Newcastle under Lyme Castle

In the civil parish of Newcastle under Lyme.
In the historic county of Staffordshire (Modern Authority of Staffordshire, 1974 county of Staffordshire).

Motte and bailey castle probably built during C11 and first documented in 1149. During the late C12 century and early C13 there was much rebuilding, including strengthening of its defences,. There are also many documentary references to the repair and refurbishment of the castle throughout C14 and C15. However, by 1541 little of the castle survived. The castle comprises an oval-shaped mound measuring 75m east-west by 100m north-south. Excavations have found the mound to be constructed of clay, sand and stone surrounded by a timber palisade. The motte is situated at the southest end and was was originally circular or oval in plan, but is now D-shaped, measuring 26m by 40m at the base and 18m by 26m across the top. It stands to a height of 4m. A ditch, 10m wide, separated the motte from the bailey. Parts of stone built buildings, the curtain wall and a timber bridge which linked the castle to the higher ground to the northeast have also been recorded. Although Newcastle is often described as a motte and bailey, the existing mound is really a relic of a somewhat larger rectangular platform. The actual castle was probably more of an enclosure castle with the defenses mainly consisting of the large lake that was formed by the dam that was where Pool Dam now runs.

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.
This site is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 385969)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ84454595

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; 75854

• Web site links
  • http://www.newcastleunderlyme.ic24.net/default1.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p36
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p231 [slight]
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p64
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p450-1
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p266
    Pevsner, N., 1974, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire (London, Penguin) p208
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p254
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p748-9
    Jenkins J.G. (ed), 1963, VCH Staffordshire Vol8 p11-15 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=53355]
    Pape, T., 1928, Medieval Newcastle Under Lyme (Manchester) p1-6, 16-32, 115-25 etc
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Lynam, C., 1908, in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol1 p353, 355 [plan]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p398-9
• Journal Articles
  • Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p316
    Palliser, D.M., 1972, 'Staffordshire Castles: A Provisional List' Staffordshire Archaeology Vol1 p5-8
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Cantor, Leonard, 1966, 'The Medieval Castles of Staffordshire' North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies Vol6 p38-46
    Beaver, S.H., 1963, Archaeological Journal Vol120 p289
    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]
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Pape, T., 1936, Antiquaries Journal Vol16 p465-7
    Pape, T., 1935, Antiquaries Journal Vol15 p214
    Pape, T., 1935-6, North Staffordshire Field Club transactions Vol70 p71-6
    Pape, T., 1934-5, North Staffordshire Field Club transactions Vol69 p65-72
    Pape, T., 1933-4, North Staffordshire Field Club transactions Vol68 p169-70
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/warkseng.html#staf5]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p442, 443
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p19