Ennor Castle

Has been described as a Certain Masonry Castle, and also as a Certain Artillery Fort

There are masonry footings remains

NameEnnor Castle
Alternative NamesEvor; Inor; Ynnor; Ivor; Old Town Castle; Sullia
Historic CountryIsles of Scilly
Modern AuthorityIsles of Scilly
1974 AuthorityIsles of Scilly
Civil ParishSt Marys

A small shell keep castle known as Ennor, or Old Town, Castle in the present village of Old Town on the south coast of St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. The castle occupies a small but prominent knoll on the east side of the broad Lower Moors valley behind Old Town Bay. The walls of the keep no longer survive in their entirety above ground level. The wall survives above ground on the north west and part of the west side, where it is circa 1 metre thick, of coursed rubble. Elsewhere, the line of the wall is now marked by earthwork banks between 2 metres and 4.5 metres wide and 1 metre and 1.5 metres high along the south west and east sides, and by a wider spread of dense rubble on the south east side. The keep's walls defined a sub-rectangular internal area measuring 22 metres north east-south west by up to 17 metres north west-south east. The earliest reference to Ennor Castle is in a deed of AD 1244 and by 1306 Ranulf de Blanchminster held the castle. A royal licence to crenellate the castle was granted to Ranulf in 1315 but in 1337, the castle along with the rest of Scilly was included in the lands of the newly created Duchy of Cornwall. The fortunes of the castle were eclipsed when the fortification of Scilly was revised to serve national defence considerations in the late 16th century, when Star Castle was built. Ennor Castle became redundant and its stone was used for building purposes in the Old Town. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Enough remained to mount guns on as late as 1554. A castle of Scilly (Sullia) is mentioned in 1194 (Rot. Cur. Reg.), which was, most likely, here close to the church, established in about 1130-40, and near the natural harbour.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSV914103
Latitude49.9134788513184
Longitude-6.29998016357422
Eastings91410
Northings10340
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Bowden, Mark and Brodie, Allan, 2011, Defending Scilly (London: English Heritage)
  • Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 14
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 208 (slight)
  • Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (New York) Vol. 2 p. 552
  • Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 407 online copy
  • Lysons, D. and S., 1814, 'The Scilly Islands' Magna Britannia Vol. 3 Cornwall p. 330-7 online transcription
  • Borlase, Wm., 1756, Observations on the Ancient and Present State of the Islands of Scilly (Oxford) p. 6-7 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 69
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 190 online copy

Journals

  • Saunders, A.D. and Miles, T.J., 1970, 'King Charles's Castle, Tresco, Scilly' Post-Medieval Archaeology Vol. 4 p. 1-30
  • Saunders, 1962, 'Harry's Walls, St Mary's, Scilly: A New Interpretation' Cornish Archaeology Hendhyscans Kernow Vol. 1 p. 89 online copy
  • 1957-60, Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall Vol. 3 p. 42, 91

Guide Books

  • O'Neil, B.H.St.J., 1950, Ancient Monuments of the Isles of Scilly (HMSO) p. 16

Primary Sources

Other

  • Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk South West Register 2016 (London: Historic England) p. 174 online copy
  • Historic England, 2015, Heritage at Risk South West Register 2015 (London: Historic England) p. 176 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 186 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2013, Heritage at Risk Register 2013 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 177 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 190 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 174 online copy
  • Bowden, Mark, 2011, Isles of Scilly: Military Defences, 1540-1951: Earthworks and Minor Sites (English Heritage Research Department Report series 56-2011) p. 27 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 171 online copy
  • English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 174 online copy
  • Graeme Kirkham, April 2003, Cornwall & Scilly Urban Survey: Hugh Town (Cornwall County Council) Download copy