Clun Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Colunwy; Clone; Clune; Clunne

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

Medieval motte and three baileys surviving as an earthwork and stone keep. It was originally built of wood between 1090 and 1110. It had been rebuilt by 1233. It was rebuilt in the second half of C13 in stone and this survives as a ruined four-storeyed building and curtain walls. The main surviving masonry portion of the castle is the Great Tower built into the side of the motte. After 1300 the castle was no longer used as a residence but had become a hunting lodge and administrative centre. In the early C16 a courthouse was added, further alterations were carried out in 1780 and 1885. Paul Remfry informs me that the castle was not burnt by the welsh in 1196, as recorded in Pastscape. The details of this campaign can be found at http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/rhysapgruffydd.html

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 257157)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO29848093

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 105317
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 01198 '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.castlewales.com/clun.html
    http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/clun.html
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.334
    http://www.shropshiretourism.info/castles/clun/
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/content/panoramas/clun_castle_360.shtml
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/clum.html
• Books
  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p60-4
    Mercer, E., 2003, English Vernacular Architecture: The Shropshire Experience (Logaston Press)
    Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p38-9
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p211
    Remfry, Paul Martin, 1994, Clun Castle 1066 to 1282 (SCS Publishing: Worcestershire)
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p19-21
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p423
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p210
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p148-50 [plan]
    Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: Shropshire (London, Penguin) p109
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p89-90
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p141-3
    Thompson, A. Hamilton, 1912, Military architecture in England during the Middle Ages (OUP) p43, 127-9
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p114-18
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall [after Downham], 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol1 p393-4
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p131-3
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p402-9
    Stackhouse-Acton, Frances, 1868, The Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire (Shrewsbury) p12-13
• Journal Articles
  • Suppe, Fredrick C., 1989, 'Castle Guard and the Castlery of Clun' Haskins Society Journal Vol1 p123-34 [Reprinted in Liddiard, R. (ed), 2003, Anglo-Norman Castles (Woodbridge)]
    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
    1959, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol108 p154-5
    1888, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol1 p15-18
    Eyton, R.W., 1887, 'The castles of Shropshire' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol10 p26
    Clark, G.T., 1877, The Builder Vol35 p1047-50 [reprinted in MMA]
• 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] p412-3
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops1]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p53 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl03lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • English Heritage, 1995, Scheduling Papers (Revision, 09/10/1995)
    Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, 1983, Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 10436