South Mymms Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; South Mimms; castle on the Lea; Super Lviam

In the civil parish of Potters Bar.
In the historic county of Middlesex (Modern Authority of Hertfordshire, 1974 county of Hertfordshire).

Motte and bailey castle probably built in C12 with occupation extending into C14. The motte was preceded by a timber structure. A castle assumed to have been built by Geoffrey de Mandeville, earl of Essex (d. 1144), on his manor of Mimms c. 1141, was discovered in 1918. Excavations in 1960-7 revealed a simple but well appointed motte-and-bailey castle, with a structure beneath the bailey bank which may have been the church granted to Walden in 1136 or may represent earlier manorial buildings. The castle seems to have been sacked by King Stephen's forces but pottery finds indicate the later domestic use of the bailey, probably in connexion with the working of the adjacent chalk pits. Charters granted to Manderville in 1141 mention his 'castle on the Lea' in terms that some have taken to be a licence to crenellate.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL22970260

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 364669

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p48
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p154 [slight]
Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p279-80
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p269-70
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p300
Baker, T.F.T. (ed), 1976, 'South Mimms: Manors' VCH Middlesex Vol5 p282 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=26971
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Renn, D.F., 1971, Medieval Castles in Hertfordshire (Chichester) p20-1
1960, The Archaeologist in Essex p31-4
RCHME, 1937, An inventory of the historical monuments in Middlesex (HMSO) p95
Round, J.H., 1892, Geoffrey de Mandeville (Oxford) p168, 174-5

Journal Articles

Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p104n50
Kent, J.P.C., 1968, 'Excavations at the motte and bailey Castle of South Mimms, Hertfordshire, 1960-67' Barnet and District Local Historical Society Bulletin Vol15
Davison, 1967, Current Archaeoogy Vol5 p130
1965 Oct, Bulletin of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Vol12 p3
Kent, 1964, CBA Group10 Vol22 p10-11
1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p255
(Kent), 1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p322
(Kent), 1961, Medieval Archaeology Vol5 p318
Renn, 1957 Nov., Barnet and Distt. Record Socy. Vol10
Davis, C.L., 1933-7, Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Vol7 p464-71
Sands and Dennon, 1933-7, Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Vol7 p175-9

Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)

Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum Vol3 p99-103

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