Codnor Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Codenor; Cotenoure; Courtenoure

In the civil parish of Aldercar And Langley Mill. In the historic county of Derbyshire (Modern Authority of Derbyshire, 1974 county of Derbyshire).

Some remains of C13 stone castle built on earlier motte. Listed as a fortified manor, C13/C14 with later additions, now ruinous. The moat has been mostly destroyed by ironstone workings. Ashlar and coursed squared sandstone. Eighteen foot high remains of former rectangular three storey tower to north with connecting wall to later outer court to south. Tower has remains of large external stack to north wall and small square openings to west wall. Outer court has walls on three sides with central ashlar polygonal tower with cross slit windows on two sides and small cusped ogee window to left side. West wall has a four-centred arched fireplace to centre with quoined doorcase to left side. Other wall without openings. Built by the Grey family of Codnor and taken over by the Zouch family in 1496. (PastScape)
Evaluation excavation, in 2007 by Time Team, showed raised interior of inner court is not mining infill as occasional thought and some slight finds of late C11 or C12 found just below modern surface suggests this interior may be a later modified motte. A C13 gatehouse with drawbridge pit was uncovered as was the 6.5m ditch between the upper and lower court. The C13 gatehouse was replaced in the early C14 with a twin drum towered gatehouse, which is still visible. The castle was surrounded by a ditch but later garden earthworks (and not Ironstone workings as reported in PastScape) confuse the sites interpretation. A gold Noble of Henry V was found in the ditch by the gatehouse.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK43364998

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

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 315722
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://www.codnorcastle.com/
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/129/codnorcastle.htm
    http://www.jacksdale.org.uk/pages/JDHeritage/Castle.htm
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codnor_Castle
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/codnor.html
    http://www.heanorhistory.org.uk/codnor.htm
    http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/T/timeteam/2008/codnor_castle/index.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p18
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p368
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p49
    Smith, Michael E., 1992, Castles and Manor Houses in and around Derbyshire (Derby)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p109
    Pevsner, Nikolaus revised by Elizabeth Williamson, 1978, Buildings of England: Derbyshire (Harmondsworth) p154
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Cox, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Derbyshire Vol1 p380-1
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 464-6
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p220
    Lysons, D. and S., 1817, Magna Britannia Vol5 Derbyshire p. ccxxxvi [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=405]
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p56
• Journal Articles
  • (TimeTeam), 2008/9 'Time Team at Codnor Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol22 p152-4 [synopsis of TV programme]
    Anon, 2007, 'Codnor Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol20 p147 [preservation society news report]
    Stevenson, W., 1920, 'The south court of Codnor Castle' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol42 p46-59
    Corfield, F.C., 1893, 'Archaeological gleanings in the neighbourhood of Codnor Castle' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol15 plate vi
    Kerry, C., 1892 'Codnor Castle, and its ancient owners' Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Vol14 p16-33
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p166
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/lincseng.html#derb6]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p101
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p31 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Time Team (Mike Aston et al), 2008, Jan 6 (1st broadcast), 'Gold in the moat' Time Team TV Programme (Time Team, a Videotext/Picture House production for Channel 4)