| Summary : The castle was built by King John between 1206 and 1212. In 1216 it was granted to Gilbert de Clare and remained in that family until 1314. Between 1322 and his death in 1327 Edward II carried out extensive work which included, in 1324, the digging of a great ditch round the castle, 60 feet wide and 7 feet deep. Three sides of a sub-rectangular dry moat mark the site of Hanley Castle. The fourth side, the northern sector in front of and to the east of, the now derelict Hanley Castle House, has been rendered indefinable by landscaping. The derelict house was built in the 17th century. There may also be a fishpond on the site. Scheduled. |
More information : (SO 83834138) Castle (NR) (Site of) (1)
Hanley Castle, of which there are no traces ..." was a large square building with four towers, surrounded by a moat; the keep was placed in the northwest corner". (2)
The castle stood within a double moat, but only the inner remains the northern side of which was filled in during the late 19th century. The only remains of the castle is a circular concave pit in the north east corner of the moat. This is walled in and has the remains of a grating at the bottom and is said to have been an outdoor oven. Foundation walls, 9ft thick, have been found nearby. The existing Hanley Castle is of early 17th century date. (3)
Hanley Castle was a royal castle commanding the high road from Worcester to Upton. It was built by King John between 1206 and 1212. In 1216 it was granted to Gilbert de Clare and remained in that family until 1314. Between 1322 and his death in 1327 Edward II carried out extensive work which included, in 1324, the digging of a great ditch round the castle, 60ft wide and 7ft deep. A schedule of building materials, taken in 1327, suggests that the work was incomplete at that date. (4-5)
Three sides of a sub-rectangular dry moat mark the site of Hanley Castle. The fourth side, the northern sector in front of and to the E of, the now derelict Hanley Castle House, has been rendered indefinable by landscaping. The ditch is now some 1.5m deep and varies between 28.0m and 38.0m wide. The central plateform shows no trace of any building foundations.
Published survey (25") correct. (6)
The moat at Hanley Castle itself may have been the fish pond, but there is a reference in 1172-3 to the cost of repair of a fish pond which implies a separate construction which no longer exists. (7)
SO 838415. Site of Castle. Scheduled (8)
Listed by Cathcart King. (9) |