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BRONSIL CASTLE

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Little is known about the early history of the site. Sir John Beauchamp is recorded as owning a residence here in the early 15th century and his son, Richard Beauchamp, was granted a licence to empark and crenellate in 1449, which was renewed in 1460. The majority of the surviving remains date from the mid 15th century, though the inner moat and fishponds may be earlier and the post-1460 mansion is thought to incorporate some earlier buildings. The remains represent an impressive residence, though of little defensive capability, with the moated island encircled by a curtain wall rising sheer from the water. The four corners were marked by octagonal towers and there were further towers in the centre of the north, south and east walls. The centre of the western wall was occupied by a gatehouse with octagonal flanking towers. The castle may have been burned during the Civil War and it was certainly ruinous by the early 18th century. The site was landscaped in the mid 19th century to create a romantic ruin, and a stone bridge was built over the western arm of the moat. The surviving earthworks include traces of an external bank and part of an outer moat. East and south east of the inner moat lie the remains of a series of five linked ponds, probably originally fishponds, and possibly modified to form an ornamental feature in the mid 15th century. The earthen bank between the two moats may have acted as a walkway from which the mansion and its landscaped surroundings could be viewed. Partial clearing of the moat circa 1840 produced numerous finds including weapons, buckles and spoons. Little survives above ground on the moated island. The standing remains of the house comprise a number of masonry fragments, including part of the north tower of the gatehouse and a section of newel stair in the north eastern corner of the site.

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