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Stogursey Castle

Curtain walls of Stogursey Castle

Although not recorded until 1204 Stogursey Castle was presumably built before 1166 when William de Curci III, lord of Stogursey held a barony of 27 knights' fees. His son died childless in 1194 when the castle passed to his daughter Alice who married Warin FitzGerold. Warin forfeited his estate in 1216 and the king ordered the destruction of the castle. That order was not carried out and Alice's son-in-law Fawkes de Breauté held the castle against the Crown. After a siege the constable of the castle was ordered to surrender it to the sheriff and it was granted to another of Alice’s daughters Joan who married Hugh de Neville. In 1233 Hugh was ordered to fortify the castle! Hugh’s grandson and namesake also rebelled against the Crown but was pardoned and surrendered the castle voluntarily in 1266. Crown grantees held it until 1308 when it was granted to Robert FitzPayn III in whose family it remained passing by marriage to the Poynings and the Percys, earls of Northumberland until it was again given to the Crown in 1537. It was returned to the earls of Northumberland until 1670. Thereafter it passed through many local owners and in 1981 was bought by the Landmark Trust

The remains are surprisingly substantial but its situation is unusual in that it sits on low ground south of the village and borough. It probably relied on water for its defence. The central motte had a curtain wall with towers and the two or three baileys are surrounded by banks and watercourses. Excavations indicate that the castle may have been built on a late 11th-century manorial site as William de Falaise had a house at Stogursey c.1100. In the 15th century and probably earlier the castle functioned as an administrative centre and was provided with a new tower, audit room, wardrobe, prison and domestic rooms including a nursery.
 

Content derived from research undertaken as part of the Victoria County History project

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Period: 
Medieval (AD410-1485)
Period: 
Early Modern (1485-1750)
Period: 
Medieval (AD410-1485)