailey castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales

Wiston Castle is a motte and bailey castle in the Pembrokeshire village of Wiston in south west Wales and is one of the best examples of its type in Wales. The castle and village were founded by Wizo, a Flemish settler who was granted the land by Henry I of England after he had wrested control from the previous owner, Arnulf de Montgomery. The castle was captured by the Welsh on several occasions but on each occasion it was retaken. It was abandoned during the thirteenth century when the then owner moved to nearby Picton Castle.

Buckton Castle was a medieval enclosure castle near Carrbrook in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, England. It was surrounded by a 2.8-metre-wide (9 ft) stone curtain wall and a ditch 10 metres (33 ft) wide by 6 metres (20 ft) deep. Buckton is one of the earliest stone castles in North West England and only survives as buried remains overgrown with heather and peat. It was most likely built and demolished in the 12th century. The earliest surviving record of the site dates from 1360, by which time it was lying derelict. The few finds retrieved during archaeological investigations indicate that Buckton Castle may not have been completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halton Castle</span> Castle ruins in Cheshire, England

Halton Castle is a castle in the village of Halton, part of the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The castle is on the top of Halton Hill, a sandstone prominence overlooking the village. The original building, a motte-and-bailey castle began in 1071, was replaced with the current sandstone castle in the 13th century. Building alterations continued until at least 1609, when the structure is recorded as in disrepair. The castle is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotwick Castle</span>

Shotwick Castle is a Norman medieval fortification near the village of Saughall, Cheshire, England. Construction began in the late 11th century. Its purpose was to control a crossing point on the River Dee between England and Wales. The site is a scheduled monument. No masonry features remain above ground except for earthworks.

Watch Hill Castle 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 the River Bollin and south of a deep ravine.

Stockport Castle was a promontory castle in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The castle was in the medieval town, overlooking a ford over the River Mersey. It was first documented in 1173, but the next mention of it is in 1535 when it was in ruins. What remained of the castle was demolished in 1775.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulford Castle</span> Motte-and-bailey castle in Pulford, Cheshire West and Chester

Pulford Castle is in the village of Pulford, Cheshire, England, immediately south of St Mary's Church. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wareham Castle and town defences</span>

Wareham Castle and the town defences, known locally as the Walls, were fortifications in the town of Wareham in Dorset, England.

Rachel Swallow is an archaeologist specialising in the study of landscapes and castles. She was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2018. Swallow studied at Birmingham Polytechnic and the University of Liverpool before completing a PhD at the University of Chester in 2015. She is visiting research fellow and guest lecturer at the University of Chester and honorary fellow at the University of Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodleston Castle</span>

Dodleston Castle in Cheshire was founded in the Middle Ages as a ringwork castle before being developed into a motte-and-bailey. It was first mentioned in 1277, but may have existed in the 12th century when the manor of Dodleston was held by the Boydel family. The site has been protected as a scheduled monument since 1952. The earthworks were surveyed in 1964, 1986, and 1995 – the third survey was the most detailed and was carried out by University College Chester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snodhill Castle</span> Castle in Herefordshire, England

Snodhill Castle is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle, about 1 mi (1.6 km) south of the village of Dorstone in west Herefordshire, England. It is recognized as one of the major castles of the Welsh Marches. It was built in the 11th century to secure the border between Norman England and the Welsh Princes. Archaeological excavations show that it was one of the first Norman castles in England to have stone-built fortifications, with more sophisticated defenses being added in later centuries.

References

  1. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 95, ISBN   978-0-300-17043-6
  2. 1 2 3 Alford, Josiah George (1 January 1908). Alford family notes, ancient and modern. Dalcassian Publishing Company.
  3. AAFA Action: The Official Publication of the Alford American Family Association. The Association. 1999.
  4. Swallow, Rachel (2012). "Landscape of Power: Aldford castle, Cheshire". Cheshire History. 52: 5–28. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. Stephens, W. B. (1970). History of Congleton: Published to Celebrate the 700th Anniversary of the Granting of the Charter to the Town. Manchester University Press. ISBN   9780719012457 via Google Books.
  6. Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980), The David & Charles Book of Castles, Newton Abbot: David & Charles, p. 176, ISBN   0-7153-7976-3
  7. Ormerod, George (1882). The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester: Comp. from Original Evidences in Public Offices, the Harleian and Cottonian Mss., Parochial Registers, Private Muniments, Unpublished Ms. Collections of Successive Cheshire Antiquaries, and a Personal Survey of Every Township in the County; Incorporated with a Republication of King's Vale Royal and Leycester's Cheshire Antiquities. G. Routledge.
  8. Archaeologia Cambrensis: A Record of the Antiquities of Wales and Its Marches and the Journal of the Cambrian Archaeological Association. W. Pickering. 1910.
  9. Historic England. "Aldford motte and bailey and shell keep castle (1007605)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 March 2012.