Liddell Strength Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Liddel Mote; Lydel; Ledale; pele of Liddel

In the civil parish of Kirkandrews.
In the historic county of Cumberland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Impressive high motte and two baileys first mentioned 1174. Still a timber castle when besieged in 1346, though siege only last 4 days. The remains comprise an eroded motte, standing 6.6m above an inner bailey to the east, with an outer bailey further to the east. There is no trace of a ditch between the motte and the inner bailey. There is a ditch aound the south side of the combined motte and inner ward. This ditch is massive, up to 4.1m deep externally and up to 8.2m below the inner rampart of the inner ward. It is likely that it initially enclosed a ringwork, and that the motte was a later insertion on the west side of it.

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 NY40187416

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 11686

Books

Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p233
Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p71
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p44
Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p70-2
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p88
Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p121-122
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p225
Sanders, I.J., 1960, English Baronies. A study of their origin and descent 1086-1327 p129
Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p147-9
Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p24-8
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p320-1
General Roy, 1793, Military Antiquities of the Romans in Britain (Society of Antiquaries) plate xxiii

Journal Articles

1972, Château Gaillard Vol5 p108
Donaldson-Hudson, 1965-7, History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club Vol37 p50-3 [slight]
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]
1929, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol29 p49-56
Collingwood, R.G., 1926, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol26 p390-7
1913, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol13 p33-54
Curwen, J.F., 1910, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol10 p91-107
Graham, 1909, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol9 p212-6
Ferguson, 1888, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol9 p404-8

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cumbeng.html#cumb26]
Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p50

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