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WESTENHANGER CASTLE

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The partly ruined Westenhanger Castle is located on what was the site of two medieval manor houses, Westenhanger and Ostenhanger. During the 14th and 15th centuries the houses were owned by the de Criol and Poynings families respectively, and in 1343 John de Criol was granted permission from the Crown to fortify his manor house. The alterations carried out to fortify his house included the construction of curtain walls, seven towers, and the rebuilding of the gatehouse on the western side of the enclosure. In the early 16th century Edward Poynings unified the two manors and in 1540 Westenhangar passed to Henry VIII who offered Thomas Poynings, the owner and Edward's son, land elsewhere in exchange. Henry VIII carried out minimal works to the manor and in 1542 ordered the laying out of a deer park. Just five years later, however, he granted Westenhanger to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick. The manor was again recovered by the Crown in 1566, but in 1585 Elizabeth I transferred the house and estate to Thomas Smith, a farmer. In 1701 the property was sold and most of the buildings were subsequently taken down. The present house on the site was constructed in the 18th century from the remains of a 16th century cross-wing of the main hall.

The site as it exists today consists of the manor house set within a ruined, walled enclosure with the remains of the 14th century towers, surrounded by a partly filled moat. The house is two storeys high with an attic and is constructed from red brick. It is an L-plan with a bastion to the north east corner. The entrance elevation has seven windows with a late 20th century porch. Conservation work began on the castle in 1997 and is open to the public at certain times of the year.

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[TR 12333716] Westenhanger [NR]
[TR 12373718] Fair Rosamond's Tower (Remains of) [NR]
Moat [NR] (1)

House, Grade I, Westenhanger Manor. Built within the ruins of a 14th century fortified mansion, rebuilt in the time of Henry VIII. Barn, Grade I, Westenhanger Manor. Large L-shaped 16th century building to the north west of the house.
The site consists of the manor house set within a ruined, walled enclosure with the remains of the 14th century towers, and surrounded by a partly filled moat. The house is two storeys high with an attic and is constructed from red brick. There is a bastion to the north east corner. The entrance elevation has seven windows with a late 20th century porch. (For full descriptions see list). (2)

A domestic chapel at Westenhanger, built in 1520, must have contributed largely to the gradual disuse of the parish church. One of the towers at Westenhanger is wrongly associated with and named after the Fair Rosamund. (3)

The uninhabited parts and outbuildings of Westenhanger House or Castle are scheduled as an ancient monument. (4)

At Westenhanger, Henry VIII enclosed the adjoining lands to form a park. (5)

The remains of Westenhanger, a 14th century fortified manor house as described, are in ruinous condition. (See GP's AP/62/295/1, Gateway on S.W., 295/4 "Rosamunds Tower" and east side from S., 295/6 North side from E.N.E).
The moat, which lies a few feet above the flood plain of the River East Stour, is fed by a leat, extensively mutilated by the railway and now partially dry (see 25" survey).

The present owners could offer no information regarding the domestic chapel or its dedication but which could possibly have been to St. John (q.v. TR 13 NW 2). Dr Urry, Archivist, Canterbury Cathedral Chapter Library, could find no documentary evidence regarding the chapel.

At TR 12253722 there is an exceptionally fine 14th century tithe barn which is in excellent condition. (See GP, AO/62/295/2 Barn from SE). Adjoining the barn is a fine range of 14th century out-buildings (see GP, AO/62/295/3: Range from S.) all clearly contemporary with the manor house. For the extent of the park, see 6" illustration. The area is arable and pasture. Published survey (25" 19) revised. (6)

No change. (These are comments made by the field investigator on 01-DEC-1969) (7)

Stanford: Westenhanger. A fortified manor house, mainly dated from 14th century with remains of a once broad and deep moat fed by a stream which rises on the hill above Stanford church. (8)

[TR 122737] Westenhanger is listed in the county check list of moated sites in Kent - December 1979. (9)

Castle or fortified house (now partly ruinous), Westenhanger Manor, Grade I, Stone Street (West side). 14th century, early and late 16th century, and late 18th century or early 19th century. Two conjoined barns at Westenhanger Manor, Grade I, Stone Street (Westside). 16th century in two periods. (For full description see list). (10)

[TR 122373] Westenhanger. Stanford included in a list of known moated sited in Kent - December 1977. (11)

Westenhanger. A fragment of a large fortified house of the 14th century. Now becoming ruinous, a large chunk of wall on the north side has recently fallen. The surviving remains appear to be circa 1385. In extent Westenhanger is exceptional - the courtyard was 130ft. across. Nothing is left of this courtyard, but a 17th century plan shows ranges round all four sides against the outer walls. The present seven-bay red brick farmhouse built in the 18th century is attached to the east wall. (12,13)

