ECCLESHALL CASTLE

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Remains of a moated fortified manor house or castle built in the 14th century as an episcopal residence. During the Civil War the castle was besieged by Parliamentarians who demolished it before 1646. The 14th century remains include a nine-sided corner tower, the bridge over the moat and the stone retaining walls to the moat. A plan drawn up after the Civil War shows a second tower, joined to the first by a hall and chapel range. The present house was rebuilt circa 1695 incorporating some 14th century fabric. It is L-shaped in plan, built of stone with tiled roofs.

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(SJ 82782956) Castle (NR) (AD 1200) Moat Tower (NR). (1)

Eccleshall Manor was the property of the Bishops of Lichfield "as early as the compiling of Domesday Book". "About the year 1200 King John gave his licence to Bishop Muschamp to embattle Eccleshall castle (a) and from this time the Manor House here became a true and proper castle, though perhaps it might be moated and obtain the name of a castle before". During the Civil War the castle was besieged by the Parliamentary forces "who battered, demolished and took it before 1646".

In 1695 the brick South front was added, probably by Bishop Lloyd. (2) "Of the castle of Eccleshall only few remains now exist, but there is sufficient to show that it consisted of a square enclosure bounded by a large moat. Both the enclosure and the moat were fenced by strong stone walls and at one angle of this enclosure there still remains one of the towers, and it is probable that there was a similar tower at each of the other three angles. The entrance to the castle was by a bridge of two pointed arches still remaining across the moat. In general arrangement the plan resembles that of Caverswall Castle (SJ 94 SE 13). The existing tower is at the NE angle and is of nine sides. The walls 7 ft in thickness. It is recorded that Bishop Walter Langton, who occupied the see of Lichfield from 1296 to 1321, enlarged and repaired the castle, and the present remains accord in style and character, with this period. (3)

Mr Carter confirmed that the property is known as Eccleshall Castle. The present house was rebuilt in the 19th century when a fragment of the original castle (indicated at SJ 82792956) was found and incorporated into the house. (4)

The fragment pointed out by Mr Carter consists of short length of regularly-coursed, moulded ashlar having a pronounced batter and probably part of a base - plinth of large buttress. Other stone walls at the rear of the house contain re-used worked and
moulded stones. The other surviving portions of the castle have been incorporated into the gardens of the house and are accurately described by Authy 3 and shown on the VCH plan. The tower is well preserved; some of the window-heads are modern replacements. (5)

Eccleshall Castle, a large modern residence. Recent clearance of outbuildings with a consequent reduction in size of the house
itself on the W (rear) side, has revealed patchy introduction of re-used ashlar masonry, but no 'in situ' remains of the Md castle were found.

The moat, dug along the E and S sides of the castle, thus isolating it from high ground, the W and N sides probably flooded by a dammed River Sow, measures, overall 80.0 m N-S and 130.0 m E-W, and is 21.0 m in width and 3.0 m in depth.

The retaining walls together with the bridge and NE corner tower are maintained in good condition.

Published 1:2500 survey revised. (6)

Eccleshall Castle, Tower and Bridge. Grade II. (7)

Eccleshall Castle and Tower Grade 2*. Bridge Grade 2. (8)

In excavations during 1973 and 1974 a latrine shaft within the NE tower yielded 18th century material. It had been cleaned subsequent to the destruction of the castle during and after the seige in 1643. The east arm of the moat was sectioned, revealing wood and leather finds in a waterlogged layer of black earth and silt above the subsoil. This layer was covered by rubble containing many large building stones which had been dumped to raise the level of the ground above the surface of the lake which formed the water barrier on the north side of the castle. It seems likely that the Civil War destruction provides a terminal date for the pottery and glass in and beneath the layers of the moat. (9)

SJ 827295. Eccleshall Castle (tower, retaining wall and bridge).
Scheduled. (10)

Eccleshall Castle. Largely of circa 1695 when the castle, which had been a manor place of the Bishops of Lichfield for many centuries, was rebuilt by Bishop Lloyd. The building incorporates fragments of the C14 structure which was largely destroyed in the Civil War. The fenestration and interior refashioned late C18. Stone with hipped tile roof and stone stacks; 2 storeys; sash windows; flat stone string-courses; moulded stone eaves cornice. The main facade has a 3 window projecting wing at either side, each having a moulded wood pilaster doorcase with triglyph frieze and modillion cornice. Twelve window elevation to east and nine to south. Later brick additions at the rear, which incorporates sandstone rubble fragments of the C14 building. The interior contains good late C18 moulded plaster ceiling in the large Drawing Room; also contemporary doorcases and good fireplaces in the 2 Drawing Rooms. Stands back from road in extensive grounds.

Remaining moat walls. Mainly C14. Restored. Stone retaining walls,built to a slight batter,lining the moat which has been dry since mediaeval times.

Bridge. Probably C14. Across the moat. Stone and of 2 spans with pointed arches; plain parapet.

Tower, probably C14. Part of the defences of the mediaeval house. Stone; reduced to 2 storeys and roofless; small pointed-trefoiled window openings. The tower is 9 sided, and probably unique in this respect.

Authority 11 is the full text of authority 8. (11)

(SJ 82782956). Eccleshall Castle (NAT)
(SJ 82882953). Moat (NR)
(SJ 82882959). Tower (NR). (12)

Late 13th/14th century episcopal residence. Plan drawn soon after Civil War shows two towers, joined by a hall and chapel range. (13)

Listed by Cathcart King. (14)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1925

( 2a) General reference

Monasticon III 231 (Dugdale)

( 2) General reference

Bibliotheca Topo Brit XXI (The Hist and Ants at Eccleshall Manor and castle 1784, 9-16 (Samuel Pegge

( 3) The North Staffordshire Field Club transactions

(C Lynam) 31 - 1896-7 Page(s)188

( 4b) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 4) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F1 WCW 09-JAN-58

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F2 ASP 02-OCT-74

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

DOE (HHR) Stone RD April 1961 5-6

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

DOE (HHR) Boro of Stafford 1980 11-12

( 9) Post-medieval archaeology : the journal of the Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology

(J Cherry) 9 - 1975 Page(s)241

(10) by Department of the Environment, Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings London 1978 List of ancient monuments in England: Volume 1, Northern England; Volume 2, Southern England; Volume 3, East Anglia and the Midlands

3 - 1978 Page(s)97

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

DOE (HHR) Boro of Stafford Apr 1980 11-12

(12) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1967

(13) Nikolaus Pevsner 1974 Staffordshire

The buildings of England Page(s)126

(14) David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II : Norfolk-Yorkshire and the islands

Page(s)450

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