Federation of Old Cornwall Societies

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No. 247283 

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The comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of Cornwall

With thanks to Philip Davis

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Cardinham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cadenham

In the civil parish of Cardinham.
In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

Earthwork remains of motte and bailey castle probably built by Richard Fitz Turold. The motte is 4m high and has been extensively mutilated on its top and east side by surface stone digging. (King calls this a ringwork) The bailey is generally well preserved on the west and south sides but the east side has apparently been cut away.

This site has been described as a Timber Castle. These are the earthwork and timber castles of the motte and bailey or ringwork form which where the vast majority of castles of the early conquest period, of the Marches in the 11th and 12th centuries and of the period during the reign of Stephen known as the Anarchy. They were generally fairly short lived, although some such castles survived for centuries, with the timber buildings and defences being replaced on occasions sometimes in timber and sometimes in Masonry (Alderton Castle in Northamptonshire was shown in a Time Team excavation to have been built about 1070 and to still have been having high status visitors in the C15-a fine piece of enamels horse harness being found in the gatehouse). Some of the smaller low mottes may have been adapted into moated manor houses, whilst others where abandoned and replaced by manor houses of a more comfortable and domestic nature. Timber castles varied greatly in size with some being massive constructions clearly deserving the term castle, whilst other were small mounds of minor knights and had a similar size, function and social status as the later pele towers. These small mottes are called 'castle' but this could be considered a rather loose use of the term.

The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX126680

 

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

• PastScape 

• Web site links

  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/200/cardinhamcastle.htm

• Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2002, Index and Amendments to Mike Salter's English Castles Books (Malvern) p6
    Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p136-43
    Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p18
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p24 [slight]
    Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p73
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p2
    Polwhele, R., 1803, History of Cornwall (London) Vol1 p107

• Journal Articles

  • Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p310
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Picken, W.M.M., 1954-5, Devon and Cornwall notes and queries Vol26 p203-4
    MacLauchlan, 1850, Royal Institute of Cornwall 32th report p36 plate xxvii

• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p78