Castlefacts³

Catthorpe

Has been described as a Questionable Timber Castle (Other/Unknown)

There are uncertain remains

Name	Catthorpe
Alternative Names
Historic Country	Leicestershire
Modern Authority	Leicestershire
1974 Authority	Leicestershire
Civil Parish	Catthorpe

Vanished castle. Forbidden as unlicenced in 1218. Possibly the same as Shawell. (King 1983)

Catthorpe is a vanished site, although it has been suggested that the documentary' reference can be associated with the probable motte at Shawell.

Documentation: A castle at Catthorpe was said to be unlicensed in 1218, and presumably slighted thereafter, although the possible castle earthwork at Shawell exhibits no outward signs of mutilation in the manner of, for instance, Groby. (Creighton 1998)

Eodem mo scribitur Viconte Leic et Warewic de castro de Catthorp prosternendo, quod Rob' de Gaugi firmare cepit. {Write the same order to the sheriff of Leicestershire and Warwickshire to throw down the castle of Catthorpe which Robert of Gaugy strengthened.} (Rot. litt. claus. 2 Hen III 1218)

Gatehouse Comments

King and, authors following him, write possibly the same as Shawell, Renn suggest one of the Lilbourne motte and baileys across the river in Northamptonshire. Since the Shawell Castle and Lilbourne Castle are both next to their respective parish churches it might be expected that they be identified by those names (All three place-names are recorded in The Domesday Book), however Lilbourne Roundhill is not next to a church, it is the closest of the three to Catthorpe, and it may be it was given the Catthorpe name to differentiate it from Lilbourne Castle.There is no mention in the source of this castle being 'unlicenced' - that statement by King is part of his 'received' wisdom reflecting Whiggish historic bias about supposed medieval royal authority. It was a castle made strong by a notably King John loyalist which Henry III's council are ordering to be demolished (one of several) to establish their authority after the first Baron's War.The given map reference is for Catthorpe parish church.Questionable as a separate unidentified castle. Although the order to prosternendo was given to the Sheriff of Leicestershire and Warwickshire and Lilbourne Roundhill was in Northamptonshire, technically outside that Sheriff remit, in practice he may have had forces closer or simply the identification of the county location of this border site was just not known by Henry IIIs mainly London based court.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)

1391680

County Historic Environment Record

www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/history-and-heritage/historic-environment-record

OS Map Grid Reference	SP551781
Latitude	52.398509979248
Longitude	-1.19047999382019
Eastings	455100
Northings	278100