Netley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Abbey Hill; Netly; Letley; Letelege

In the civil parish of Hound.
In the historic county of Hampshire (Modern Authority of Hampshire, 1974 county of Hampshire).

Solent fort, said to be built in 1542 by Henry VIll out of the Abbey materials. However, the licence granted by Edward VI to William Paulett, pardoning his building of a fortilicium at Letley, is clearly for this building. Single storey oblong structure. Garrisoned until 1627 when it became a house. Subsequently enlarged and altered, now used as a Hospital. Stone construction with slate roof. Both wings and tower have battlemented parapets.

This site has been described as a;
Artillery Fort.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Royal Pardon licence to crenellate was granted in 1547 Sept 20.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU45120885

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 229636

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 393

• Web site links
  • http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/entries/v13p060e01.html
    http://www.archaeology.demon.co.uk/3132.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p42
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p86
    ALGAO, 1993, Model Briefs and Specifications for Archaeological Assessments and Field Evaluations (Association of County Archaeological Officers, now Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers)
    Saunders, A., 1989, Fortress Britain: Artillery fortification in the British Isles and Ireland, Beaufort, Hampshire
    Coates, R., 1989, The Placenames of Hampshire
    Barron, W.G., 1985, The Castles of Hampshire and Isle of Wight (Paul Cave) p32
    Platt, C., 1984, Medieval Britain from the Air
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p191
    Colvin, H.M. Brown, R.A. and Taylor, A.J., 1982, The History of the King’s works Vol4, 1485-1660 HMSO, 544-7
    Platt, C., 1973, Medieval Southampton: The Port and Trading Community AD 1000-1600 (Routledge and Kegan Paul, London)
    Pevsner, N. and Lloyd, D., 1967, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight p348-50
    Brown, R.A., Colvin, H.M. and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The History of the King’s works Vol2 The Middle Ages, HMSO
    O’Neil, B.H.St.J., 1960, Castles and Cannon: A Study of Early Artillery Fortifications in England (Oxford: Claredon Press)
    Meeking, A., 1950, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (The King’s Series Hodder and Stoughton, London)
    Page, Wm (ed), 1912, VCH, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol5 p
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Page, Wm (ed), 1911, VCH, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol4 p
    Page, Wm (ed), 1908, VCH, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol3 p447
    Doubleday, H. Arthur, 1903, VCH, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol2 p
    Doubleday, H. Arthur (ed), 1900, VCH, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol1 p
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p206
    Woodward, B.B. et al., n.d. (circa 1860) History of Hampshire Vol2, 374
    Guillaume, George, 1848, Architectural Views and Details of Netley Abbey Southampton
• Journal Articles
  • Hare, J.N., 1999, The Dissolution of the Monasteries in Hampshire. Hampshire Papers 16, Hampshire County
    Hare, J.N., 1993, ‘Netley Abbey: Monastery, Mansion and Ruin’ Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club Archaeological Society Vol49 p207-227
    Kenyon, J.R.,1989, ‘A Hitherto Early Seventeenth Century Survey of the Coastal Forts of Southern England: a Preliminary Outline’ Fort Vol1
    Currie, C.K., 1988, ‘Medieval Fish Ponds in Hampshire' in Aston, M (ed) Medieval Fish, Fisheries and Fishponds in England, BAR British Series, 182 Vol2 p267-289
    Moated Site Research Group, 1984, Report 11 p7-12
    Vale, J., 1983, Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol39 p183
    Moated Site Research Group, 1981, Report 8, 8
    Aberg, F.A. (ed), 1978, Medieval Moated Sites C.B.A. Research Report 17
    Malpas, J., 1977, ‘Some lesser known Henrician castles’ Fort Vol4, p2-3
    Moated Site Research Group, 1977, Report 4 p5
    Kell, E, 1969, ‘Netley Abbey with an account of recent excavations and discoveries, Collecteana Archaeologica of British Archaeological Association Vol2, Part 1
    Anon, 1936, Particulars of the Sale of the Freehold and Leasehold of the Tithe-Free Estate known as Netley Castle, on the direction of Col. C.W.H. Crichton, D.S.O., Sale 15th October 1936 Sale brochure
    Anon (‘J.C.B.’), 1816, ‘Account of the Remains of Netley Abbey’ Gentleman’s Magazine Vol86 pt2 p405-407
• Guidebooks
  • Thompson, A. Hamilton, 1953, Netley Abbey, HMSO, London, 1953
    Batten, A.G., n.d., Netley Castle [slight]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/wilshireeng.html#hants4]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p206
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p279-280
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • The Conservation Practice, 1999, Netley Castle: Reversion to Residential Use and Additions to Existing Buildings (No publication feasibility study)