Appledore Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Apledore

In the civil parish of Appledore. In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Kent, 1974 county of Kent).

Tradition of castle reported by Kilburne in 1659 'upon the ruines of that Castle the present Church was builded (the situation whereof rendreth the same probable)' The manorial centre appears to be at Hornes Place, though this may only date from C13, which is when Grade 1 listed parish church dates from. This position would guard a river crossing in a marshy area where the road way was probably much confined and this represents one of the few ways off Dungeness. Camden writes "Apledore, where a confused rable of Danish and Norman Pirates, which under the conduct of one Hasting had sore annoied the French coasts, loaden with booties, landed and built a Castle, whom notwithstanding King Aelfred by his valour enforced to accept conditions of peace." This would suggest a temporary Viking camp, certainly a possibility.
South-west of Appledore, where the ridge ends, is a mound which may be a tumulus but is more likely to be a castle mount. It is partially enclosed by a filled-in ditch. On the side nearer the church is a piece of level ground which may have been a bailey, though there is no trace of ditch or rampart. Remains of a spring are evident on the hillside. There is the tradition of a 'castle' (destroyed 1380) on the site of the present church. This is windmill mound measuring 28.0m in diameter and about 1.5m in height, and surrounded by a ditch except on the south east side. There are three causeways across the ditch leading to the top of the mound. Symondson's map of Kent (1596) shows a windmill here. (Kent HER)
It is possible that this tradition of a battle with the Danes has become confabulated with a later Norman castle and the location somehow slightly misplaced. The 'Court Lodge' house name in the supposed bailey is also suggestive of this being a manorial centre.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ95322904

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 419237
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 92 NE 2 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
    Page, W. (ed), 1908, VCH Kent Vol1 p440
    Hasted, Edward, 1798 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol7 p250-251 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63415
    Kilburne, 1659, A Topography or Survey of the County of Kent
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent40]