Beaudesert Castle, Henley

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; The Mount

In the civil parish of Beaudesert.
In the historic county of Warwickshire (Modern Authority of Warwickshire, 1974 county of Warwickshire).

Castle documented during C12 and in ruins by the mid C16. The castle was in existence by circa 1140 but its importance probably declined when the De Montfort estates passed to the Earl of Warwick circa 1369. It was again mentioned in a roll account of 1411, but was not mentioned in a survey of 1547. Earthwork features include fish ponds and bailey, ridge and furrow also present. The extant remains of the castle consist of a flat topped oval artificial mound surrounded by a ditch, covering an area of about 2 acres; a raised bank of earth crossing the ditch to the south-west connects this moated 'keep' with its accompanying courtyard. Excavation by Time Team found Norman masonry castle was demolished and later replaced by C13 buildings. Sometimes said to have been licenced in 1306 (TimeTeam broadcast this erroneous statement), but this licence refers to Beaudesert Hall, Staffordshire.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP15606613

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; 331123

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1220

• Web site links
  • http://www.channel4.com/history/timeteam/beaudesert.html
    http://www.courts.fsnet.co.uk/beaudesert.htm
    http://timetrail.warwickshire.gov.uk/detail.aspx?monuid=WA1220
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p343
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p255
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p30
    Salter, Mike, 1992, Castles and Moated Mansions of Warwickshire (Malvern) p18
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p481
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p185
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, Nikolaus and Wedgwood, Alexandra, 1966, The buildings of England: Warwickshire p89
    Cooper W., 1946, Henley in Arden p77
    Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1945, VCH Warwickshire Vol3 p45-46
    Cooper, 1931, Records of Beaudesert (Leeds) p.xxii-xxiv
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Willoughby Gardner, 1904, in Doubleday, H.A. and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Warwickshire Vol1 p355-7
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p351
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p130
    Hooke, D., 1984, ‘Henley in Arden (Warwickshire): Beaudesert part II' West Midlands Archaeology Vol27 p63–4
    1975, West Midlands Archaeology p18-9
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Chatwin, P.B., 1947-8, 'Castles in Warwickshire' Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society Vol67 p20-2
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/warkseng.html#warks10]