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West Derby Castle
In the civil parish of Liverpool.
In the historic county of Lancashire (Modern Authority of Liverpool, 1974 county of Merseyside).
Motte and bailey castle, identified through excavation in 1927 and 1956-7. The castle was built circa 1100 by Roger de Poitou and repaired between 1197 and 1202. It was abandoned by 1297 and levelled in 1817. C14 or C15 house, built over the infilled ditch was also identified. A possible early mill site was identified during the excavations. Only faint earthwork traces now survive of this castle. The Pipe Rolls of 1213 records a garrison in West Derby castle of 140 foot soldiers, 10 Knights and 10 Crossbow men. Recorded as ruined by 1326.
This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Cropmarks/slight earthworks remains.
This site is a scheduled
monument protected by law.
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ39709348
PastScape number;
67427
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p39
Lewis, J., 2000, The medieval earthworks of the hundred of West Derby: tenurial evidence and physical structure (Oxford)
Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p357
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p247-8
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p317
Gibson, Leslie Irving, 1977, Lancashire Castles and Towers (Dalesman Books)
Davey, P.J., 1977, West Derby Castle' in Davey, P.J. (ed), Medieval Pottery from Excavations in the North West (Institute of Extension Studies [Liverpool]) p68-9
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) p853
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Gardner, 1908, in Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (eds), VCH Lancaster Vol2 p543-45
Farrer, William and Brownbill, J. (eds), 1907, VCH Lancaster Vol3 p13 - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41281
Fishwick, 1907, in Fishwick and Ditchfield (eds), Memorials of Old Lancashire Vol2 p17
Journal Articles
- Gainster et al, 1990, Medieval Archaeology Vol34 p202
Rigold, S.E., 1975, 'Structural aspects of medieval timber bridges' Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p64-5
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]
1928, The Antiquaries Journal Vol8 p240
Droop, J.P. and Larkin, F.C., 1928, 'Excavations at West Derby Castle, Liverpool' University of Liverpool, Annals of Archaeology and Anthropology Vol15 p47-55, plates xv-xxiv
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