Castle Howe, Kendal

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castle How

In the civil parish of Kendal.
In the historic county of Westmorland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Earthwork remains of a motte and bailey castle, precussor to Kendal, built in c1092. The flat topped motte is 11m high, which measures circa 18m in diameter at the summit and circa 46m in diameter at the base. The triangular bailey is situated to the east and has been virtually destroyed by the making of a public park.

This site has been described as a;
Timber 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 SD51249238

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; 43209

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 2077

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/97/castlehowe.htm
    http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/kendal-castlehowe.htm
• Books
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p335
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p64
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p270
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p77
    Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p64
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p492
    Clare, T., 1981, Archaeological Sites of the Lake District p82-5
    Sanders, I.J., 1960, English Baronies. A study of their origin and descent 1086-1327 p56-7
    RCHME, 1936, An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland (HMSO) p122
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p30-1
• 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]
    Renn, D.F., 1959, 'Mottes: a classification' Antiquity Vol33 p106-12
    Collingwood, 1908, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol8 p97-102
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities13.htm]