Ince Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Innis

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

Built in 1653 although earlier in style, a picturesque building of brick with stone dressings with battlements and small towers. It possibly relates to 'toy forts' such as the nearby Mount Edgcumbe, intended more as a house than a work of fortification. Rejected by King and Spreadbury. Salter says dates from 1640 and mainly domestic but had some small cannon found after Civil War siege.

This site has been described as a Fortified Manor House.A high status fortified residence not capable of withstanding an army but able to resist an armed band. They are generally moated and have a gatehouse with loops and crenellations. They tend to be sited with much less consideration for tactical and strategic defence and with domestic considerations, such as ease of access, to the fore. The difference between a small castles and a fortified manor house is a subjective one and may well be an artificial division in that for contemporary medieval citizens it may not have existed. David King did not use this term and preferred the term Strong House, since not all fortified high status houses were manorial, but use of his term Strong House has not been widely adopted possible because it is widely used as a synonym for bastle. Such buildings did not require a licence to crenellate and having a licence to crenellate does not mean a building was certainly fortified. However, I have recorded all buildings issued a licence to crenellate under this group since they clearly were at least intended to be [re]constructed in a fortified style.

This site is rejected as a medieval fortification or palace.

This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 60392)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX401565

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

Books
- Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p21
  Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p78
  Pevsner, N. revised by Enid Radcliffe, 1970, Buildings of England: Cornwall (Harmondsworth) p83
  Jope, E. (ed), 1961, Studies in Building History (Odhams) p212-4
  Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p108-9
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p4
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p360
Journal Articles
- Hussey, Christopher, 1967 16 March, Country Life
  Hussey, Christopher, 1967 23 March, Country Life

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The comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of Cornwall

With thanks to Philip Davis

Ince Castle

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX401565

Sources of information, references and further reading