Bletsoe Castle

Has been described as a Certain Fortified Manor House

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameBletsoe Castle
Alternative NamesBletnesho
Historic CountryBedfordshire
Modern AuthorityBedfordshire
1974 AuthorityBedfordshire
Civil ParishBletsoe

Elizabethan house on site of dwelling house (mansum) granted a license to crenellate in 1327 to John Pateshull. The earthwork remains associated with the medieval site survive. Called a very handsome moated manor house by Leland.

Gatehouse Comments

Unlikely to have been any sort of military building, despite being called a castle, but a fortified manor house.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceTL024584
Latitude52.2143516540527
Longitude-0.501309990882874
Eastings502400
Northings258400
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Petre, James Scott, 2012, The Castles of Bedfordshire (Lavenham: Lavenham Press for Shaun Tyas) p. 92-5
  • Lowerre, A.G., 2005, Placing Castles in the Conquest. Landscape, Lordship and Local Politics in the South-Eastern Midlands, 1066-1100 (Oxford: John and Erica Hedges Ltd: BAR British Series 385) p. 217 (late medieval moated site)
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 13
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 2 East Anglia, Central England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 327
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 4 (slight)
  • Jones, M.K. and Underwood, M.G., 1992, The King's Mother. Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby (Cambridge) p. 30-3
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 5
  • Pevsner, N., 1968, The Buildings of England: Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough (Harmondsworth) p. 57
  • Wadmore, Beauchamp, 1920, The Earthworks of Bedfordshire (Bedford) p. 153-5
  • Page, Wm (ed), 1912, 'Parishes: Bletsoe' VCH Bedfordshire Vol. 3 p. 40-3 online transcription
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Goddard, A.R., 1904, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Doubleday, H.Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Bedfordshire Vol. 1 p. 301-3
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol. 1 p. 138 online copy
  • Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 408 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. 20
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1909, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 4 p. 22, 23 online copy

Journals

  • 1994, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter Vol. 24 p. 14 online copy
  • Baker, D., 1982, 'Mottes, Moats and ringworks in Bedfordshire: Beauchamp Wadmore revisited' Château Gaillard Vol. 9-10 p. 35-54 (plan)
  • Dyer, J.F., 1962-3, 'Bedfordshire Earthworks VIII, The Castles: Part One' Bedfordshire magazine Vol. 8 no. 63 p. 348

Primary Sources

  • Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1891, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1327-30) Vol. 1 p. 130 online copy

Other

  • Lowerre, A.G., 2004, Placing Castles in the Conquest. Landscape, Lordship and Local Politics in the South-Eastern Midlands, 1066-1100 (PhD thesis: Boston College) p. 443