Summary

Caludon Castle, a medieval moated manor house.

Monument Type(s):

• MANOR (Earlier Medieval to 17th Century - 1279 AD to 1700 AD)
• MANOR HOUSE (Earlier Medieval to 17th Century - 1279 AD to 1700 AD)
• MOAT (Earlier Medieval to 17th Century - 1279 AD to 1700 AD)

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument COVSAM4: Caludon Castle: a moated site and part of an associated water management system
• Listed Building (I) 218479: REMAINS OF CALUDON CASTLE

Full description

2> Castle at Caludon today an imposing fragment of masonry, evidence part of 14th century Great
Hall with 2 light tracery windows. Stands on N side of moated enclosure
c60yds square. Thought entrance with drawbridge was on E side, but all
buildings except above mentioned fragment have disappeared and no indication of
where they might have stood. 13th century in possession of Segrave family; 1304, John
de Segrave obtained licence to crenellate.
3> John de Segrave had licence to fortify his house with moat and wall and embattle
it with lime and stone and so strengthened to hold it to himself and heirs.
4> As above, whole of enclosed area now gardens, no trace of building other than
piece of wall referred to. 2 perpendicular cinqefoil decorated windows of
ecclesiastic form prob assoc with domestic chapel rather than hall. E arm of
moat has been obliterated, remainder well defined and dry.
5> Survey and photograph.
6> c1354 or earlier. John Seagrave granted licence to crenellate 1305. Another
licence granted 1354. Descended to Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk. Fell into
dereliction after his banishment 1398. Rebuilt c1580 by Henry Lord Berkeley.
Ruined by late 17th century. Sole remaining fragment: tall sandstone wall containing 2 large
pointed arched windows above 2 smaller. Remains of window tracery.
9> Dissertation with detailed plans & documentary sources.
10> 4 photos of upstanding masonry. Date unknown.
13> The manor house and a banqueting house are mentioned in this document in a larger parcel of land also containing fish ponds,'Litle Courte' and gardens totalling 5a. 0r. 02p.
14> The survey successfully recorded the buried foundations of a rectilinear building formerly occupying the moated site. It was represented in the form of narrow, linear high resistance anomolies that generally describe a pair of joined rectangles orientated north-north-west in a 'T-shape'. The anomolies apparently connect with the standing wall on the platform. In the west of the structure a broad high resistance anomaly was detected, possibly representing a demolished wall. In the eastern part of the moated site the survey identified three sub-rectangular high resistance anomalies…These may represent demolition rubble of the farm house or in-filled cellars that are rumoured to be within the site. The earth resistance survey recorded anomolies relating to a former footpath around the inner perimeter of the moat.
15> Page 106: ‘The late-sixteenth-century banqueting house built on the edge of the great pool at Callowdon House in Warwickshire was (quoting an earlier source, below) ‘the polite work of Lady Elizabeth, wife of Sir Thomas Berkeley…and the retired cell of her soul’s soliloquies to God her creator.’ [Quote from Smyth J, 1618 Lives of the Berkeleys; edited by Sir John Maclean (Gloucester, 1883) vol 2: p362].
16> The licence to crenellate of 1305 is certain (Lyte, H.C. Maxwell (ed), 1898, 'Calendar of Patent Rolls (1301-7)', p.314. However, there is no evidence of a licence being granted in 1354. This supposed licence is mentioned in the VCH (p.121-2) although the cited source hardly seems authoritative. There is evidence of building work at Caludon c.1354 and I suspect what has happened here is someone holding an incorrect view that licences to crenellate were a 'requirement' to build a castle has falsely supposed such a licence must have been granted. However, no record of such a licence exists in the royal rolls which are complete for this period.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1913-1925, Third Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch to the mile (or 1:2500) County Series map, - (-MAP). SCT1569.

<2> Chatwin P, 1951, Castles in Warwickshire, - (--ARTICLE). SCT251.

<3> Dugdale W, 1656, Hist & Antiq of Warwicks, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT647.

<4> 1951, OS Card, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT715.

<5> Baird J, 1967, Untitled Source, - (-MAP). SCT252.

<6> DoE, 1974, SP38SE 22/4, - (-INDEX). SCT253.

<7> DoE, 1971, List AME, - (--MONOGRAPH). SCT693.

<8> Bond CJ, 1974, Deserted Medieval Villages in Warwickshire: A Review of, 86 (--ARTICLE). SCT677.

<9> University of Durham, 1986, A Historical and Archaeological Survey of Caludon Castle, Coventry (-REPORT). SCT1314.

<9> Flitcroft M, 1986, Historical & Archaeological Survey of Caludon Castle, Durham Univ Dissertation (--MONOGRAPH). SCT438.

<10> Mus File, - (-PHOTOGRAPH). SCT255.

<11> Untitled Source, 60; 16 (--ARTICLE). SCT256.

<11> Stephen Johnson, 2006, An Interim Report on the Lordship of the Manor of Caludon (--DESKBASED SURVEY REPORT). SCT1588.

<12> Pugh, R. B. (ed), 1969, Victoria County History: A History of the County of Warwickshire - Volume VIII, 8; 121 (--VOLUME). SCT683.

<13> Johnson, Richard, 1668, Survey of the Lands of Sir Thomas Preston, 1668 (TEXT). SCT1271.

<14> Northamptonshire Archaeology, 2008, Archaeological Geophysical Survey at Caludon Castle, Coventry (--GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY REPORT). SCT668.

<15> Girouard, M., 1978, Life in the English Country House, p.106 (-PUBLICATION). SCT1923.

<16> Davis, P.C., 2011, Email regarding Caludon Castle HER Record (MCT16470) (-CORRESPONDENCE). SCT1929.

Sources and Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECT188 - Caludon Castle, Farren Road (Ref: COVE119)
• ECT189 - Caludon Castle, Farren Road (Ref: COVE120)
• ECT354 - Caludon Castle Documentary Research
• ECT524 - Archaeological Geophysical Survey at Caludon Castle, Coventry, West Midlands, June 2008

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