Bolingbroke Castle

In the civil parish of Bolingbroke.
In the historic county of Lincolnshire (Modern Authority of Lincolnshire, 1974 county of Lincolnshire).

Castle, built in circa 1220-30 and enlarge in C14. It was twice rebuilt in the C15 and C16. It withstood a siege during the Civil War in 1643, after which it was sleighted, deserted and fell into ruin, now visible only as a series of earthworks and ruins. It was excavated between 1965 and 1973. The castle was of compact enclosure design complete with a large gatehouse, round towers and a moat. Today the castle is a ruin with only the ground floors of the towers remaining and the lower parts of the walls. Squared greenstone rubble, ashlar dressings. Courtyard plan with octagonal and round corner towers. Walls stand to about 6'0". Built by Randulph de Blundeville, the Earl of Lincoln, became the home of the powerful John of Gaunt in C14 and was the birthplace of his son, Henry Bolingbroke, who later became King Henry IV. Brown writes held 1154-98 by Roumare (sometime earl Lincoln) 1198 on held by Blundeville earl Chester. The strange earthwork by the castle has been described as fishponds in the past but probably represents a Civil War fort.

This site has been described as a;
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.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 196127)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF34936490

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; 354204

• Web site links
  • http://www.bolingbrokecastle.com/
    http://www.cix.co.uk/~heritage/sites/bolingbroke/castle.html
    http://www.lincsheritage.org/promotion/historic_sites/site.php?key=bolingbroke
    http://www.magicjon.fsnet.co.uk/boling.htm
    http://www.thecyberfarm.com/otherstuff/bolingbroke/bolingbroke.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/122/oldbolingbrokecastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.54
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p44-5 [plan]
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p141-2
    Roffe, David, 1993, 'Castles' in Bennett, S. and Bennett, N. (eds), An Historical Atlas of Lincolnshire (University of Hull Press) p40-1
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p260
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p191-2
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) (London) p234-7
    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) p571-2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p426-7
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p16-7
    Weir, 1820, History and Descriptive Sketches of Horncastle (London) p67, 71-3
• Journal Articles
  • Drewett, Peter and Freke, D J., 1974, 'The Great Hall at Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire' Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p163-5
    Thompson M.W., 1974, 'Old Bolingbroke Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol131 p314-7
    Thompson M.W., 1969, 'Further work at Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire' Medieval Archaeology Vol13 p216-7 and plate
    Thompson M.W., 1966, 'The origins of Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire' Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p152-8
    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]
    Massingberd, 1858, Associated Architectural Societies' reports and papers [Lincoln, York, Northampton, Bedford, Worcester, Leicester and Sheffield] Vol4 p230-46 [history of little merit]
    1821, Gentleman's Magazine pt2 p305-6
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/lincseng.html#lincs22]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p289, 300, 304
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p36