BLETSOE CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Late 16th century country house, reduced from three to two storeys in the 19th century and subsequently modernised. Built of coursed limestone rubble with an old clay tile hipped roof. The house stands on the site of a 14th century fortified house or castle. The earthwork remains associated with the medieval site survive.

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TL 025584 Bletsoe Castle (NR) (1)

Bletsoe Castle earthworks (see plan). The fine ditch which
originally enclosed the central hold is about 15ft deep. The
rectangular enclosure to the north east is small and slight, but
the enclosure to the south east has banks which in places stand 5-6ft above the interior level, with the ditch to the south west
widened and full of water. Much of the outer enclosing lines of bank and ditch may still be traced in surrounding fields and there are remains of two fishponds. (2)

In 1327 John de Pateshull obtained a licence to embattle his
mansion at Bletsoe; traces of this building, said to be the
birthplace of the mother of Henry VII, being plainly visible in
1813 near the present house (3). This later building, graded 2* and now a farmhouse, was originally one side of a larger house of late 16th century or early 17th century date (4). (3-4)

Bletsoe Castle (name verified) is a 16th/17th century house,
much modernised and not outstanding. See photograph). No traces of the earlier fortified house remains. The house stands within the remains of a strong irregular moat which is located on the south west rim of a stream valley. The moat has a diameter of 130.0m, average width 18.0m, and is 2.4m deep. The north east and north west arms are waterfilled and have an outer bank 1-6m high, but the south side is destroyed by later farm buildings, and the south west arm has been mutilated by garden landscaping.

The bridge across the south west arm appears to be contemporary with the house (see photograph).

The square enclosure to the south east, centred TL 02605830, was formerly bounded on three sides by a double bank and medial ditch, but only the inner bank survives standing to a height of 1.0m, the ditch and outer bank having been destroyed leaving only amorphous swellings. Probably an enclosed garden of about 16th century date though identification is uncertain.

In the fields to the north east of the moat were a series of banks
and ditches, some now gone, of minor enclosures, probably contemporary with 16th century house. The associated ponds are later and cannot be classified as fishponds.
Re-surveyed at 1:2500. (5)

No change since report of 23.1.74. (6)

Listed by Cathcart King. (7)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1960

( 2) edited by H Arthur Doubleday and William Page 1904 The Victoria History of the county of Bedford, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)301-2

( 3) General reference

Magna Britannia 1813 1 Beds 58-9 (S Lysons)

( 4) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

DOE(HHR) Bedford Jan 1960 3

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 PAS 23-JAN-74

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 GJM 20-APR-77

(7) by David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the islands. Volume I : Anglesey - Montgomery

Page(s)5

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