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Monument Types

• MOTTE AND BAILEY (Early Medieval to Late Medieval - 1201 AD to 1400 AD)

Summary

Early C13th castle that had fallen into disrepair by the C14th. The site is close to several confluences of the River Chater, one of which was dammed to form the moat. A "shell keep" castle with an unusual plan with few parallels nationally.

Additional Information

Scheduled Monument description:
Reasons for designation:
A shell keep castle is a masonry enclosure, extending around the top of an earlier motte or castle ringwork, and replacing the existing timber palisades; there are a few cases where the wall is built lower down the slope or even at the bottom. The enclosure is usually rounded or sub-rounded but other shapes are also known. A shell keep is relatively small, normally between 15 and 25m diameter, with few buildings, and perhaps one tower only, within its interior. Shell keeps were built over a period of about 150 years, from not long after the Norman Conquest until the mid-13th century; most were built in the 12th century. They provided strongly fortified residences for the king or leading families and occur in both urban and rural situations. Shell keep castles are widely dispersed throughout England with a marked concentration in the Welsh Marches. The distribution also extends into Wales and to a lesser extent into Scotland. They are rare nationally with only 71 recorded examples. Considerable diversity of form is exhibited with no two examples being exactly alike. Along with other castle types, they are major medieval monument types which, belonging to the highest levels of society, frequently acted as major administrative centres and formed the foci for developing settlement patterns. Castles generally provide an emotive and evocative link to the past and can provide a valuable education resource, both with respect to medieval warfare and defence, and to wider aspects of medieval society. All examples retaining significant remains of medieval date are considered to be nationally important.
Sauvey Castle has an unusual plan with few parallels nationally. It survives in good condition and the interior will retain archaeological evidence of the original castle layout and its subsequent use.
Details:
Sauvey Castle is situated 4km east of the village of Tilton. It occupies a low, natural promontory flanked on either side by rivers with a ditch at the western end making it a very effective defensive stronghold. The castle, standing an average of 7m above the bottom of the valley, consists of two enclosures: a rectangular bailey measuring 100m x 70m on the western side and a smaller oval enclosure measuring 60 x 40m to the east. The two are divided by a hollow sloping northwards to form the main entrance. The surface of the bailey is flat with a slight inner bank on the west and south sides. A low mound with depressions on the north east side of the bailey represents a mound on which a guardhouse would have been situated. To the east, the smaller enclosure is slightly higher than the larger enclosure and contained the principal buildings on its south side and a rectangular chapel situated near the centre. The original structure of the castle was of stone which can be seen exposed in several places especially near the entrance. The surrounding ditch varies from between 20m wide on the west side, opening out to a 60m valley on the east. Situated to the south east is an earth bank, 6m high, which dammed the valley, and has a central gap perhaps housing a sluice gate. Sauvey Castle was built during the anarchistic reign of Stephen (1135-54). In 1216, Henry III ordered the surrender of Sauvey to the Earl of Aumale who retained it until a royal order to surrender Sauvey and Rockingham was given in 1217. Aumale acted against the king's wishes and attempted to fortify Sauvey and it was not until June 1220 that Sauvey and Rockingham were surrendered. The castle's later history is connected with the adjacent royal forest. In 1226, it was delivered by royal command to Hugh de Neville, the king's forester. From 1246 the castle lost its prominence as a royal site and by the 15th century it had been demoted to a subsidiary property of the manor of Withcote. A modern barn on the north side of the site is excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath it is included.

The site is at the confluence of several small tributaries of the River Chater. A dam at the SE corner of the site presumably ponded up the water to form a large 'moat' around the castle which, as in motte and bailey castles, was divided into an inner and outer enclosure separated by a deep ditch. The entrance was presumably at the western end of the 'bailey', and there is a prominent platform at its north-eastern corner and remnants of an inner bank. On the other island (the 'motte equivalent') are at least 2 building sites, one perhaps the chapel. (OS records)

In 1855 AS donated a medieval spout and a Bellarmine jug fragment showing a lion rampant from the site. (1.1855) (PL 14/04/87)

<1> Associated Architectural Society Reports and Papers, No. 36 (1921), p127-8 (Journal). SLE6453.

