BEESTON CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Castle built in the 13th century with Civil War additions. Built in 1220 by Ranulf de Blundeville, the Earl of Chester. It was altered during the late 13th-early 14th centuries by Edward I and by the 16th century it was ruined. Partial repairs were undertaken in 1643 and it was partially demolished in 1646 by the Royalists. The gatehouse is mid to late 19th century with 20th century alterations and additions. The building material consists of red sandstone. There is also evidence for Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman activity on the site. Scheduled and listed grade I, the gatehouse is grade II.

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(SJ 53805922) Beeston Castle (NR) (Remains of) (1)

Beeston Castle was built by Ranulf de Blunderville, sixth Earl of Chester, c.1220. It became a royal castle in 1237, and was strengthened by Edward I who had the towers raised and crenellated.

It was a ruin in 1543 (Leland), and again in 1646 (Civil War) (2).

There are two baileys; the inner on the summit of the hill and the outer on the sloping ground to the SE. The inner bailey was strongly defended on the side of the approach by a gatehouse, two wall towers, and a ditch 35ft wide by 30ft deep, cut across the promontory through natural rock. The castle appeared to have no special keep unless the large wall tower to the E of the gatehouse served that purpose (3)

Scheduled (4).

The remains of the castle are being restored. See GP's AO/64/228/8 and AO/64/290/1-2.
Published survey (25") revised. (5)

Detailed architectural account (6)

Civil War history (7)

Beeston Castle is as described in the Guide (2), except that
there are four wall towers defending the inner bailey, two to
either side of the gatehouse.
Recent excavations in the rock-cut ditch have revealed a stone-revetted causeway across the ditch, below the gatehouse, probably upon which the drawbridge abutments were erected. There is a well, cut down through the rock, within the inner bailey. MSD revised. (8)

Excavations of the outer gateway of Beeston Castle uncovered coarse pottery and a saddle quern probably of Iron Age date. Probable Medieval and post Medieval approach roads were identified. Finds stored in the castle museum. (9-10)

Excavations in the Outer Gateway (1978-81), Outer Ward (1980-81) and garage foundation (1982-) produced a broad range of pre-castle occupation evidence spanning the Neolithic, Bronze Age (bronze workers crucible), Iron Age (ramparts and settlement) and Roman (pottery, cobbled surface) periods. (11)

Definitive excavation report. (12)

Excavation archive held by NAR, Southampton. (13)

Walls, gatehouse and towers of inner bailey, built c1220 AD, altered late 13th/early 14th century. Grade I. Section of walling, gatehouse and towers of the outer bailey wall, built c1220 AD, altered late 13th/early 14th century. Grade I. The castle was ruinous by the late 16th century. It was partially repaired in 1643 by Parliamentary troops and taken by the Royalists in the same year, the castle was slighted in 1646. (14)

SJ 5381 5919. Beeston castle; medieval enclosure castle and site of late prehistoric hillfort. Scheduled RSM No 23641. (15)

Additional references. (16-17)

Listed by Cathcart King. (18)

Work on the castle began in 1225 under the Earl of Chester, but following the death of the last Earl in 1237, it was appropriated by the King. however, no serious work was undertaken until 1303-4, when three wooden towers in the inner bailey were heightened and crenelated in stone. Further expenditure was carried out in the mid 14th century, but after that, no further works were undertaken. Although ruinous in the reign of Henry VIII, it was refortified in the Civil War, and demolished in 1646. (19)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1954

( 2) General reference

Beeston Castle, Cheshire Anc Mon Leaflet 1962 (MOW)

( 3) by Sidney Toy 1953 The castles of Great Britain

Page(s)116

( 4) General reference

List Ancient Monuments of England and Wales 1961 (MOW) Page(s)22

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 TPW 20-NOV-64

( 6) Journal of the Chester and North Wales Architectural Archaeological and Historic Society

1959 plans etc (M H Ridgeway & D J Cathcart-King) Page(s)1-23

( 7) Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society

1965-6 (R N Dove) 75-76 Page(s)103-122

( 8) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ASP 22-MAR-76

( 9) Council for British Archaeology: Newsletter and calender

Jan/Feb 1980 Page(s)127

(10) Medieval archaeology : journal of the Society for Medieval Archaeology

23, 1979 Page(s)260

(11) Cheshire archaeological bulletin

plan (P R Hough) 8, 1982 Page(s)22-30

(12) English Heritage archaeological reports

Ellis P ed 1992 Beeston Castle Cheshire 23

(13) General reference

R4 MRB 31-OCT-1991

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

District of Chester, 3-Apr-1986 1016 Page(s)4-5

(15) Scheduled Monument Notification

11/5/94

(16) English Heritage 1998 The English Heritage visitors' handbook 1998-99

Page(s)168

(18) 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

1 Page(s)66

(19) R Allen Brown, H M Colvin and A J Taylor 1963 The history of the King's Works, volume 2 : the Middle Ages

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