Summary
Codnor Castle comprises a motte and bailey castle remodelled in stone sat on the eastern perimeter of an upper court, with a lower court to the south. The east and south walls and parts of the residential block are upstanding, as are the east and west walls of the lower court. The castle is surrounded by a moat and a number of medieval garden features.
Reasons for Designation
Codnor Castle is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
Period:
* As a surviving example of a C13 castle with evidence of C14 and C15 rebuilding;
* For its C13 orchard and vineyard remains and C16 ornamental garden features.
Rarity:
* As a rare survival of a castle together with its extramural gardens.
Survival:
* For its upstanding masonry, detailing the development of the castle, and earthworks, illustrating the extent and design of the gardens.
Potential:
* For the archaeological potential of the two courts and surrounding earthworks, highlighted in previous archaeological investigations.
Group value:
* Codnor Castle has group value with the Grade II-listed Castle Farmhouse (NHLE entry 1335403) and the Grade II-listed Farm Building to South of Castle Farmhouse (NHLE entry 1109026).
History
Medieval castles were the residences of seigneurial families and their households and incorporated physical features expressive of the idea of defence (although some were more designed for display than for fighting). Most involved an element of architectural display and were often sited for dramatic as well as strategic effect. While modern castle studies have typically assessed the worth of a castle according to the strength of its defences, medieval commentators do not seem to have discriminated between castles that were ‘strong’ and those which were ‘beautiful’, emphasising the dual function of most as a stronghold and lordly residence.
The earliest castles built immediately following the Norman Conquest were built around the motte-and-bailey pattern, in which the castle was divided into a raised artificial mound (the motte), usually topped by a tower, and an enclosed flat area (the bailey) containing domestic buildings, stables and so forth. Stone towers, known as donjons, were added to some from the late C11 onwards, principally as a demonstration of authority. Stone curtain walls became common in the C12, sometimes incorporating the donjon (a form known as a shell keep), and the civil wars of the C13 saw an increase in the complexity of castle defences, with the addition of gatehouses incorporating semi-circular towers and the increased use of water-filled moats.
From the C12 onward, castles were laid out with parklands, gardens and meres whose functions were as much aesthetic and recreational as they were defensive or economic.
The castle at Codnor began as a series of earthworks, possibly indicating a pre-Conquest manorial centre or early motte and bailey castle. The land, along with its dependencies, had been granted to William Peverell by King William I as part of the Honour of Peverel. In 1154, the estates were gifted to Ranulf, Earl of Chester following the civil wars of the Anarchy. Ranulf died before he could take possession, and the Honour of Peverel reverted to the Crown.
The Codnor estate was passed to Henry de Grey before 1208, who commenced the construction of the castle. The Grey family became Lords Grey of Codnor in 1299 and continued to live in the castle until 1496 when the male line of the family died out. The estate passed to the Zouche family, who retained the castle and estate until 1634 when Codnor was sold to the Archbishop of York, Richard Neile. The estate was sold to Sir Streynsham Master in 1692 and then leased to Benjamin Outram and Company (later the Butterley Company) in 1800. The estate was purchased by the Butterley Company in 1862. The site was sold in 1968 and has had a number of owners since, including the National Coal Board and UK Coal.
The first stone castle at Codnor comprised a roughly rectangular court enclosed by a curtain wall (now known as the Upper Court), constructed around 1200, with a series of orchards or vineyards laid out to the west. The walls were substantially rebuilt in the 1330s, possibly in advance of a visit from King Edward III. Round towers flanking the gate were inserted as part of these works. The south arm of the moat was revetted in stone at the same time. The residential block was built between 1290 and 1400 and may have been included as part of the 1330s renovations.
Construction of the residential block partially slighted the moat, and the north arm was partially infilled. There are a number of undated garden features in the former moat that may date from this period.
