Rodbaston Old Hall

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Rembaudeston; Cannock Chase; Cannock Forest; Mott Place; Roundabout; Grimbaudeston

In the civil parish of Penkridge. In the historic county of Staffordshire (Modern Authority of Staffordshire, 1974 county of Staffordshire).

Medieval moat (originally double but outer moat now infilled) and fishponds (probably two) of crenellated house built in 1330's, surviving as earthworks. Possible site of a fortified manor of hereditary forester of Cannock mentioned in 1154 and 1215. This is sometimes identified with the royal 'castle' of Cannock but nothing in the tenurial history would support this suggestion and the royal castle, a hunting lodge, was probably Castle Ring (qv)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ92131238

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 77207
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00107 '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
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p40
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p65
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p452
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Greenslade, M.W., 1967, in Greenslade, M.W. and Jenkins, J.G. (eds), VCH Staffordshire Vol2 p338- [for history of Cannock Forest and Foresters]
    Greenslade, M.W. and Midgley, L.M., 1959 in Midgley, L.M. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol5 p120-2 - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=53403
    Lynam, C., 1908, in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol1 p365
• Journal Articles
  • 1983, Moated Sites Research Group report Vol10 p31
    Larkham, P.J., 1982-3, Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol24 p15-46
    Palliser, D.M., 1972, 'Staffordshire Castles: A Provisional List' Staffordshire Archaeology Vol1 p5-8
    Cantor, Leonard, 1966, 'The Medieval Castles of Staffordshire' North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies Vol6 p38-46
    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
    1923, William Salt Archaeological Society Vol47 p29