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Monument Types

• CHAPEL? (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)
• CASTLE (Early Medieval to Early Post-medieval - 1101 AD? to 1595 AD?)

Summary

The castle is said to have been built in the C12th. It was destroyed in 1215, rebuilt in the later C13th, but was ruinous by 1565. It was partly demolished in 1595 and the materials used by William Hastings for his house at Donington Park. Little stonework remains. A possible turret was discovered during a watching brief in 2012.

Additional Information

Scheduled Monument description:
The monument occupies the northern end of a prominent sandstone spur of land to the north of the planned medieval town of Castle Donington. The site, which defended an important crossing of the River Trent to the north, includes the buried remains of an enclosure castle surrounded by a moat and an outer ditch on the south-east side, which provided additional defence for the promontory. It is probable that an easily defensible site such as this will have had its origins as an Iron Age (or even earlier) promontory fort, although evidence has yet to confirm this. The documentary record begins with the construction of the castle in the mid 12th century by the Lords of Halton in Cheshire. It was later destroyed by order of King John in 1215. Re-building took place in the later 13th century, and by 1310 the castle was held by Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln. The castle later passed to the Earls of Lancaster and was held for Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses. In 1461 the castle was granted to William Hastings who used stone from the site for his new house in nearby Donington Park. During the next 100 years the castle was in the hands of several different stewards, finally falling into disrepair and ruins. In 1565 a Commissioner's report describes the castle as containing the ruins of a curtain wall surrounded by a moat and having towers, two of which were square, two round, and one half-round. The site occupies a sub-circular area about 160m in diameter defined by what was originally a large pair of ditches cutting off the tip of the promontory from the plateau to the south, where the town is now situated. The outer of the two ditches has been mostly backfilled but it is still visible as an earthwork feature about 2m deep and 25m wide in the south-eastern part of the site. In the southern part of the site it is a buried feature beneath Nos 1-9 The Moat and below Nos 1-11 The Hollow. The modern road known as The Hollow is itself a re-cutting of the south-western part of the outer ditch. Nos 1, 2 and 5-11 The Hollow and Nos 1-5 The Moat are all cut into the sides of the ditch itself, modifying its shape, and the remains of the outer ditch is not included in the scheduling below these houses. By contrast, the remaining houses in The Hollow (Nos 3-10) and in The Moat (Nos 7-9) are built over the uppermost fills of the ditch and so the ground below these houses (though not the houses themselves) is included within the scheduling. The outer ditch is separated from the inner ditch by a broad bank, up to 4m above present ground level in places and 20m wide towards its south-western end. It is broad enough towards its south-western end to support several modern buildings (including Nos 2, 4 and 8 Castle Hill); these buildings are excluded from the scheduling, however the ground beneath them is included. The inner ditch is still a major earthwork feature, despite having been filled-in at various points along its circuit. Unlike the outer ditch, which only exists across the promontory south of the castle enclosure, the inner ditch surrounded the castle site. To the south and south-east, it was cut perhaps 10m deep below the prevailing ground surface and it was at least 25m wide. On the north-east, north and west sides of the castle, however, the ditch was constructed by scarping the natural slopes of the promontory and constructing a counterscarp bank about one third of the way down the slope. This counterscarp bank is visible as a prominent earthwork some 2m high and 5m wide on the north and north-east sides of the site but, as the ditch has been infilled on the north-west and western sides, its presence is only revealed here by the sharp change in the angle of the hill slope. Access into the castle enclosure in the medieval period was along the same line as today, that is northwards from Borough Street via Castle Hill. Access must have been achieved by means of causeways and bridges across the outer and inner ditches on the line of the present roadway and it is likely that the buried remains of at least one gateway will survive below its surface. The main buildings of the castle occupied the irregularly shaped platform in the centre of the site, enclosed by the earthwork ditches. It is clear from documentary references and finds made in the 1940s that the platform was also surrounded by a substantial masonry curtain wall with at least five towers. Little is known of the distribution of buildings within this enclosure, although there were clearly major stone buildings here, the remains of which will survive as buried features. The remains of one stone structure is visible at present and the location of two more are known. Still visible is a block of medieval masonry 6m long and 1.75m high which forms the western part of a more modern retaining wall to the south of the passage behind Nos 18-26 Castle Hill. This masonry is included in the scheduling. To the north of this length of masonry a major stone-lined well was recorded in 1978, which is now covered and is also included in the scheduling. The foundations of two substantial walls, possibly representing a keep, the curtain wall and the sites of two towers, were seen during work in a garden on the north side of the site in the 1940s. A small excavation 1976 established that the moat contained more than 4m of archaeological deposits; it was flat- bottomed with evidence of at least one re-cutting. The excavation, which also produced 14th-late 15th century pottery and a considerable amount of tumbled masonry from the curtain wall, indicated that the site was occupied up until the early 16th century, which accords well with the documentary evidence. The site now occupied by Nos 16-26 Castle Hill is also known to have contained medieval buildings. An engraving of 1792 shows a much repaired stone building of several phases and of medieval origin on this site. The north wall of the present row of houses (which were built around the turn of the century) includes some of the fabric of this building. These houses are also built over older cellars, again of several phases of construction, though, as these houses are all occupied, they are excluded from the scheduling. Excluded from the scheduling, therefore, are the following buildings; Nos 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 Castle Hill, Nos 7, 9, 15, 17 and 21 The Moat, Nos 3-10 The Hollow, and all out-buildings and modern features; also excluded are all made-up surfaces including the road surface of Castle Hill, although the ground beneath all these properties and features is included in the scheduling.

