Knepp Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cnap; Le Kenape; Cnappe; Kneppe; Knob

In the civil parish of Shipley.
In the historic county of Sussex (Modern Authority of West Sussex, 1974 county of West Sussex).

Castle, motte built in C11, fortified in 1214, largely demolished in 1726. The motte can still be seen surmounted by the remains of a keep and enclosed by a moat. Always very much of a hunting lodge and seldom called a castle.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Fortified Manor House.
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 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 299506)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ16352089

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; 396696

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/198/kneppcastle.htm
• Books
  • Jones, R., 2003, 'Hastings to Herstmonceux: the castles of Sussex' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p171-8
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern) p47
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p251
    Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p84-9
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p472
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p250
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p691
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Clinch, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Sussex Vol1 p472
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p78-9
    Elwes, Dudley George Cary, 1876, A history of the Castles, Mansions, and Manors of Western Sussex (London: Longmans) p192
    Dallaway, James, 1832 [2edn], A History of the Western Division of the County of Sussex Vol2 pt2 p293-4
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p164-8
• Journal Articles
  • 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]
    Turner, Rev Edward, 1870, ' Steyning and West Grinstead Churches, and the Ancient Castle of Knepp' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol22 p1-21 [history]
    Sharpe, Rev J, 1852, 'Documents relating to Knepp Castle, additional to those in VolIII, p 1 -12' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol5 p143-146
    Burrell, Sir Charles Merrik, 1850, 'Documents relating to Knepp Castle (Collected by Rev John Sharpe)' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol3 p1-12
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p458