In 1540, Westenhanger, owned by Sir Thomas Poynings, was given up to Henry VIII. Hasted (18) says that the king intended it to be a royal residence, and that he spent money completing the house and extending the park. The park was in fact extended but very little construction work took place except the building of a new drawbridge over the moat and in 1547 Henry VIII granted it to John Dudley, Earl of Warwick. The house had a number of owners, until it was recovered by the crown in 1566. In 1585 Elizabeth I transferred the house and estate to Thomas Smith, a farmer. The existing remains are chiefly medieval, but a fireplace and the remains of a kitchen date from the 16th century. (14)

A fine castle built in 1343 on the normal "seven towers and a
gatehouse plan" by John de Kiriel. (15)

[TR 123372] Westenhanger. Quadrangular castle with round and sqare towers. Licenced 1343. (16)

In 1570, at the time of Lampard's visit, the main buildings were a moated castle and drawbridge. Hasted (18) says that the house was moated, with a drawbridge, gatehouse and portal, the arch of which sprang from six polygonal pillars, with a portcullis to it. The walls were also very high, thick and embattled, and fortified by the towers. (17-18)

These are antiquarian references that contain further information. (19-24)

Conservation work began on the castle in 1997 and is open to the public at certain times of the year. This website contains more detailed information on the conservation work undertaken since 1997 as well as visitor information. Go to: http://www.westenhangercastle.co.uk/index.html (25)

Westenhanger Castle is located on what was the site of two medieval manor houses, Westenhanger and Ostenhanger. During the 14th and 15th centuries the houses were owned by the de Criol and Poynings families respectively, and in 1343 John de Criol was granted licence to crenellate, meaning he could fortify his manor house. Such building works included the construction of curtain walls, seven towers, and the rebuilding of the gatehouse on the western side of the enclosure. In the early 16th century Edward Poynings unified the two manors.

The walled garden and pond lie within the area of the castle's outer court, which was also established in the 16th century. To the north of the garden stood the medieval parish church, referred to in documentary sources, which went out of use in 1542 as the outer court was being laid out. The church building may have remained standing as late as the 18th century. Buried remains of the church and its associated cemetery, within which human remains have been identified, were overlain in the 20th century by timber stabling. A deer park is said to have been laid out in 1542.

The principal buildings of the outer court still survive as complete standing structures. At the north western end of the outer court are a stable range and barn dated to the early and late 16th century respectively. (26)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1938-9

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

MHLG Prov List Elham RD Sept 1960 46 No 17/5b

( 3) Kent Archaeological Society Archaeologia Cantiana : being contributions to the history and archaeology of Kent

31, 1915 Page(s)76, 82-3

( 4) Ancient Monuments Boards for England, Scotland and Wales annual reports

1958 Page(s)46

( 5) Transactions of the Royal Historical Society

Trans RHS NS 18 1904 125-6 (AD Cheney) 18 Page(s)125-6

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ASP 12-DEC-62

( 7) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ASP 01-DEC-69

( 8) edited by William Page 1908 The Victoria history of the county of Kent, volume one

The Victoria history of the counties of England Page(s)433

( 9) Moated Sites Research Group report

6, 1979 Page(s)47

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

DOE(HHR) Dist of Shepway Kent 15 May 1986 64-66

(11) Kent Archaeological Society Archaeologia Cantiana : being contributions to the history and archaeology of Kent

T Tatton-Brown 93, 1977 Page(s)222

(12) by John Newman 1983 North east and east Kent

The Buildings of England Page(s)491-2

(13) Royal Archaeological Institute The Archaeological Journal

86, 1929 Page(s)313-4

(14) by H M Colvin ... [et al] 1982 The history of the King's Works, volume 4 : 1485-1660 (Part 2)

Page(s)283-5

(15) by Hugh Braun 1936 The English castle

Page(s)104

(16) 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

Castellarium Anglicanum 1 1983 236 (DJ Cathcart King) Page(s)236

(17) Kent Archaeological Society Archaeologia Cantiana : being contributions to the history and archaeology of Kent

JF Wadmore 17, 1887 Page(s)193-208

(18) Edward Hasted 1778 The history and topographical survey of the county of Kent: containing the antient and present state of it, civil and ecclesiastical; collected from public records, and other best authorities, both manuscript and printed

Volume 3 Page(s)232-7

(19) General reference

Castles of England 1 1897 (JD Mackenzie) Page(s)57

(20) General reference

Antiquaries of England and Wales 3 1787 82-87 2 1774 125-127 (F Grose)

(21) General reference

A Saunter through Kent with pen and pencil, Volume 23 (C Igglesden)

(22) Home Counties magazine

1910 12 Page(s)169-173

(23) T Hudson Turner 1859 Some account of domestic architecture in England, from Richard II to Henry VIII. Part II

Page(s)308

(24) General reference

Some Kentish Castles (PH Ditchfield G Clinch) 1907 (SKC Sands) Page(s)51-53

(25) World Wide Web page

G Forge. 2009. Westenhangar Castle, http://www.westenhangercastle.co.uk [accessed 18-MAY-2009]

(26) Scheduled Monument Notification

02-FEB-2002

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Site of St Mary's Ch, former ch of defunct parish of Westenhanger

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