Pulford Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Poulefourd

In the civil parish of Pulford.
In the historic county of Cheshire (Modern Authority of Cheshire, 1974 county of Cheshire).

Motte and bailey castle surviving as an earthwork, comprising a mound with a strong encircling earthwork, except on the south where the defence is the Pulford brook. Mentioned in late C12. Garrisioned in 1403 (This reference, from Ormerod, is not absolutely certain; the owner was told to go to his estates and guard them, but the castle does not seem to be mentioned). Camden writes "Poulefourd, where in the reigne of Henrie the Third Sir Raulph of Ormesby had his Castle"

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 SJ37535870

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; 66937

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1830/1/0

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/pulford.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/117/pulfordcastle.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, Index and Amendments to Mike Salter's English Castles Books (Malvern) p10
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Lancashire and Cheshire (Malvern) p21
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p17 [slight]
    Cullen, P.W. and Hordern, R., 1986, Castles of Cheshire (Crossbow Books) p10
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p68
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p282
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Ridgway, Maurice Hill, 1958, 'Medieval Castles' in Sylvester, D. and Nulty, G. (eds), The Historical Atlas of Cheshire (Cheshire Community Council) p24-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p178
    Ormerod, G., 1882 [2edn], History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol2 p857
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    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]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#ches6]