Anstey Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Anstey Hall; Anestie; Anesty

In the civil parish of Anstey.
In the historic county of Hertfordshire (Modern Authority of Hertfordshire, 1974 county of Hertfordshire).

C12 motte and bailey castle with barbican and strong outworks, the additions ordered to be destroyed in 1218. Last documented in 1377. During excavations in the early C20, Roman sherds were found.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry footings remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL40433296

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; 370794

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/167/ansteycastle.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p38
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p104
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p134, 187, 356
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p218
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p178
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p50, 90
    Renn, D.F., 1971, Medieval Castles in Hertfordshire (Chichester) p9, 13
    Page, Wm (ed), 1914, VCH Hertfordshire Vol4 p11-12
    RCHME, 1910, An inventory of the historical monuments in Hertfordshire p35, 37
    Montgomerie, 1908, Page, Wm (ed), VCH Hertfordshire Vol2 p112
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p107
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Braun, Hugh, 1938, Proceedings of the St Albans and Hertfordshire Archaeological Society Vol5 p203-4
    Andrews, R.T., 1902-4, Transactions of the East Hertfordshire Archaeological Society Vol2 p114-8
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • R.Litt.Claus., i, 350a
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/buckseng.html#herts2]