Thorpe Waterville Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castle Barn; Thorp Watervill

In the civil parish of Thorpe Achurch.
In the historic county of Northamptonshire (Modern Authority of Northamptonshire, 1974 county of Northamptonshire).

Castle granted licence to crenellate in 1301 built by Walter de Langton, Bishop of Lichfield. Squared coursed limestone with thatch roof. Rectangular plan, originally probably the hall and solar range. Originally part 2 storeys, first floor structure now removed. West elevation has central C19 cart entrance. Ashlar plinth. Ashlar gable parapets. Gable to left has projecting chimney breast, corbelled out from first floor level, and eith octagonal crenellated flue on square base. At attic level the chimney breast is flanked by deeply recessed circcular windows with moulded surrounds. Right gable has slit vents. Rear has C19 central cart entrance. Interior: very fine king-post roof structure. Tie beams have wall posts and curved braces, the king posts have braces in both directions, and similar braces opposite the collars. Main beams have moulded soffits. Moulded cornice. Evidence of screen in roof structure of bay to north. Evidence of first floor fireplace in north gable wall. Roof structure of hall range has smoke blackening. A 2-storey gabled porch is said to have been removed C19.

This site has been described as a;
Fortified Manor House
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Major remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1301 Jan 1.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL02258143

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; 361282, 361201

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/141/thorpewaterville.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p82
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p319
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p167, 174
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p168
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p318
    RCHME, 1982, An inventory of the historical monuments in the County of Northampton. Vol4: South-west Northamptonshire (HMSO) p193
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1961, Buildings of England: Northamptonshire (Penguin) p429
    Page, Wm (ed), 1930, VCH Northampton Vol3 p136
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p340-1
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p404
• Journal Articles
  • 1976, Northamptonshire Archaeology Vol11 p178
    Selby, 1861, Associated Architectural Societies' reports and papers [Lincoln, York, Northampton, Bedford, Worcester, Leicester and Sheffield] Vol6 p64-7
• 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 (1292-1301) p561
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p323
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p6