Grimsthorpe Castle

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

Country house of C13 origins, enlarged during C16 and 1685. It was remodelled in 1722-26, 1811 and 1840. t is likely that the first castle at Grimsthorpe was built by Gilbert de Gant, the great grandson of Baudouin, Count of Flanders. He succeeded in 1192 as 5th Lord of Folkingham. Created Earl of Lincoln in 1216 by Prince Louis of France (later Louis VIII), he was dispatched to the north to oppose King John during the baron’s revolt. He devastated the city of Lincoln, but was later taken prisoner and deprived of his estates. He died in 1242. Much of his large estate eventually passed to Henry, 1st Lord Beaumont, who served both Edward I and Edward II in a military capacity.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF04452277

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 348511
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 33660 '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.grimsthorpe.co.uk/
    http://www.heritagesites.eu.com/england/grimsth.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/grimsthorpe.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p50
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p142-3
    Pevsner, Nikolaus and John Harris; revised by Nicholas Antram, 1989, Buildings of England: Lincolnshire (Harmondsworth) p554-8
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p260
    Tipping, H.A., 1928, English Homes, period 4 Vol2 (London) p295-
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p433 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/n496/mode/1up
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p227
• Journal Articles
  • Conner, T., 1974, 'Grimsthrope Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol131 p330-3
    Tipping, H.A., 1924, Country Life Vol55 p572-9, 614-21, 650-7 [mainly on later fabric]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p287