Westenhanger Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Ostenhanger; Westyngehangre

In the civil parish of Stanford.
In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Kent, 1974 county of Kent).

C18 farmhouse built within the ruins of a fortified manor house of c.1343. Remains of towers, outbuildings and a moat visible. A quadrangular castle licensed 1343. C14 walls of coursed ragstone. Licence to crenellate granted 1343 to John de Kiriel. Extensive work by Sir Edward Poynings before 1521 and by Sir Thomas Smythe 1585-91 (little of Smith's work remains). Obtained by Henry VIII in 1540. Castle largely demolished in 1701 for building materials.

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

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1343 Aug 18.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TR12333716

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; 463895

• Web site links
  • http://www.westenhangercastle.co.uk/
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p414-6, 439
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p84-6
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p132
    Thurley, Simon, 1993, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England (Yale University Press) p50, 78, 79
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p236
    Newman, John, 1983, The buildings of England: North east and east Kent (Harmondsworth) p491-2
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p283-5
    Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
    Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
    Braun, Hugh, 1936, The English castle (Batsford) p104
    Chalkley Gould and Downham, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Kent Vol1 p433
    Sands, Harold, 1907, 'Some Kentish Castles' in Ditchfield and Clinch, Memorials of Old Kent (London) p51-3
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p57-9
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p308, 413
    Hasted, Edward, 1778-99, A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol3 p323-7
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol3 p82-7
• Journal Articles
  • David and Barbara Martin, 2001, ‘Westenhanger Castle - a Revised Interpretation’, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol121 p203-236
    Godfrey, 1929, Archaeological Journal Vol86 p313-4
    Clinch, George, 1915, ‘Notes on the Remains of Westenhanger House, Kent’, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol31 p76-81
    1910, Home Counties magazine Vol12 p169-173
    1904, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society Vol18 p125-6
    Wadmore, J.F., 1887, ‘Thomas Smythe, "The Customer"’ Archaeologia Cantiana Vol121 p203-236
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1343-45) p106
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent37]
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Archaeology South East, 2001, report on Westenhanger Castle, Stanford, Kent