Aldford Castle is a
motte and bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...
castle in the village of
Aldford
Aldford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aldford and Saighton, in the county of Cheshire, England. (). The village is approximately to the south of Chester, on the east bank of the River Dee. The Aldford Brook join ...
in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
. The motte is to the north of
St John's Church, and the church stands on the site of an infilled bailey ditch.
The origin and dates of construction of the castle are uncertain. It is thought that it was initially an earth-and-timber construction, possibly built by Robert de Alford in the mid-12th century, in the time of
Henry II. However, archaeological evidence of the date is lacking and it may have been significantly earlier, as there are some sources
who claim that the castle had been built much earlier, as its command was handed over to Robertus, one of the descendants de Bigod in 1160. One of the earliest written records establishes that it was in the possession of Richard de Alford in the early 13th century and, after his death in 1213, of the family of John de Aderne who likely married de Alford's daughter Margaret. Archaeological findings show that it was rebuilt in stone as a
shell keep
A shell keep is a style of medieval fortification, best described as a stone structure circling the top of a motte.
In English castle morphology, shell keeps are perceived as the successors to motte-and-bailey castles, with the wooden fence arou ...
castle in the 13th century. The purpose of the castle appears to have been as a defensive fortification against the hostile Welsh tribes. There is some debate as to whether the castle, the lands and the title were hereditary or granted due to military service. Some sources even suggest that, up until 1224, the owners had to pay for the lease of the castle.
Today fragments of the stonework around the bailey and significant earthworks survive, four miles from Chester where the tributary stream joins the River Dee at an angle. The castle appears to have been triangular, shaped like a harp, with the keep in the northwestern corner of the triangle. Where the keep used to be is now a mound overlooking the River Dee, which the locals call Blobb Hill.
The site is a
Scheduled Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
See also
*
List of castles in Cheshire
There are 20 castles in the county of Cheshire in North West England.
Introduction
Cheshire is one of the historic counties of England and its historic boundaries are different from the modern county lines. Some castles that were formerly in ...
*
List of Scheduled Monuments in Cheshire (1066–1539)
There are over 600 scheduled monuments in Cheshire, dating from pre-history to the present.
For ease of reference these are split into three lists by period:
* List of scheduled monuments in Cheshire dated to before 1066
*List of scheduled monum ...
References
{{Reflist
External link
Castle in Context: Aldford Castle, Cheshire 2021 talk by Rachel Swallow
Castles in Cheshire
Scheduled monuments in Cheshire