The castle is said to have been built in the C12th, rebuilt c.1278. It was granted to Lord Hastings in 1461. In 1564-5 a report of the Commissioners to Queen Elizabeth I reported that it was ruinous. There were at this time 5 stone towers, a curtain wall and a dwelling house 'in the midst of the castle yard of plaster and studdes'. The castle was finally demolished in 1595 by Sir George Hastings, fourth Earl of Huntingdon, who used the materials for his new house in Donington Park (though parts are said to have survived into the C20th).

The Matriculus of 1220 records a chapel, served by Norton Priory in Cheshire. (RPJ Jan 89)

In 1978 a stone-lined well 30' to 40' deep was discovered during gas pipe laying on Castle Hill at Castle Cottage and was quickly filled in.

In 1989 13 sherds of C11th-C12th pottery were found on the mound.

In 04/1993 Mark Nelson of LMAST undertook a watching brief on Castle Hill and found a wall. (PL 06/01/95)

In 11/1994 Bruce Townsend on behalf of LMAST undertook a watching brief at 11/11A The Barroon on the edge of the castle. Negative result. (PL 09/01/95)

Watching brief by RF Hartley 15/04/1989 on 5/9/11 Castle Hill. (RPJ 15/01/96)

Watching brief by ULAS 10/10/96. (ND 18/06/97)

<1> Hartley R F, 1984, The Medieval Earthworks of North West Leicestershire, p12 & p16 (Bibliographic reference). SLE326.

"The castle was built in the twelfth century commanding a crossing point of the Trent. Destroyed in 1215 it was later rebuilt but was again ruinous in 1330. In 1564 there was "nothing standing thereof worthy to be continued in repair". Earthwork survey in the book (figure 17).

<2> Pevsner N, 1984, The Buildings of England Leicestershire and Rutland, p124 (Bibliographic reference). SLE4.

"Probably built in the C11 by the Haltons, demolished in 1216, rebuilt in the late C13 and 1409, and finally demolished in 1595. The deep ditch is still traceable in private gardens NE of the church. A row of cottages was built on the bottom courses of the castle wall."

<3> Elkin, Kathleen (ed), 2015, Medieval Leicestershire: Recent Research on the Medieval Archaeology of Leicestershire, p132, "Medieval fortified sites of Leics & Rutland", Richard Knox (Bibliographic reference). SLE5149.