Sauvey Castle is mentioned in 1215-20 in relation to a rebellion by Earl of AUMALE (ALBERMARLE) against King John. It is referred to as a castle until 1316, often being granted to the Forester of Leighfield Forest with which it seems to have been connected. On 7/7/1244 timber for a chapel in the Castle of Sauvey, 40' x 22' was granted from the Forest. On 4/1/1245 stone slates from a stable in the castle were granted for the chapel, implying that it was a stone building. (PL 14/04/87)

<2> 1977-8, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 53, Vol 53 (1977-8), p37-38 (Journal). SLE5951.

The castle stood on Castle Hill, NGR: SK786052, rather less than a mile SW of Withcote (HER ref.: MLE2679) on the edge of Leicestershire. Cantor notes the presence of an earthwork bank and ditch on Castle Hill, defining the outer defences of the castle. According to Nichols, it was built by Lord Bassett of Weldon. However, he gives no supporting documentary evidence and, Cantor considers, it seems more likely that it was built in 1211 by King John on land he had recently acquired near Withcote. There are various references to the appointment of royal officials as governors of the castle for most of the 13th century, however, by the following century it had fallen into disrepair. Its ruins were scarcely visible in 1622 and by the later 17th century no trace of structures remained.

<3> Page, William (ed), 1907, The Victoria County History of the County of Leicester, Volume 1, p249-50 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1156.

VCHL misidentify the site as Iron Age.

<4> 1997, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 71, Vol 71 (20), p32-33 (Journal). SLE5945.

Taking Sauvey as an example, Creighton stresses the integration of the castle, into the manorial and administrative landscape. Sauvey lies on the edge of the forest of Rutland and functioned as the principal centre for the forest's administration, its purpose as a royal hunting seat dictating its physical isolation, however, it was administratively associated with the manor of Withcote. The manor was granted as an appendage of the castle under the reigns of John and Henry III, but this is reversed by the time of Henry IV (early C15th) indicating the declining importance of the castle. Creighton describes the castle as overlooked from its immediate surroundings, relying on the skilful adaption of water defences for its strength. Two curvilinear banks with an interval gap are not defensive in purpose, but represent a remarkable water mangement feature containing, in effect, a shallow lake which entirely surrounded the island, comparisons are drawn with Ravensworth, N. Yorks. and Bardsey cum Rigton, W Yorks.

<5> Jones, Elaine, 2013, Sauvey Castle, Withcote parish, Leicestershire (SK 788 053) (Unpublished document). SLE4165.

The site was visited in 2013. A stone culvert/drain was noted at SK788052.

<6> Elkin, Kathleen (ed), 2015, Medieval Leicestershire: Recent Research on the Medieval Archaeology of Leicestershire, p138, "Medieval fortified sites of Leics & Rutland", Richard Knox (Bibliographic reference). SLE5149.

<7> Hartley, RF, 2018, The medieval earthworks of south and south-east Leicestershire, p201 (Bibliographic reference). SLE5736.

"This strongly fortified site lies at the junction of two stream valleys, where the natural topography has been used and enhanced. A substantial dam (a) would have created a pool (i-i-i) up the two valleys. The promontory between the two was cut through so that the water would have completely surrounded the castle site.
"The main concentration of building foundations is in the motte at the east end of the promontory, with traces of a curtain wall (b), foundations of a possible tower (c), and traces of two rectangular buildings at (d) and (e). A steep-sided ditch (f) separates this from the bailey, which again has evidence of curtain walls, surrounding an open yard (g) which seems to have been subdivided into two parts along an east-west line. In the north-east corner of the bailey are foundations (h) of a stone building. The entrance to the site would have been over a fortified bridge at (j), where a mound of material now forms a causeway across the moat. From the bottom of the moat to the top of the bailey rampart in this area is a difference in height of over 20m. (Site visit c.1980.)
"The castle was certainly in use in the 13th century. It has been described as a place of importance in the time of King John, and custody was usually granted to the King's Foresters in the Forest of Leighfield. It was allowed to fall into ruin after 1276 (VCH Vol 1, 249-250). Governors were appointed at various dates between 1215 and 1260. Nichols comments that "in the Barons' wars, the said castle it may be presumed was demolished" (Nichols 1795 p394)."

Sources

Associated Finds

• SHERD (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)

Designations

• Scheduled Monument 1010303: SAUVEY CASTLE

Associated Images

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