Clun Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Colunwy; Clone; Clune; Clunne

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

Medieval motte and three baileys surviving as an earthwork and stone keep. It was originally built of wood between 1090 and 1110. It had been rebuilt by 1233. It was rebuilt in the second half of C13 in stone and this survives as a ruined four-storeyed building and curtain walls. The main surviving masonry portion of the castle is the Great Tower built into the side of the motte. After 1300 the castle was no longer used as a residance but had become a hunting lodge and administrative centre. In the early C16 a courthouse was added, further alterations were carried out in 1780 and 1885. Paul Remfry informs me that the castle was not burnt by the welsh in 1196, as recorded in Pastscape. The details of this campaign can be found at http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/rhysapgruffydd.html

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 ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 257157)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO29848093

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; 105317

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/clun.html
    http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/clun.html
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.334
    http://www.shropshiretourism.info/castles/clun/
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/panoramas/clun_castle_360.shtml
• Books
  • Mercer, E., 2003, English Vernacular Architecture: The Shropshire Experience (Logaston Press)
    Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p38-9
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p211
    Remfry, Paul Martin, 1994, Clun Castle 1066 to 1282 (SCS Publishing: Worcestershire)
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p19-21
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p423
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p210
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p148-50
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p89-90
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p141-3
    Thompson, A. Hamilton, 1912, Military architecture in England during the Middle Ages (OUP) p43, 127-9
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p114-18
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall [after Downham], 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol1 p393-4
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p131-3
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p402-9
    Acton, F. Stackhouse, 1868, The Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire (Shrewsbury) p12-13
• Journal Articles
  • Suppe, Fredrick C., 1989, 'Castle Guard and the Castlery of Clun' Haskins Society Journal Vol1 p123-34 [Reprinted in Liddiard, R. (ed), 2003, Anglo-Norman Castles (Woodbridge)]
    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]
    1959, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol108 p154-5
    1888, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol1 p15-18
    Eyton, E.W., 1887, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol10 p26
    Clark, G.T., 1877, The Builder Vol35 p1047-50 [reprinted in MMA]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops1]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p53