"The original castle is thought to have been built in the early 12th century, possibly (though unproven) on an Iron Age hillfort. The site is scheduled as an enclosure castle as there is no evidence of a motte. The castle is mentioned in the agreement of c.1150. It was rebuilt in c.1278. It passed to William, Lord Hastings in 1461. It was ruinous by 1565, comprising five stone towers, a curtain wall and a dwelling house. Sir George Hastings demolished the castle in 1595 to reuse the stone to build his country house at Donington Park. Building work on the north side of the site in the 1940s revealed two thick walls and the site of a tower, which was removed in around 1910, were also noted (Clarke 1952, 42).
"In 1968-9 a section was excavated across the bailey ditch, which proved to be flat bottomed and recut more than once. The lower fill contained 14th and 15th century pottery and large amounts of building stone (Reaney 1969, 76; Creighton 1997, 34). A 30 to 40 feet deep, stone-lined well was recorded on the site in 1978. A building appraisal in 1997 recorded a surviving section of curtain wall, including a doorway and window at the back of cottages on Castle Hill (HER)."

<4> Fisher, Pamela J & Lee, JM, 2016, The Victoria History of Leicestershire: Castle Donington, p31-33 (Bibliographic reference). SLE5779.

The central area is almost hexagonal, 80m across, and surrounded by a moat, 30m wide and 5m deep. A counterscarp on the northern side provided a defensive bank 2m high and 5m wide. Part of a second outer ditch has been recut to create a modern road. Tradition attributes its construction to Eustace FitzJohn, who held the manor between c.1150 and 1157. When John de Lacy inherited in 1213, the castle was retained by King John as security against rebellion. It was released in 1214, but the king ordered its destruction in 1216 (this order may not have been carried out due to his death). It was given to the sheriff to imprison hostages in 1242 and to Adam de Gesemuth in 1266 'for the defence of these parts', suggesting a functioning building. Tenant plots overlay its ditch by 1303, but a household was resident during the earl of Lancaster's rebellion in 1322. It may have been abandoned shortly thereafter, as the buildings were said to be 'weak and ruinous' in 1331. The duchy of Lancaster sent stone cutters and carpenters to work on repairs in 1409, but by 1564 there was only a 'house' of stud and plaster in the yard, a tower converted into a dovecote, and stone which was being taken by steward Thomas Grey for his new house at Langley. In 1792 some rough walling survived, including a round-headed doorway, perhaps of the 12th century. The medieval walls were largely demolished in the early 20th century, when a new house was built no the site, but a small section survived in situ in 1997.

<5> Nichols J, The History and Antiquities of Leicestershire, Vol 3 pt 2 (1804), p770-1, pl 108 (Bibliographic reference). SLE7.

"Eustace Fitz-John .., killed in Wales in 1177 (p. 771) .. built the castle at Donington, which gave the distinguishing name to the place ... Few traces of the castle now remain ..." [See AO/59/287/5] The castle was demolished in 1216 by the King's command. "There was a chapel there ..."

<6> 1925-6, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 14, Vol 14 (1926), p32-77 (G Farnham and A Hamilton Thompson) (Journal). SLE5930.

"The castle was situated on a north-east spur of the ridge which rises abruptly at this point from the valley of the Trent and ommanded a wide view over the flat country northward ... Although now (1926) there are no remains of the castle buildings to be seen above ground, part of the wide dry moat remains, used as gardens and filled with fruit trees ... The strategic position of the castle, guarding the ferry across the Trent,is .. excellent ... It was demolished [in 1216] It must have been repaired, however, before long; for, on 22nd May, 1266, Henry III entrusted it to Adam of Jesmond to keep ... as Adam had need of it for the defence of those parts. It was still standing, though in bad repair, in 1564 when there seems to have been a curtain wall with five towers and a decayed house within it."

<7> 1977-8, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 53, Vol 53 (1978), p35 (Journal). SLE5951.

