Eynsford Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Eynesford; Ainsford

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

Early C12 comprising low artificial platform with attached bailey, encircled by stone wall and moat; ruin of C12 hall. Violently destroyed 1312. Although not mentioned in Domesday it is likely that the castle already existed in primitive form prior to the Conquest, excavations revealing features antedating the curtain wall.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ54176582

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 410057
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 56 NW 11 '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.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/eynsford/eynsford.php
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.184
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/eynesford.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/177/eynsford.html
• Books
  • Elliot, Julia (ed), 2005, Heritage Unlocked; Guide to free sites in London and the South East (London: English Heritage) p24-5
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p42-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p120
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p31, 53, 54, 57, 60, 184, 356
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p231
    Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p229-30
    Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
    Newman, John, 1976, The buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald (Harmondsworth) p280
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p155-6
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Sands, Harold, 1907, 'Some Kentish Castles' in Ditchfield and Clinch, Memorials of Old Kent (London) p36-40
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p21
    Hasted, Edward, 1797 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol2 p527- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62832
• Journal Articles
  • Horsman, Valerie, 1988, 'Eynsford Castle: A reinterpretation of its early history in the light of recent excavations' Archaeologia Cantiana,Vol105 p39-58
    Rigold, S.E., 1975, 'Structural aspects of medieval timber bridges' Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p48-91 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Rigold, S.E. and Fleming, A.J., 1973, 'Eynsford Castle: The Moat and Bridge' Archaeologia Cantiana,Vol88 p87-116
    Rigold, S.E., 1971, 'Eynsford Castle and its Excavation' Archaeologia Cantiana,Vol86 p109-172
    Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, J.G., 1967, 'Medieval Britain in 1966' Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p285 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, J.G., 1965, 'Medieval Britain in 1964' Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p190 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, J.G., 1962/3, 'Medieval Britain in 1961' Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p322 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, J.G., 1957, 'Medieval Britain in 1956' Medieval Archaeology Vol1 p156-7 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Gresy, E., 1838, Archaeologia Vol27 p391-7
• Guidebooks
  • Rigold, S.E., 1984, Eynsford Castle, Kent (London: English Heritage)
    Rigold, S.E., 1963, Eynsford Castle, Kent (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p270-1