Risinghoe Castle

In the civil parish of Bedford. In the historic county of Bedfordshire (Modern Authority of Bedfordshire, 1974 county of Bedfordshire).

Motte, mentioned as old in 1180-1200. Nothing found in excavation done in 1943.
There is only documentary evidence for a bailey but the motte is about 20ft high and looks much like a barrow. (PastScape)
The site consists of a roughly circular mound approx 6m high and 30m across. The top is flattened and the sides fairlysteep, but there is no sign of a moat or any other ancillary earthworks. An entry dating from 1180-1200 in the Cartulary of Warden Abbey mentions the old castle beside Risinghoe Mill, indicating that the structure was already old by this date; it is likely to have been one of a number of "adulterine" castles known to have been built by King Stephen during his siege of Bedford in 1138. As such it would have been a short-lived timber structure. (Beds HER)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL09035090

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 360546
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 335 '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.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/153/goldingtoncastle.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p15
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p4 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p5
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p93
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1968, Bedfordshire and the County of Huntingdon and Peterborough p93
    Wadmore, Beauchamp, 1920, The Earthworks of Bedfordshire (Bedford) (Bedford) p241-3 [rejects as castle]
    Page, Wm (ed), 1912, 'Parishes: Goldington', VCH Bedford Vol3 p202-9 [mainly manorial history http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42415]
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Goddard, A.R., 1904, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Doubleday, H.Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Bedford Vol1 p285, 196-7
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol1 p141 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/141/mode/1up
    Lysons, D. and S., 1806, Magna Britannia Vol1 p89
• Journal Articles
  • Baker, D., 1982, 'Mottes, Moats and ringworks in Bedfordshire: Beauchamp Wadmore revisited' Château Gaillard Vol9-10 p35-54 [plan]
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' The Archaeological Journal Vol46 p197-217 esp199 http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo46brit#page/197/mode/1up
    Monkhouse, 1854, Assoc. Archit. Socies. Vol3 p175-82
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p21, 23, 24
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p101 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01lelauoft ; Vol4 p22 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl04lelauoft