Cainhoe Castle, Clophill

In the civil parish of Clophill.
In the historic county of Bedfordshire (Modern Authority of Bedfordshire, 1974 county of Bedfordshire).

Motte and bailey complex. The motte incorprates a natural sandstone outcrop standing 11m above the floodplain. It is 60m wide at the base and the flat top is 10m in diameter. Three irregularly shaped baileys are separated from the motte by a ditch. Cainhoe was the centre of the Barony of Cainhoe, held by the d'Aubigny family from the Conquest until the mid C13. No castle is mentioned in 1272 when the male line had been extinguished and the estate divided. By 1374, the fortifications were ruinous. Excavated in 1973 and 1985-6.

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 TL098374

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; 36000

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p13
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p3
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p5
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p198
Wadmore, Beauchamp, 1920, The Earthworks of Bedfordshire (Bedford) p95-7
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Page, Wm (ed), 1908, VCH Bedford Vol2 p324
Doubleday, H.Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), 1904, VCH Bedford Vol1 p291-2
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol1 p139

Journal Articles

Baker, D., 1982, ‘Cainhoe Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol139 p32-4
Baker, D., 1982, 'Mottes, Moats and ringworks in Bedfordshire: Beauchamp Wadmore revisited' Château Gaillard Vol9-10 p35-54 [plan]
Taylor, A.J. and Woodward, P., 1975, 'Cainhoe Castle excavations 1973' Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol10 p41-52
Dyer, 1962-3, Bedfordshire Magazine Vol8 p270-1

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This record last updated on Friday, April 6, 2007

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