"A castle was first built here in the twelfth century on a high sandstone hill south-east of the River Trent, commanding important crossings of the river. It was a baronial castle belonging to the Barons Halton; confiscated by the Crown, it was destroyed in 1215. Rebuilt by Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who died in 1310, it subsequently fell into ruin and by 1330 was described as 'a certain castle, within the walls there are no garden or other buildings except the buildings themselves which are worth nothing beyond the expenses because they are weak and ruinous' . The site was surveyed for the Duchy of Lancaster in 1564 and the report paints a melancholy picture of ruin and decay with 'nothing standing thereof worthy to be continued in repair' and 'no timber, iron, glass, slates ... since any man living can remember'. The site came into the hands of the earl of Huntingdon who bought the property in 1595. By the end of the eighteenth century, few traces of the castle remained; a Nichols illustration shows a section of a stone wall, with an arch, and a ditch. Today, the remains of the castle are incorporated into the back walls of a row of cottages in Castle Hill. They consist of mutilated stone rubble walling one or two storeys in height, with one blocked, round-headed doorway. "

<8> Journal of the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, (1914), p2 (Journal). SLE3857.

"…the last remaining relics of the castle - a fragment of wall and of a butttress - were removed four or five years ago" (account of 1914). (RPJ June 87)

<9> Firth, JB, 1926, Highways & Byways of Leicestershire, p115 (Bibliographic reference). SLE6053.

Donington Castle was finally demolished in 1595 by Sir George Hastings, fourth Earl of Huntingdon, who used the materials for his new house in Donington Park.

<10> Page, William (ed), 1907, The Victoria County History of the County of Leicester, Volume 1, p256 (Bibliographic reference). SLE1156.

"The castle ... stands high upon a sandstone hill south-east of the River Trent ... The mound upon which stood the mediaeval keep is now divided into small holdings, ... The escarpment of the mound is still about 60 ft., with a counterscarp of almost the same height except on the east, where it is considerably lower, and without doubt marks the entrance to the former bailey. The base-court was probably obliterated by George, Earl of Huntingdon, who bought the castle ... of Queen Elizabeth , 'and hath quite ruinated the earth'. The outer scarp is generally of the same depth as the first, which,with the natural hillside made the work a formidable barrier. Buildings have so encroached upon the outer scarp that around its southern portion a great part is lost."
[For plan see AO/59/287/4]

<11> Hartley R F, 1984, The Medieval Earthworks of North West Leicestershire, p12 & p16 (Bibliographic reference). SLE326.

<12> 1952, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 28, Vol 28 (1952), p42 (Journal). SLE5944.

(?1944) F Cottrill noted 2 massive walls revealed in building work at N end of site. The N/S wall was 4' wide and the E/W 3'6" wide terminating in a door jamb. He considered this part of the keep (at least probably). He noted parts of the curtain wall. He noted the site of a bastion which was standing till 1914 and marked a 2nd (but on what basis is not clear). A blocked doorway was also noted in this re-used wall (N wall of cottages).
Plan and photograph in Museum [Leicester] Information from Mr. L. W. Robinson (NRHE).

<13> 1978-9, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 54, Vol 54 (1979), p74 (Journal). SLE5932.

"An excavation was carried out on the castle moat in 1968-70 by D. Reaney and although the results of the excavation have never been published a brief report, including sections, has been deposited at the Jewry Wall Museum. The ditch which surrounded the motte is still partially visible."
The ditch was flat-bottomed, recut once or twice. There was C14th and C15th pottery in the lower fill. Many large blocks of stone and building debris were noted. Finds remain on site.

<14> 1992, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 66, Vol 66 (1992), p184 (Journal). SLE5935.

A watching brief was carried out on the land fronting Castle Hill and Hillside during the machine excavation of engineers trial holes in advance of construction of a Roman Catholic Church. No archaeological was observed.

<15> Ryder, Peter F, 1997, Castle Donington: A Historic Buildings Appraisal (Unpublished document). SLE1726.

