Cardinham Castle, Cardinham, Cornwall: Analytical Earthwork Survey
Author(s): Elaine Jamieson, T Pearson, Olaf Bayer
In early 2022 a team from Historic England completed the first detailed analytical earthwork survey of Cardinham Castle in Cornwall, 5.5km north-east of the town of Bodmin. The castle is situated on a natural eminence overlooking a steep-sided valley to the north beyond which is the small village of Cardinham and the parish church of St Meubred. The castle comprises a sub-circular enclosure classed as a ringwork with a bailey to its south and was probably abandoned as a residence around 1270 when the Cardinham estate was broken up. The castle remains are entirely formed by earthworks though the outline of masonry buildings and an encircling wall are evident within the ringwork. Earlier accounts generally dismiss the earthworks occupying the ringwork as the result of quarrying and stone robbing but the survey has demonstrated that they are the remains of five buildings and a probable gatehouse. The more detailed understanding of the layout and form of the ringwork and bailey that has emerged from the survey enables informed comparisons to be made between Cardinham and other castles in Cornwall.
- Report Number:
- 30/2025
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 41
- Keywords:
- Medieval Survey Castle Earthwork
