Hayne Castle

Has been described as a Rejected Fortified Manor House

There are no visible remains

NameHayne Castle
Alternative NamesHaine
Historic CountryDevonshire
Modern AuthorityDevon
1974 AuthorityDevon
Civil ParishStowford

Higham lists a record on map as 'site of castle' but with no evidence.

On the 1884 OS Map, scale 1:2500, the site of Haine Castle is marked at SX 4238886375.

It is likely that in his Devonshire Directory, White mistakenly identified the country house located nearby as Haine Castle. This house was built circa 1810 and according to its listed building description has the battlemented parapet White indicates. (PastScape)

Stowford, belongs to Mrs. Harris, together with Haine and Stone estates, which have been held by the Harris family many generations. She has a handsome seat here, called Haine Castle - a large quadrangular mansion, in the castellated style, erected 40 years ago. (Whites 1850)

A fortified house called Hayne Castle stood on a mound on the hill to the south of the present mansion until that was built on present site in 15th/16th century (Copeland). (Devon and Dartmoor HER)

Gatehouse Comments

The 1884 has the two sites marked. At SX42188667 is a large house marked 'Haine on site of mansion' and at SX42438639, on a hill top in an otherwise empty field Haine Castle (site of). White's 'Haine Castle' seems to be the precursor to the current house; the site on the hill top seems to be an unidentified building shown in an engraving (Todd). Copeland, the source cited in the Devon HER, has not been identified but was, presumable G.W. Copeland, who had some 20 papers published in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association mainly on dove cotes between 1936-67. It is likely, that the Exeter based, Higham knew of this source and dismissed this as an unsupported statement. The lack of remains and indeed cropmarks suggests, if this was indeed the site of a building, this was a flimsy building. Nothing in the road, path or field boundary pattern suggests this was the site of a residence. The castle identification may be a transference from the C19 house to a building in that estate or the building was a castellated eyecatcher for that estate. It seems very unlikely this site was that of a medieval castle.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSX424863
Latitude50.6558418273926
Longitude-4.23052978515625
Eastings242430
Northings86390
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Gray, Todd (ed.), 2001, Devon Country Houses and Gardens Engraved Vol. 1 p. 160
  • Whites, 1850, Devonshire Directory online copy

Journals

  • Higham, R.A., 1988, 'Devon Castles: an annotated list' Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society Vol. 46 p. 142-9