1997: A building appraisal stated that only 2 certain pieces of castle fabric remained - a fragment of an internal building in a boundary (see MLE17554) and a piece of the northern curtain wall in the rear wall of 18, Castle Hill (see MLE17446).

<16> Higgins, T, 2002, An archaeological watching brief at 24 Castle Hill, Castle Donington, Leicestershire (Unpublished document). SLE1338.

A watching brief by ULAS at 24 Castle Hill in 2001 revealed an area of rubble make-up of crushed sandstone and mortar (possibly the old wall) possibly to raise the ground level.

<17> Buckley, R, 2001, 24 Castle Hill, Castle Donington, Leicestershire: An Archaeological Impact Assessment (Unpublished document). SLE3749.

2001: A rubble make-up layer was recorded during a watching brief at 24, Castle Hill.

<18> Webb, P & Kinsley, G, 2007, Archaeological evaluation of a proposed extension to 3, Castle Hill, Castle Donington (Unpublished document). SLE1501.

2007 & 2012: Watching briefs at 3, Castle Hill recorded demolition debris from a building and C13th pottery (see MLE16835).
Report is in ADS Library: 10.5284/1012472 - http://dx.doi.org/10.5284/1012472

<19> Webb, P, 2007, Archaeological excavation of wall trenches at no. 3, Castle Hill, Castle Donington (Unpublished document). SLE905.

2007 & 2012: Watching briefs at 3, Castle Hill recorded demolition debris from a building and C13th pottery (see MLE16835).
Report is in ADS Library: doi:10.5284/1012474 - http://dx.doi.org/10.5284/1012474

<20> Sheppard, Richard & Linington, T, 2013, An archaeological watching brief at no. 3, Castle Hill, Castle Donington (Unpublished document). SLE4048.

2007 & 2012: Watching briefs at 3, Castle Hill recorded demolition debris from a building and C13th pottery (see MLE16835).

<21> Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, 2008, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 82, Vol 82 (2008), p283 (Journal). SLE5364.

Fieldwork noted in Transactions.

<22> Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, 2009, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 83, Vol 83 (2009), p252 (Journal). SLE5365.

Fieldwork was noted in Transactions.

<23> Sheppard, Richard, 2013, An archaeological watching brief at no. 11, Castle Hill, Castle Donington (Unpublished document). SLE4049.

2012: Watching brief at 11, Castle Hill recorded a possible turret with an internal space of 1.2m diameter (see MLE20869). 78 sherds of medieval pottery were recovered as well as some worked slates, tiles, lumps of mortar, animal bones and a few badly corroded iron objects.

<24> Finn, Neil, 2017, Archaeological test pit evaluation at no. 7, The Hollow, Castle Donington, Leicestershire (Unpublished document). SLE5445.

2017: A test pit to the rear of 7, The Hollow, exposed a series of deposits of medieval, post-medieval and modern date. The earliest deposit dated from the 2nd half of the C13th or the C14th. A deposit containing sandstone rubble may be derived from an episode of stone robbing on the castle site (it included later C14th and C15th sherds of pottery). The deposits could be the backfill of an outer ditch on the south side of the castle.

<25> Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, 2018, Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, Volume 92, Vol 92 (2018), p264 (Journal). SLE5817.

The 2017 test pitting was noted in Transactions.

<26> 2016, National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) accessioning (Website). SLE4981.

SUMMARY: "Site of a medieval enclosure castle with outer and inner ditches surviving as earthworks, partly infilled. Buried foundations of castle built circa 1150, destroyed in 1215, rebuilt circa 1290 and ruinous by 1565. It was demolished in 1595. The enclosure castle occupies a sub-circular area about 160 metres in diameter defined by a pair of ditches cutting off the tip of the promontory from the plateau to the south. The outer ditch has been mostly backfilled but is still visible as an earthwork feature about 2 metres deep and 15 metres wide. The inner ditch is still a major earthwork despite being infilled at various points along its circuit. To the south and south east it was 10 metres below ground level and at least 25 metres wide. To the north and west the ditch was formed by scarping the natural slopes. The outer ditch is separated from the inner ditch by a broad bank up to 4 metres above present ground level and 20 metres wide towards its south-western end. The main buildings of the castle occupied the irregularly-shaped platform in the centre of the site and it is clear from documentary references and finds made in the 1940's that the platform was surrounded by a substantial curtain wall with at least five towers. A stone lined well was found in 1978."
URL: 'https://nrhe-to-her.esdm.co.uk/NRHE/RecordDetail.aspx?pageid=45&he_uid=315372', accessioned 25/10/2023.

