Bishops Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Lydbury Castle; Lydbury North; Lydney North; Lindeberinort; Ledebir; Newcastle; Y Trefysgob; Bissopes

In the civil parish of Bishops Castle. In the historic county of Shropshire (Modern Authority of Shropshire, 1974 county of Shropshire).

Built around 1100 as a motte and bailey, the vague plan of which survives today. This was given in 1154 by Bishop de Betun of Hereford to the Mortimer Earls of Shrewsbury. It was subsequently regained by the next Bishop, Foliot, and in 1167 it was re-fortified, probably in stone. In 1263 the Castle was stormed (and known then as Lindeberinort Castle). John FitzAlan, who stormed the Castle, held it for sixteen weeks and caused a great deal of damage. The Castle became "Bissopes Castle" in 1285. In 1538 Leland described the Castle as 'a castle of goode strength'. In 1610 the Castle, then owned by the King, was granted to the Howards who allowed it to fall into decay. The main part of the stonework remaining is a piece of quite tall curtain wall leading up the side of the bailey towards the motte, portions of shell keep were still visible in 1940.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 256906)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO32328910

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 107109
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00145; 05143 '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.bishops-castle.co.uk/castle.htm
    http://www.castlewales.com/bishop_c.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/bishops.html
• Books
  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p26-8
    Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p23
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p177
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p219 [slight]
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p4-5
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p421
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p189
    Tonkin, J.W., 1976, The Palaces of the Bishop of Hereford p55
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p110
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p133
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall [after Downham], 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol1 p383 [plan]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p126
    Stackhouse-Acton, Frances, 1868, The Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire (Shrewsbury) p14-16
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    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
    Lavender, F., 1941-3, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol51 p157-9
    Lavender, F., 1937-8, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol29 p245-9
    1894, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol6 p4-5
    1893, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol5 p344-5
    1888, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol1 p413
    Eyton, R.W., 1887, 'The castles of Shropshire' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol10 p25-6
• Guidebooks
  • Tyler, A.W., 1981, The Castle at Bishops Castle
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rot. Lit. Claus., ii, 559b (1233)
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p408-9
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p228, 393, 397
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p50 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl02lelauoft ; Vol5 p15 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • English Heritage, 2002, Scheduling Papers [Revision, 11/12/2001]
    Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, 1986, Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 26554