Bletsoe Castle
| Bletsoe Castle | |
|---|---|
| Bletsoe, Bedfordshire, England | |
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| Coordinates | grid reference TL024584 |
| Type | Fortified manor house |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Earthworks only remain, with parts of the later 16-17th century building |
| Site history | |
| Built by | John Pateshull |
Bletsoe Castle was a late medieval fortified manor house in the village of Bletsoe, Bedfordshire.
Details
Bletsoe Castle was created by John Pateshull, who received a licence to crenellate an existing manor house on the east side of Blestoe in 1327.[1] Pateshull had owned the manor of Blestoe since 1313, but with the death of his mother, in 1324, he inherited additional lands, allowing him to acquire permission to crenellate the property.[2] It was the birthplace of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby who later became the mother to Henry VII of England. Her birthday was 31 May, although it remains in dispute whether she was born in 1441 or 1443.
In the late 16th or early 17th century, a new building was erected around the castle, quadrangular in design with three or four storeys and gable windows.[3][1] Much of this later building was pulled down, leaving a much smaller building, still incorporating parts of the older castle, within the older medieval earthworks.[1]
Today the castle is a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building.[4][5] The medieval moat has a diameter of 130 metres (430 ft), is on average 18 metres (59 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) deep. The moat is water-filled in parts though the south side has been destroyed by the construction of agricultural buildings over it.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Page, William, ed. (1912). "A History of the County of Bedford". pp. 40–43. Retrieved 8 July 2011 – via British History Online.
- ^ Rickard, p.25.
- ^ Mackenzie, p.138;
- ^ "Bletsoe Castle". Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ Historic England. "Bletsoe Castle (Grade II*) (1114219)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ "Bletsoe Castle Monument No. 360396". National Monuments Record, English Heritage. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
Bibliography
- MacKenzie, James Dixon. (1896/2009) The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure. General Books LLC. ISBN 978-1-150-51044-1.
- Rickard, John. (2002) The castle community: the personnel of English and Welsh castles, 1272-1422. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-913-3.