Place House, Fowey

Has been described as a Possible Pele Tower

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NamePlace House, Fowey
Alternative NamesFaweye
Historic CountryCornwall
Modern AuthorityCornwall
1974 AuthorityCornwall
Civil ParishFowey

Site of C15 tower. The seat of the Treffry family, playing a large part in the life of Fowey, and was defended against the French in 1475 by Dame Elizabeth Treffry, and soon afterwards strengthened and largely rebuilt in early C16. Current Place House is the early C16 rebuild (although the Cornwall and Scilly HER report the medieval core survives) which is Grade 1 listed.

The French-men diverse tymes assailid this town, and last most notably about Henry the vj. tyme: when the wife of Thomas Treury the 2. with her men repellid the French out of her house in her housebandes adsence. Wherapon Thomas Treury buildid a right fair and stronge embatelid towr in his house: and embateling al the waulles of the house in a maner made it a castelle: and onto this day it is the glorie of the town building in Faweye. (Leland)

Gatehouse Comments

It may be that Leland was blaming the 'French' for political reasons and the attack was a pirate raid but the construction of a defensible house seems to be a clear response to violence although even Leland notes the prestige that such a building gave the Treffry's.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 1 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 ReferenceSX125517
Latitude50.3357696533203
Longitude-4.63580989837646
Eastings212510
Northings51750
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p. 136-43
  • Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 20
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 78
  • Sheppard, Peter, 1980, The historic towns of Cornwall: an archaeological survey (Truro) p. 35-6
  • Pevsner, N. revised by Enid Radcliffe, 1970, Buildings of England: Cornwall (Harmondsworth) p. 58-9
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 3 online copy
  • Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 361 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 77
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 204 online copy

Journals

  • Preston-Jones, Ann and Rose, Peter, 1986, 'Medieval Cornwall' Cornish Archaeology Hendhyscans Kernow Vol. 25 p. 135-185 online copy
  • Cornforth, 1962, Country Life Vol. 131 p. 1510-13, 1568-71
  • Pounds, N.J.G., 1937, 'The Medieval Castle in Cornwall' Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society ns Vol. 9.1 p. 31
  • Treffry, J.T., 1840, Royal Institution of Cornwall 22nd report p. 64