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Newport Castle, Essex
In the civil parish of Newport.
In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of Essex, 1974 county of Essex).
Site of Castle marked on 1881 OS map. Said to be some slight banking remaining. Was a royal manor and market town until superceeded by Saffron Walden in C12. Supposed site is entirely feasible overlooking ford on main road, although has been said to be in a poor defensive position as is overlooked by higher ground. Documentary evidence refers to a castle - Gerard de Turnwall surrendered the town and castle of Newport to King John in 1207. Excavations on the site of the new school hall in 1959 proved negative. A geophysical survey in the grounds of Newport Grammar School (on the higher ground around the school) revealed one anomaly which may represent masonry. The resistivity survey revealed an area of high resistance near to the footpath interpreted as an area of masonry or tile, or possibly hardstanding. An excavation on the site of the Grammar School proved inconclusive. Nurse suggests that the more probable site is near the present Newport House, where a 'stone hall' is recorded as having stood. In addition Henry II built a series of jails across England in order to establish law and order; in Newport the jail was granted 9s.10d in 1176/7. It was usual at this period for the jail to be attached to the manor house and it is possible, as Nurse suggests, that the jail and the 'castle' recorded by Holman were the same building.
This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Nothing visible remains.
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL52023441
PastScape number;
373861
County Sites and Monuments Record number; 243, 377
Books
- Nurse, B., Pugh, J. and Mollet, I., 1995, A villlage in time: the history of Newport, Essex
Morant, P., 1768, History of Essex Vol2 p584
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