Sauvey Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Salvata; Salvee; Trencheland

In the civil parish of Withcote.
In the historic county of Leicestershire (Modern Authority of Leicestershire, 1974 county of Leicestershire).

Medieval ringwork and bailey castle built in reign of Stephen (1135-54) including surrounding ditch and dam surviving as earthworks. Stone foundations of original buildings and curtain wall. Favoured hunting lodge of King John. Mentioned in 1216, 1226 and in 1246, it was probably ruinous in C15. The castle consists of two enclosures; a rectangular bailey measuring 100m by 70m on the western side, and a smaller oval enclosure measuring 60m by 40m on the east. The surface of the bailey is flat with a slight inner bank on the west and south sides; a low mound with depressions on the north-east side represents the location of a guardhouse. To the east, the smaller enclosure is slightly higher than the bailey and contained the original stone castle which can be seen exposed in several places, especially near the entrance. The surrounding ditch varies between 20m wide on the west side, opening out to a 60m valley on the east. Situated to the south east is an earth bank, 6m high, which dammed the valley. Sauvey Castle has an unusual plan with few parallels nationally. Suggested as a location of 'Trencheland' recorded once when £16 spent by King John on lead for the roof, although this may alternatively have been Allexton, Leicestershire.

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 SK78680525

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 321118

Books

Cantor, Leonard, 2003, The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Leicestershire and Rutland (Leicester: Kairos Press) p38
Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p43
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p141
Pevsner, Nikolaus; revised by Elizabeth Williamson with Geoffrey K Brandwood, 1984, Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland (Harmondsworth)
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p296
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p829, 1005-6
Wall, 1907, in Page, Wm, (ed), VCH Leicestershire Vol1 p249-50
Nichols, J., 1804, The History and Antiquities of the County of Leicestershire Vol2 p394

Journal Articles

Creighton, O.H., 1997, 'Early Leicestershire Castles: Archaeology and Landscape History' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol71 p30, 32-3
Cantor, Leonard, 1977-8, 'The Medieval Castles of Leicestershire' Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol53 p37-8
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]
Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64

Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)

Cox, B., 1971, The Place-Names of Leicestershire and Rutalnd (Unpub PhD thesis: University of Nottingham) p198-9

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