Restormel Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Restormil; Raistormel; Tywardreath; Lestmel

In the civil parish of Lostwithiel. In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

Remains of a medieval castle built as a motte and bailey (Ringwork according to Creighton and some others) circa 1100 by Baldwin Fitz Turstin, Sheriff of Cornwall. Restormel Castle and its surroundings have been owned by the Dutchy of Cornwall since the medieval period. The castle consists of a circular curtain wall, an inner and outer gatehouse, the hall and servery and a chapel. Alterations were carried out during the medieval period. Circa 1200 the stone keep was constructed and at the end of C13 further alterations were made including the building of the chapel. Further alterations were carried out to the chapel in the late C16-C17. It appears that the chapel remained in use even though the remainder of the castle was derelict. The castle was fought over during the civil war and captured in 1644. On one occasion called Tywardreath which has lead to idea that there was a separate castle of Tywardreath.
Oliver Crieghton, in a talk in 2009, said the masonry was of one phase of the late C12, that the earthwork of the old ringwork were added to by adding to the base of the new masonry walls (c.f. Lydford 'keep') to make the castle have the appearance of sitting on a motte, giving this new masonry an more ancient look and presence. The castle is sat in the centre of a deer park.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX10406138

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

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 432711
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://homepages.tesco.net/~k.wasley/Restormel.htm
    http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/restormel%20castle.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/restormel/restormel.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/200/restormelcastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Restormel.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.300
    http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/content/434.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/restormel.html
• Books
  • Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p136-43
    Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p32-4
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p20-21 [plan]
    Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p75
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p284
    Price, M. and H., 1980, Castles of Cornwall (Bossiney Books) p19-32
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N. revised by Enid Radcliffe, 1970, Buildings of England: Cornwall (Harmondsworth) p132-3
    Renn, D.F., 1969, Three Shell Keeps (HMSO) p16-21
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p804-5
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p62-3 plan
    Toy, Sidney, 1939, Castles: A short History of Fortifications from 1600 BC to AD 1600 (London) p60-1
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p109-111
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p11-2
    Hext, 1891, Lostwithiel and Restormel (Truro) p203-24
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p361
    Lysons, D. and S., 1814, Magna Britannia Vol3 Cornwall p. ccxli, 176-8 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=403]
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p26
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol1 p40-41 http://books.google.com/books?id=D01LAAAAMAAJ, Vol8 p46
    Borlase, William, 1754, Antiquites, historical and monumental, of the county of Cornwall (Oxford) p356-8
• Journal Articles
  • Preston-Jones, Ann and Rose, Peter, 1986, 'Medieval Cornwall' Cornish Archaeology Vol25 p135-185 http://www.cornisharchaeology.org.uk/documents/CA25-5s2.pdf
    Radford, C.A.R.,1974, 'Restormel Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol130 p292-4
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Toy, S., 1933, 'The Round Castles of Cornwall' Archaeologia Vol83 p220-6 [plans]
    Quiller-Couch, 1879, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol35 p155-8
    Clark, 1862, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol17 p310-12
    MacLauchlan, 1849, Royal Institute of Cornwall 31st report p28-9 [slight]
• Guidebooks
  • Nicholas Molyneux, 2003, Restormel Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Radford, C.A.R.,1986, Restormel Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Radford, C.A.R.,1980 (2edn), Restormel Castle (HMSO)
    Radford, C.A.R.,1947, Restormel Castle (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] p143
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cornwalleng.html#cornwall1]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p78, 86
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p205 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Higham, Robert and Creighton, Oliver, 16 May 2009, 'Castle Studies in Transition: a forty-year reflection' Castles, Landscapes and Lordship: Aspects of Castle Studies (Royal Archaeological Institute/Yorkshire Archaeological Society Medieval Section Conference at York)