The Gatehouse website record for Bourne Castle

In the civil parish of Bourne. In the historic county of Lincolnshire (Modern Authority of Lincolnshire, 1974 county of Lincolnshire).

Medieval motte and double bailey castle, traces of the enclosed mound and inner and outer moats are all that now survive. The Norman castle built by Baldwin FitzGilbert was reputed to stand on the same site as the Saxon Manor which was the home of Hereward the Wake. This was destroyed after being used by Cromwell's troops in 1645 and a farmhouse was built on the site.
This castle lying in low easily flooded country is in reality a large moated site. There are two enclosures both rectangular in shape; the easterly one has been almost flattened by cultivation but there is the remains of a motte on the south side. The western enclosure is a pure rectangle and the banks on its west side are 15-20 feet in height. An interesting type of earthwork; reputed to be pre-Norman but there is no evidence of this on the ground. Size consists of two roughly rectangular enclosures separated by a circular pond. The westerly one is the better preserved with an impressive bank standing 5-6m high and c12-15m across on the west side. On the south the bank is lower and there is a gap of c15m. Beyond there is to the south a further bank visible at the field edge. The area between these two is very marshy. The east bank is also lower and has very marshy ground beyond it towards the pond. The north side is fairly level and obviously affected by footpath. Eastern earthwork has been affected by cultivation. Some banks visible standing to 1m high on the west side. Towards the east edge is an irregularly shaped mound with a fairly level top and fairly vertical sides. The site is in good condition with fairly short grass and only a little erosion was noted on the banks. Although landscaping for the park has removed or hidden some of the monument's features, the main details can still be clearly seen. There is an irregularly shaped motte 1.2-2.7m high with traces of a surrounding ditch. Beyond this to the north are traces of fishponds. An outer bailey to the west is partly hidden by a large pond but the surrounding banks can be traced for much of the way. Bourne was held by Morcar, Earl of the Northumbrians, and in 1086 by the Norman Oger. (Lincolnshire HER referencing schedulings records and OS report)
During a watching brief at Bourne Castle a number of medieval features were recorded. Four medieval walls, a possible rampart, a moat and a second possible moat or pond were discovered. Pottery sherds dating from 10th-12th century through to 16th-17th centuries were all recovered together with some medieval but mainly post medieval tile and other post medieval building materials. The walls are located in the north-east corner of the bailey suggesting that there was an open space, possible a courtyard in the centre. The deposits recorded during this watching brief seem to indicate widespread demolition of the castle, tentatively dated to the 16th-17th centuries. (Lincolnshire HER referencing 2002 Archaeological Project Services reports)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF09441990

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 348162
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 30043 '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.

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.

It is an offence to disturb a Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from any site without proper recording and reporting. Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation.

Please help me to make this as useful a resource as possible by contacting me if you see errors or if you can add information.
I do acknowledge the help I get with this site.