St Michaels Mount Castle

In the civil parish of St Michaels Mount. In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

Benedictine Monastery established in C8. Fortifications on St Michael's Mount constructed in response to a number of sieges which have taken place, the earliest dating to 1195 when the Mount was captured by Henry de la Pomeroy. Became a secular fortress in 1337. The Mount was also captured in 1473 and in 1497. After the Reformation there was a maintainance of a garrison of five soldiers for the protection of the coastline. The fortifications were improved in 1642 by Sir Francis Basset, and the garrison increased in size. The entrance is within the thickest walls and has a portcullis. There are also the remains of a gatehouse or outer gatehouse. The military garrison room is present under the Chevy Chase room. Also present are C19 gun batteries. Only traces of the structures predating the Tudor period survive.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SW51472982

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 870617; 870518; 424617
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 91527*0 and others '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.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/
    http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=7
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/stmichaels.html
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/st-michaels-mount/smm.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/203/stmichaelsmount.htm
• Books
  • Duffy, Michael, 1999, 'Coastal Defences and Garrisons 1480-1914' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p158-60
    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) p38-41
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p22-23
    Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p75-6
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p290
    Price, M. and H., 1980, Castles of Cornwall (Bossiney Books) p54-74
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N. revised by Enid Radcliffe, 1970, Buildings of England: Cornwall (Harmondsworth) p175-7
    Fletcher, J.R. edited and completed by Dom John Stephan, 1952, A history of St Michael's Mount [generally religious history]
    Taylor, Thomas, 1932, History of St Michael's Mount (Cambridge) [history only]
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p116-122
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol2 p13-5 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland02mack#page/13/mode/1up
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p497-9
    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 p137-42 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=403
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p29-30
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol8 p29-42
• Journal Articles
  • Pool, P.A.S. (ed), 1975, ' 'The ancient and present state of St Michael’s Mount, 1762” ' Cornish Studies 3 p29-47
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Hussey, 1924, Country Life Vol56 p672-9, 714-20
    Peter, 1900, Journal of the Royal Institute of Cornwall Vol15 p221-46
    Leyland, 1897, Country Life Vol2 p42-4 [slight]
    St Aubyn, 1861, Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society Vol6 p259-69 [slight]
• Guidebooks
  • Trinick, M., 1983, St Michael's Mount, Marazion, Cornwall: The Tour of the Castle
    John St Aubyn, 1978, St Michael's Mount Illustrated History and Guide (Beric Tempest)
    Wake, Joan, 1934, A Guide to St Michael's Mount with a summary of its history from legendary times
• 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] p142-3
    http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/henryviii/militmap/coastdef/zoomify93135.html [Henry VIII’s coastal defence maps]
• 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) p84