Powderham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Pouderham

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

Fortified manor house, the seat of the Courtenays, Earls of Devon, since the C14 constructed circa 1390-1420 altered and enlarged during C16, and between 1710 and 1727, 1754-55, 1794-98 and 1837-1846. The medieval core in the main range, on a north-south axis, is partly buried in the later alterations but consisted of an open hall with 3 service doors at the lower (south) end leading into service rooms and a kitchen at the south. The private apartments to the north of the hall included a first floor solar. The north wing was a chapel wing (chapel mentioned in 1450) projecting east from the main range, A smaller corresponding south wing was probably originally detached and retains a high quality late medieval roof; it may have been a first floor or open hall of some kind and although unheated at present appears to be shown with stacks in a stylized drawing of 1743. 4 substantial towers survive: a medieval north-west tower, a probably medieval tower in the angle between the main range and north wing and towers on the west and east walls of the main range; these may be C16 or C16 remodellings and certainly predate 1734 (Buck's engraving). A fifth tower is buried in C18 alterations to the north wing.

This site has been described as a;
Fortified Manor House.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX96818360

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; 447985

• Web site links
  • http://www.powderham.co.uk/
    http://britannia.com/history/devon/castles/powderhamcast.html
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/houses/housedev_powd.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/192/powderhamcastle.htm
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p616-9
    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) p78-9
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p62
    Pevsner, Nikolaus and Cherry, Bridget, 1989, Buildings of England: Devon (Harmondsworth) p148-9
    Mildren, James, 1987, Castles of Devon (Bossiney Books) p39-43
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p119
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p93-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p39-40
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p67, 68
• Journal Articles
  • Higham, R.A., 1988, 'Devon Castles: an annotated list' Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society Vol46 p142-9
    Girouard, Mark, 1963 July 4, 'Powderham Castle, Devon' Country Life p116-119
    Girouard, Mark, 1963 July 11, 'Powderham Castle, Devon' Country Life p1-5
    1913, Archaeological Journal Vol70 p530-2
    Harding, Lieut-Colonel, 1867, 'A Paper on Powderham Castle' Transactions of the Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society [ser2] VolI PtII p170-183 and plates 26, 27 and 28
    1800, Gentleman's Magazine pt2 p617-8
    1799, Gentleman's Magazine pt2 p1113 and plate
• Guidebooks
  • Pepys, c,1960, Powderham Castle (English Life Publications)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cornwalleng.html#devon12]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p119
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p232