Caus Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cause; Caurs; Chaus; Caws; Caurse; Alretone; Auretone; Averetone

In the civil parish of Westbury.
In the historic county of Shropshire (Modern Authority of Shropshire, 1974 county of Shropshire).

Probable that the outer earthworks of this site are those of an Iron Age fort, adapted in medieval times to form the outer bailey of this impressive castle. It consists of a high motte with a very small summit, crowned with the ruins of a small stone tower; and a massively defended inner bailey. The tower, keep and curtain wall were rebuilt in stone in 1198 and maintained in full order until destroyed in 1645. The bailey contained a borough. However, in 1521 the castle was described as being in great ruin and decay. The small tower on the motte may well be a late addition and be little more than a belvedere. The motte at Caus is very steep. The original Caus Castle was actually built nearby at Hawcock's Mount.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry footings remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ337078

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; 66343

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/caus.html
    http://website.lineone.net/~corbett_group/First/caus.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p32-3
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p210
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p27, 28, 66, 195, 200, 201, 202, 229, 236, 237, 265
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p14-16
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p421-2
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p207
    Meisel, J., 1980, Barons of the Welsh Frontier p7,9-10,62,161,199,201
    Gaydon, A.T. (ed), 1968, VCH Shropshire Vol8 p303, 308-10
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) 139, 147
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p133
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall [after Downham], 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol1 p399-400 [plan]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p130-1
    Eyton, R.W., 1853-60, Antiquities of Shropshire Vol7 p6-8
• Journal Articles
  • Barker, P.A., 1981, ‘Caus Castle and Hawcocks Mount' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p34
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    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]
    Renn, D.F., 1959, 'Mottes: a classification' Antiquity Vol33 p106-12
    Chitty, L.F., 1955, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol104 p199-201
    Chitty, L.F., 1954, ‘Caus Castle' The Hundred-and-First Annual Meeting: Programme, 1954, CAA p19-21
    Chitty, Lily, 1949, 'Subsidiary Castle Sites West of Shrewsbury' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Vol53 p83-90
    1929-30, Offa Field Club p30-5
    Jones, 1918, Montgomeryshire Collections Vol38 p261-8
    Lee and Phillips, 1906, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol29 p106-122
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops8]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p393, 396
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p13
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Buteux, V., 1996, Archaeological Assessment of Caus, Shropshire: The Central Marches Historic Towns Survey (Shropshire SMR)