Greasley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Griseleia; Gryseleye

In the civil parish of Greasley.
In the historic county of Nottinghamshire (Modern Authority of Nottinghamshire, 1974 county of Nottinghamshire).

Medieval fortified manor house, granted licence to crenellate about 1340 to Sir Nicholas Cantilupe, believed to have been destroyed by 1700, remains of castle incorporated in later farm buildings, excavated 1933, enclosure and fishponds still survive as earthworks.The entire area bounded by the earthworks is a SAM, the buldings (house and farm buildings) are all Grade 2 listed. Some earthworks were destroyed when the adjacent graveyard was extended in the mid C19. Given that the 1933 excavations were carried out over only two days, and the holes were backfilled at the end of each day it is doubtfull wether much creedance can be given to the conclusions reached given the paucity of remains revealed. The cellar of the apparently Georgian house much older, probably medieval in date, and may once have formed part of the castle. (My Thanks to Richard Skinner for some of this infomation.)

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.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1340 April 5.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 429409)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK491470

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; 315651

• Web site links
  • http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/articles/greasleycastle1934/greasleycastle1.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/129/greasleycastle.htm
    http://www.thorotonsociety.org.uk/gateway/places/castles/castles1.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p85
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p327
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p203 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p380
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1951, The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire (London) p76
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Stevenson, W., 1906, VCH Nottinghamshire Vol1 p311
    Rodolph Baron von Hube, 1901, Griseleia; Snotinghscire
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p448-9
    Cornelius Brown, 1896, The History of Nottinghamshire p240
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p412
• Journal Articles
  • Speight, Sarah, 2006. 'Castles and Settlement in Rural Nottinghamshire: Laxton, Egmanton and Greasley' Chateau Gaillard Vol22
    Speight, Sarah, 1995, 'Four More Early Medieval 'Castles' Sites in Nottinghamshire' Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire Vol99 p70-1
    Green, Herbert, 1934, 'Greasley Castle' Transactions of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire Vol38 p34-53 [plan and ill]
    Chalkley Gould, 1907, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol13 p62-3
• 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 (1338-40) p449