Chesterton Castle
| Chesterton Castle | |
|---|---|
| Staffordshire, England | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Motte-and-bailey castle |
| Site history | |
| Built | Before 1180[2] |
| Materials | Limestone[1] |
| Demolished | Shortly after 1597[1] |
Chesterton Castle was a motte-and-bailey castle in Chesterton, Staffordshire, England which has no surviving remains existing today.[3]
History
Chesterton Castle was built probably atop the mound of a former Anglo-Saxon burh and it is known that Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester owned the timber castle in 1180.[2] Additions were made to the castle shortly before King John visited in 1206,[5] and it was later usurped by Newcastle-under-Lyme Castle when the town of the same name grew up around the castle during the early 12th century.[4]
King Henry III took the castle from the Earl of Leicester and gave it along with the Earldom to his son Edmund Crouchback in 1267.[2][6] It was later rebuilt in stone.[1]
Sampson Erdeswicke visited Chesterton Castle in 1597 and mentioned that 'a little lower stands Chesterton, where are to be seen the ruins of a very ancient town or castle, there yet remaining some rubbish of lime and stone'.[1] The ruins were demolished during the 16th century and the site is today unknown.[4]
Description
Chesterton Castle was built initially using timber but was later constructed using limestone (lime and stone).[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Erdeswicke, Sampson (1597). A Survey of Staffordshire: Containing the Antiquities of that County. Thomas Harwood (1767–1842); William Salt (1805–1863) (New ed.; considerably improved ed.). London: J. B. Nichols and Son.
- ^ a b c "Chesterton under Lyme". Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
- ^ King, D.J.C., (1983), Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 450-1
- ^ a b c Goodwin, Jenna (28 January 2023). "A New Castle, Built in the 12th Century, Is What Gives Newcastle-Under-Lyme Its Name". The Red Haired Stokie. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
- ^ Mackenzie, J.D., (1896). Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 1 p. 393
- ^ Baines, Edward (1868). The History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster. G. Routledge and Sons. Retrieved 20 July 2023 – via Google Books.