The Lower Court was laid out to the south of the Upper Court. The date of Lower Court is unknown, but the masonry of the west wall suggests it is contemporaneous with the mid-C14 reworking of the castle. The construction of the east wall suggests that either it was built in two phases or it was modified or expanded in the late C15 or early C16. It is likely that the residential block was extended to the north at the same time, as part of a programme of repairs and modification. The works included additions to the gardens, including a terrace and ornamental mound to the east of the castle and the construction of the north end of Castle Farmhouse, in the south-east corner of the Lower Court.
The works appear to have been left unfinished, possibly due to a lack of funds. Parts of the castle fell out of use and by the time the castle was sold in the C17, it was described as ruinous and was being used as a source of stone for other properties. A substantial dovecote associated with the castle and of similar construction to surviving medieval fabric was demolished in 1969.
The site has been the subject of a number of archaeological surveys, but little excavation work has taken place. A metric and photographic survey of the ruins and earthworks was undertaken by Trent and Peak Archaeological Unit in 1986. A geophysical survey was undertaken by Dearne Valley Archaeological Services in 2007. An episode of Time Team was filmed at the castle in 2007. As part of the programme, ground-penetrating radar, earth resistance and magnetometer surveys were conducted, followed by earthwork surveys and targeted trial trenching. The works recorded elements of the defences including internal buildings, a mural tower, an earlier gatehouse and details of the south arm of the moat. An earthworks survey of the castle and its associated gardens was conducted by English Heritage (now Historic England) in 2008.
Details
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS:
Codnor Castle comprises a motte and bailey castle remodelled in stone sat on the eastern perimeter of an upper court, with a lower court to the south. The east and south walls and parts of the residential block are upstanding, as are the east and west walls of the lower court. The castle is surrounded by a moat and a number of medieval garden features.
DESCRIPTION:
The upstanding remains of the residential block are built in coursed ashlar and squared sandstone, and comprise the north, west and east walls of a building measuring approximately 12m by 20m. A large fireplace in brick on the north face of the north wall indicates that the building extended further to the north, possibly by another six or seven metres. The building survives to a height of seven metres.
The Upper Court is rectangular and measures approximately 30m by 50m. A 26m length of the east wall survives, extending south from the residential block and incorporates a garderobe shaft emptying into the moat. The south wall extends approximately 32m and separates the Upper and Lower Courts. The gatehouse is marked by two semi-circular towers. West of the gatehouse is a small C14 window in ashlar. The west and north walls do not survive, but excavations in 2007 revealed the foundations of a mural tower in the west wall.
The Lower Court lies to the south of the Upper Court. The ground level is approximately two metres lower than the Upper Court. The Lower Court measures approximately 40m by 40m, although its true length from north to south is impossible to measure, as the south wall does not survive. The court is trapezoidal in shape, widening to the south. The west wall is of sandstone and contains the remains of two mural chambers. The east wall is more fragmentary and is battlemented, with crenels infilled with brick. The south-east corner of the Lower Court has been terraced in front of Castle Farmhouse.
The castle is surrounded by the earthwork remains of formal gardens. To the west lie a series of rectangular enclosed areas, each measuring approximately 20m by 40m, partially terraced into the slope. These have been interpreted as the remains of C13 orchards or vineyards, bounded by a north-south oriented boundary. To the north of the castle are the remains of an ornamental pond, further enclosures, each measuring 20m by 90m and the remains of post-medieval mining activity in form of a number of circular depressions caused by test pits. The features to the north are enclosed by an east-west oriented boundary ditch. To the east lies a broad terrace running south down the east edge of the former moat, terminating in a mound or viewing platform.
To the south of the Lower Court lie the foundations of a substantial dovecote.
EXTENT OF SCHEDULING:
The scheduling covers the remains of the castle, the lower court, garden features to the west, north and east, with the dovecot to the south.
EXCLUSIONS:
Modern fencing and signage are excluded from the schedule, although the ground beneath is included.
