Knockin Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cnockin; Cnukin; Knockyn; Knoking

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

Motte and bailey castle, situated immediately east of St. Mary's Church. The castle was founded by Guy le Strange between 1154 and 1160, and remained the principal holding of the family for most of the Middle Ages. It was described as 'ruinous' in 1540. The steep-sided, rectangular motte measures approximately 60m by 70m at its base, 46m by 54m across the top, and stands up to 4m high. Quarrying has affected the southern half of the motte and a modern mound has been added to the top. The ditch surrounding the motte has been largely infilled. The bailey is L-shaped and around 0.6 hectares in area. It lies east and north of the motte and is defined by a series of scarps between 0.4m and 1.2 m high. The northern side of the bailey is bounded by a ditch between 11m and 14m wide, and by an outer bank approximately 8m wide and 0.4m high. The remains of a 5m wide, stone-built causeway lie on the eastern side of the motte. SMR record writes 'A further bailey may have enclosed the church, and the borough may also have been surrounded by an earthwork. An earthwork beyond the motte guarded the manorial mill.'

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ33452232

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 66743
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 01121 '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.ecastles.co.uk/knockin.html
• Books
  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p93-5
    Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p48
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p476
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p219 [slight]
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p31
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p426
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p250
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p220
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p134
    Le Strange, 1916, Le Strange Records (London) p64-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall [after Downham], 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Shropshire Vol1 p396
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol2 p137 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland02mack#page/137/mode/1up
• 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
    Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol56 p3
    1914, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol4 p151-60
    1891, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol3 p238
    Eyton, R.W., 1887, 'The castles of Shropshire' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol10 p20-1
• 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] p415
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops14]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p397
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p14 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, 1983, Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 13705