Barnwell Castle is a ruined castle, south of the town of

Oundle Oundle () is a market town on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 5,735 at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. It is north of London and south-west of Peterborough ...

, and north of the village of

Barnwell, Northamptonshire Barnwell (formerly Barnwell All Saints and Barnwell St Andrew) is a village in North Northamptonshire in England, south of the town of Oundle, north of London (via the A1 road) and south-west of Peterborough. The River Nene runs north of the ...

(). It has been designated by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and is a

Scheduled Ancient 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 ...

. It is under private ownership. 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 was erected in 1132. The stone castle was built during the reign of King Henry III by the family of Berengar Le Moyne at the time of the

Second Barons' War The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the fut ...

(1264-67). In the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

it was used by its owner, Sir Edward Montagu, as an

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

for the

Royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

cause. After the civil war the Montagu family built a substantial manor house,

Barnwell Manor Barnwell Manor is a Grade II listed country estate near the village of Barnwell, about south of Oundle, in Northamptonshire, England. The historic former home of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, as of 2017 it was occupied by Windsor House ...

, near the castle. Substantial parts of the castle remain. It is quadrilateral in shape with cylinder towers on the northeast, northwest and southwest corners. On the southeast corner is a twin-towered gatehouse. The walls are up to high and over thick.

References

{{Authority control Castles in Northamptonshire Tourist attractions in Northamptonshire Grade I listed buildings in Northamptonshire Ruins in Northamptonshire Scheduled monuments in Northamptonshire Ruined castles in England

See also

References