Rotherfield Greys Court

In the civil parish of Rotherfield Greys.
In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Square enclosure castle. Remains consist of two towers with linking curtain wall, and walls situated 60m east of Greys Court House. Constructed during C14, the walls are of flint with stone quions and patches of brick. The towers are square in plan, one is in ruins. Licence to crenellate granted in 1348 to Sir John de Grey. Passed to the Crown in 1485. Granted to Robert Knollys by letters patent in 1514. Sold to William Paul of Braywick in Berkshire in 1686. William's daughter Catherine married Sir William Stapleton Bt. in 1724.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1346 Dec 10.

A Confirmation licence to crenellate was granted in 1348 Feb 22.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU72478341

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; 245395, 1090891

• Web site links
  • http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/historicproperties/index.cfm?fuseaction=property&property_id=155
    http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Greys-Court.html
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/houses/houseoxf_grey.htm
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p104-7
    Jones, B. (ed), 2004, Greys Court: Histroic Building Report (English Heritage)
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p70-1
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p204
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p386
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p49-50
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p155-8
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p415
• Journal Articles
  • Emery, A., 2005-6, 'Greys Court' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol 19 p193-200
    Jones, B, 2004, Vernacular Architecture Vol35 p99
    Steane, J. and Bond, C.J., 1984, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol14 p70
    Kenworthy-Browne, 1963, The Connoisseur Vol152 p73-80
    Hussey, C., 1944 June, Country Life Vol95 p1080-3, 1124-7
    Dryden, 1888-9, Oxfordshire Archaeological Society Vol24 p29-34
• Guidebooks
  • 1970, Greys Court Guide Book (National Trust)
• 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 (1345-48) p514
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1348-50) p36
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/gloceng.html#oxon20]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p371-2
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p72