Stafford Castle, Castlechurch

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Barons Castle, Monetvile

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

Early large motte and bailey (But not the castle built by William I) which has been extensively excavated. The castle does not lie in the manor of Stafford but on the edge of the adjoining manor of Bradley and had a small village grow up by it, now called Castlechurch. Was a powerful timber castle in C12. In mid C14 a tower house was built on the motte. This was destroyed during Civil War and the foundations were reused in C19 as base for a Gothick house. Excavation found masonry beneath the 1348 remains on the motte and it has been suggested this was an earlier round tower, possible a tower 'en bec'.
License to crenellate granted in 1348 to Ralph, first earl of Stafford, specifically giving permission to make his 'manse' of Stafford a castle. The building accounts suggest work had started well before the licence and recent excavations suggest a masonry tower already existed on the powerful earthworks.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 442878)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ90252225

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 77473; 1084378
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00058 '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.aboutbritain.com/StaffordCastle.htm
    http://www.nathanael.com/stafford.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/127/staffordcastle.htm
    http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/live/cme50.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/stafford.html
• Books
  • Soden, I. (ed), 2007, Stafford Castle: Survey, Excavation and Research 1978-98. Vol2: The Excavations (Stafford: Stafford Borough Council)
    Darlington, John, 2001, Stafford Castle: Survey, Excavation and Research 1978-1998. Vol1: The Surveys (Stafford: Stafford Borough Council)
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p432-5
    Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p42-7
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p229
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p67-71
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p289-93
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32 [where assumed to be King's castle]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p451 [history mixed with King's castle]
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p302
    Pevsner, N., 1974, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire (London, Penguin) p249-50
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Midgley, L.M. and Donaldson, B., 1959, in Midgley, L.M. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol5 p84-88 - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=53401
    Salzman, 1952, Building in England (Oxford) p438-9 [the building contract of 1348]
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p211-6 [Believed this to be same as Stafford King's castle]
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Lynam, C., 1908, in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol1 p355 [plan]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p399-401
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p530
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p235, 415
• Journal Articles
  • Hislop, M.J.B., 1993, 'Master John of Burcestre and the Castles of Stafford and Maxstoke' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol33 p14-20
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986' Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p159 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Klemperer, W.D., 1986, ‘Stafford Castle 1986' West Midlands Archaeology Vol29 p38-9
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1985, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1984' Medieval Archaeology Vol29 p198-9 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Klemperer, W.D., 1985, ‘Stafford Castle 1985' West Midlands Archaeology Vol28 p15-17
    Hill, C., 1984, ‘Stafford Castle — the development of an amenity' West Midlands Archaeology Vol27 p122-3
    Moffett, C., 1983, ‘Stafford Castle, Staffordshire' West Midlands Archaeology Vol26 p117, 119
    Hill, C.,
    1981-2, ‘Stafford Castle' CBA Newsletter and Calendar, 5 p149
    Hill, C.,
    1980-1, 'Stafford, Staffordshire' CBA Newsletter and Calendar, 4 p129
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1980, ‘Medieval Britain in 1979' Medieval Archaeology Vol24 p202 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Hill, C.,
    1980, ‘Stafford Castle, Staffordshire: excavation and survey at castle and DMV' West Midlands Archaeology Vol23 p113
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1978, ‘Medieval Britain in 1977' Medieval Archaeology Vol22 p262 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Barker, P.A., 1978, ‘Stafford Castle' West Midlands Archaeological News Sheet Vol21 p93-4
    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
    de Mazzinghi, 1887, 'Castle Church' William Salt Archaeological Society Vol8 pt2 p71-84
• 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 (1348-50) p13
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p434
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/warkseng.html#staf7]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p443
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Jecock, M. and Corbett, G., 1997, Stafford Castle, Staffordshire, NMR Number SJ92SW2 (National Monuments Record Centre)