Gidleigh Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Gidley

In the civil parish of Gidleigh.
In the historic county of Devon (Modern Authority of Devon, 1974 county of Devon).

Keep tower, the only standing remains of a castle built circa 1300 by the Prouze family. Granite stone rubble laid to rough courses with open putlog holes and large roughly-shaped quoins, ashlar detail of hard sandy magnesium limestone. Plan: square in plan there is an undercroft and first floor hall. It is built on a slope facing downhill to the east-south-east, say east. Entrance on left (south) side and stairs in the thickness of the wall round the south-west corner. Second stair, a stone newel, projecting forward from left end of font. Disused fireplace serving the hall in centre of front wall. The hall is no longer roofed and the newel stair turret has partly collapsed. Exterior: 2-window front to right of the stair turret; narrow slit windows with deep internal splays and with relieving arches over, the right first floor one has some of its ashlar window frame still in situ. A buttress projects square in the centre of the wall. Left side has a segmental pointed (almost triangular-headed) arch doorway, and the right side has a plain doorway at first floor level towards the back. Interior: the undercroft has a vaulted roof supported on square ribs. The doorways from both stairs to the hall have chamfered surrounds with bar-broach stops. The fireplace has been much rebuilt. The floor shows the bases of columns which presumably supported a corbelled hood. The construction and detail of this building are remarkably similar to the contemporary phase of Okehampton Castle.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 94729)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX67058841

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; 443533

• Web site links
  • http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4294/gidleigh1.html
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p565-6
    Grumley-Grennan, T. and Hardy, M., 2000, Gidliegh: A Dartmoor Village Past and Present
    Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p136-43
    Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p64
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p58-9
    Pevsner, Nikolaus and Cherry, Bridget, 1989, Buildings of England: Devon (Harmondsworth) p456
    Mildren, James, 1987, Castles of Devon (Bossiney Books) p30-33
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p116
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p234
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p32
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p354
    Lysons, D. and S., 1822, Magna Britannia Vol6 Devon p. cccxlv-cccxlviii [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=406]
• Journal Articles
  • Bradley, J and Gaimster, M. (eds), 2004, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2003' Medieval Archaeology Vol48 p254
    [Blaylock, S.R.], 1992, Medieval Archaeology Vol37 p255-7
    Higham, R.A., 1988, 'Devon Castles: an annotated list' Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society Vol46 p142-9
    Amery, J.S., and Worth, R.H., 1925, 'Gidleigh Castle' Devonshire Association reports and transactions Vol57 p267-271
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Blaylock, S.R., 1992, Gidleigh Castle: A survey of the Standing Remains (Exeter Museum Archaeology Field Unit)