Ludlow Castle

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

Ludlow Castle, situated on its rocky promontory over the river Teme, is one of the great Welsh border castles, and its extensive remains span the entire medieval period. It was begun about 1085 by Roger de Lacy, but the round Norman chapel, one of the earliest chapels in the county, was built in the 1130s by a rival claimant, Sir Joyce de Dinan, who temporarily ousted the Lacy's from their home. The outer defences, including the outer bailey and gatehouse, were constructed about 1180, the round towers added a century later, and most of the other buildings within the enclosure - the great hall, great chamber and service rooms - were built in C14 and embellished in the Tudor period. After the Lacy line died out in 1240 the castle was held by Roger Mortimer and five generations of his descendants, becoming royal property in 1461 when one of the line was crowned as Edward IV.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 389694; 389695)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO50867459

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 111057
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 01176; 06177; 06114; 06116; 06178 '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/ludlow.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/138/ludlowcastle.htm
    http://www.stmem.com/ludlowcastle/
    http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/Ludlow.html
    http://www.norman-world.com/angleterre/Patrimoine_architectural/Angleterre/Castles/ludlow/Ludlow.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/ludlow.html
    http://www.teme-valley.co.uk/ludlow%20castle.htm
• Books
  • Shoesmith, R. and Johnson, A. (eds), 2006 rev edn, Ludlow Castle: Its History and Buildings (Almeley: Logaston Press)
    Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p101-8
    Moran, Madge, 2003, Vernacular Buildings of Shropshire (Logaston Press) p4, 135-7, 173, 175-6
    Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p52-8
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p559
    Shoesmith, R. and Johnson, A. (eds), 2000, Ludlow Castle: Its History and Buildings (Almeley: Logaston Smith)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p212-4 [plan]
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p58, 133, 337
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p33-5
    Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p129
    Renn, D.F., 1987, ''Chastel de Dynan': the first phases of Ludlow' in Kenyon, J.R. and R Avent (eds), Castles in Wales and the Marches: essays in honour of D J Cathcart King (Cardiff: University of Wales Press) p55–73
    Lloyd, D.J. and Klein, P., 1984, Ludlow, A Historic Town in Words and Pictures (Phillimore) p12, 52-3, 60, 70
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p426
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p257-8
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) (London) p277-83
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p732 [slight]
    Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: Shropshire (London, Penguin) p181-3
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p76-8, 143, 145, 203
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p134-141
    Thompson, A. Hamilton, 1912, Military architecture in England during the Middle Ages (OUP) p94-6
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p204-22
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p137-43
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p273-90
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p547-52
    Stackhouse-Acton, Frances, 1868, The Castles and Old Mansions of Shropshire (Shrewsbury) p10-11
    Anon, 1854, History and Descriptive Sketch of Ludlow Castle (Ludlow)
    Wright, T., 1852, History of Ludlow p440-54
    Clive, 1841, Documents connected with a History of Ludlow (London) [only on collateral matters]
    Britton, John, 1835, The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain (London) Vol4 p103-13
    Proctor and Jones, 1822, The History and Antiquities of the Town of Ludlow and its Ancient Castle
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p250
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p11-15
• Journal Articles
  • Halliwell, P., 2000, 'Ludlow Castle: outer bailey moat' Herefordshire Archaeological News Vol71 p29
    1991, Medieval Archaeology Vol35 p183-4 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Cumow, P.E., 1981, ‘Ludlow Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p12, 14
    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
    1960, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol23 p5-6
    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
    Faulkner, P.A., 1958, 'Domestic Planning from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Centuries' Archaeological Journal Vol115 p150-83
    Radford, C.A.R., 1956, 'Ludlow Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol113 p197-8
    Brakspear, 1928, Archaeological Journal Vol85 p235-7
    Weyman, 1916, 'Ludlow Castle and Church' Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists Club p126-36 [unimportant]
    1915, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol5 p119-23
    Hope, W.H.St John, 1908, 'The Castle of Ludlow' Archaeologia Vol61 p257-328
    Clark, G.T., 1883, 'Ludlow Castle' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol6 p271-98 [reprint of 1877 Arch. Camb. article]
    Babington, C.C., 1882, 'On the circular chapel in Ludlow Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol37 p126-8
    Sandford, G., 1878, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol1 p217-54
    Clark, G.T., 1877, 'Ludlow Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol32 p165-92 [reprinted in MMA]
• Guidebooks
  • Anon, 1987, Ludlow Castle: a guide (Rhostryfan: Historic Tours (Wales))
    Hampton, C., 1977, Ludlow Castle: a guided tour (Leominster: Orphans Press)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Giraldus Cambrensis, c.1188, Journey Through Wales [http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Primary/Gerald2.htm]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p415-6
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops4]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p386, 393, 396
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p50 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl03lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, 1988, Scheduled Monument Report on SAM 33774 (22/03/1988)