<27> Ordnance Survey 1:10,560 (6") historic mapping, 6" (1922) (Map). SLE7243.

[SK 4484 2759] Castle [G.T.] (Remains of) Moat [G.T.]

<28> Platt, C, 1978, Medieval England, p136-7 (Bibliographic reference). SLE6209.

Historical notes and low oblique A.P. showing the tree covered castle mound and the village of Castle Donington.

<29> Firth, JB, 1926, Highways & Byways of Leicestershire, p113 (Bibliographic reference). SLE6053.

The castle was finally demolished in 1595 by Sir George Hastings, fourth Earl of Huntingdon.

<30> Plans of ancient earthworks made by the Rev. Edward Andrews Downman, Downman MSS, 388 41., p.19 (Archive). SLE7356.

Plan & description.

<31> Field Investigators Comments, W C Woodhouse/02-FEB-1960 (Website). SLE3488.

The area of the castle is occupied by small houses, gardens and orchards. Though extensively mutilated the earthworks seem to comprise a large, wide ditch encircling the summit of a prominent natural hill. No certain evidence of a mound as such now survives. Since they were portrayed on the 1922 edition the slopes of this ditch have been extensively mutilated on the north and west in the creation of gardens. On the east side the outer slope of the ditch appears to turn outwards and fragments of an apparent counterscarp bank are visible - those on the south side of the gap are badily mutilated.
Contrary to the description and plan given by Authy. 4 no trace of this counterscarp is visible on the north and eastern side of the castle. The northern slope is extensively mutilated by old quarries, some giving a terraced effect to the relatively
steep hillside, and, in this investigator's opinion these have been mis-identified by Authy. 4. The eastern side has been partly levelled in the gardens to a new house. No trace of an earthern or other bailey was seen in field investigation. Several walls in the enclosed area contain obviously reused stone. The only extant remains probably of the castle buildings is the stonework forming the northern most wall of a terrace of houses on the north of the enclosed area - centred at SK 4484 2762. Here, to a height of c.2.0m., the wall of these 18/19th c. brick-built houses is an irregularly coursed stone wall, very patched and uneven. At the west end is a small opening with a modern rounded arch, probably an original door. No evidence of the date of this walling was gained - it is probably the ruin shown in Nichol's view.
A 25" AM survey has been made.

<32> Field Investigators Comments, J Baird/02-AUG-1972 (Website). SLE3488.

No change.

<33> Cathcart King, DJ, 1982, Castellarium Anglicanum: an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Vol I: Anglesey to Montgomery, p253 (Bibliographic reference). SLE4995.

Listed by Cathcart King.

<34> Brown, RA; Colvine, HM; Taylor, AJ, 1963, The History of the King's Works, Vol 2: The Middle Ages (Bibliographic reference). SLE7357.

The castle, a possession of the Lascys of Pontefract, passed to yhe House of Lancaster in 1311 and thence into royal hands in 1399.

Sources

Associated Finds

• ROOF SLATE (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)
• SHERD (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)
• SHERD (Saxo Norman to Early Medieval - 1067 AD to 1300 AD)
• TILE (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)
• WORKED OBJECT (Medieval - 1067 AD to 1539 AD)
• SHERD (Early Medieval to Late Medieval - 1250 AD to 1539 AD)

Designations

• Conservation Area: Castle Donington
• Scheduled Monument 1011608: ENCLOSURE CASTLE AT CASTLE DONINGTON

Associated Images

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