Tong Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Tonge; Tongue

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

Castle, given a licence to crenellate in the 1381 issued to Fulk Pembrugge (Fulk de Pembridge), it was replaced c.1515 by a manor house. This was demolished c.1765 and replaced by a large house, this in turn has been demolished in 1954. The site has been excavated and five phases of occupation discovered from C12. A C12 cornmill was located. The area is now occupied by rubble and trees and a motorway built over part of site but slight fragmentary parts remain.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ79160693

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 73676
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 01359; 02912 '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.

• Books
  • Jeffery, Robert, 2007, Discovering Tong: its history, myths and curiosities (Shifnal: Robert Jeffery)
    Stamper, P., 2007, ' 'Of naked Venuses and drucken bacchanals': Tong Castle, Shropshire, and its landscape' in M. Costen (ed), People and places: essays in honour of Mike Aston (Oxford: Oxbow Books) p181-94
    Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p163-5
    Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern) p80
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p583
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p78-9
    Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p59-60
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p431
    Robinson, D.H., 1980, The Wandering Worfe, Waine Research Publications p56-9
    Reid, P., 1980, Burkes and Savills Guide to Country Houses Vol2 p117
    Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: Shropshire (London, Penguin) p304
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p158
    Griffith, G., 1894, History of Tong and Boscobel p89 - 92, 154-61
    Leach, F., 1891, County Seats of Shropshire p113-15
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p366, 419
    Eyton, R.W.,1854-1860, Antiquities of Shropshire p211
    Nightingale, J., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales Vol13 p306-7
• Journal Articles
  • Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p321
    Wharton, A., 1983, ‘Tong Castle' Shropshire News Sheet Vol18 p3-4
    Wharton, A., 1982, ‘Tong Castle' Shropshire News Sheet Vol15 p11-12
    Wharton, A., 1981, ‘Tong, Shropshire: survey and salvage recorded on line of M54 construction' West Midlands Archaeology Vol24 p115-17
    Wharton, A., 1981, ‘Tong Castle' Shropshire News Sheet Vol14 p15-16
    Wharton, A., 1980, ‘Excavation and survey' West Midlands Archaeology Vol23 p122-3
    Wharton, A., 1979, 'Tong Castle excavation - 1978 to 1979, West Midlands Archaeological Vol22 p66-75
    Wharton, A., 1979, 'Tong Castle excavation - 1978-1979: interim report' Shropshire News Sheet Vol10 p7-8
    Wharton, A., 1978, 'Tong Castle excavation 1977/78' West Midlands Archaeological Vol21 p84-9
    Wharton, A., 1976 'Tong Castle excavation' West Midlands Archaeological Vol19 p55-9
    Wharton, A., 1977, 'Tong Castle excavation interim report 1976/77' West Midlands Archaeological Vol20 p73-8
    Wharton, A., 1976, 'Tong Castle excavation' West Midlands Archaeological Vol19 p55-9
    Hussey, C., 1946, Country Life Vol100 p578-80
    1929-30, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol45 p50
    1912, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol2 p21
    Rev. Prebendary Auden, 1906, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol61 p183
    Anon, 1897-98, Bye Gones p407
    Tucker, G.I., 1861, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol17 p140-7
    1763, Gentlemans Magazine p162
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1381-85) p31
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/shropseng.html#shrops9]
    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 p16 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft