Meole Brace Tower

Has been described as a Possible Pele Tower

There are no visible remains

NameMeole Brace Tower
Alternative NamesMelesbracy
Historic CountryShropshire
Modern AuthorityShropshire
1974 AuthorityShropshire
Civil ParishShrewsbury

Possible site of a manor house or castle of probable late Saxon to medieval date; foundations possibly relating to the site were discovered, but were subsequently covered up.

Eyton stated that at Meole Brace there was a fortified dwelling, a dilapidated tower, and other buildings, very poor, documented in an Inquest of 1273 in respect of the holdings of George, Baron Cantilupe. Time of Edward I (Eyton 1858; Eyton 1887)

There are further references to the castell in 1538 and in the reign of Charles II. Unlikely to be a motte, since it appears that no such erections were permitted within a six mile radius of Shrewsbury (Chitty 1949/50)

In the time of Archdeacon Butler intersecting foundations were discovered where the castle is marked, but that he had them covered at once.

A manor house stood near to the church until its demolition after the Conquest (Paddock 1958). (Shropshire HER)

Gatehouse Comments

Chitty's comment about mottes not being permitted with a six mile radius of Shrewsbury may be a bit of received wisdom but is not relevant to this site described as a tower. Eyton assumes the 'tower' mentioned in the 1273 was fortified but could just be a chamber block. For some reason Gatehouse is unable to identify this tower appears to have been assumed to Saxon by some authors; whilst this is not impossible there is no evidence for it.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSJ486105
Latitude52.6902694702148
Longitude-2.76024007797241
Eastings348680
Northings310560
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p. 111-12
  • Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 59
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 2 East Anglia, Central England and Wales (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 476
  • Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 38
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 434
  • Paddock, C.A. (or E.A.?), 1958, Meole Brace through the Ages p. 4
  • Blakeway, J.B. et al, 1897, History of Shrewsbury Hundred or Liberties p. 331-2
  • Eyton, R.W., 1858, Antiquities of Shropshire (London: John Russell Smith) Vol. 6 p. 357 online copy

Journals

  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 116 p. 71-132
  • Chitty, Lily, 1949, 'Subsidiary Castle Sites West of Shrewsbury' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society Vol. 53 p. 83-90
  • 1896, Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 8 p. 113-20
  • Eyton, R.W., 1887, 'The castles of Shropshire' Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 10 p. 14

Primary Sources

  • Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1906, Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem Vol. 2 p. 19 No. 17 online copy