St Mawes Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; St Mose; St Marys; St Maudet; Pendinas; La Vousa

In the civil parish of St Just In Roseland.
In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

Multi-lobed artillery castle, built 1540-43, at St Mawes, on a broad headland flanking the east side of the Carrick Roads, the mouth of the River Fal. The wider curtilage of the artillery castle incorporates a broadly contemporary shoreline blockhouse.

This site has been described as a Artillery Fort:

Fortifications designed specifically for mounting artillery, usually as coastal defence against warships. Vary from large stone structures to small earthwork bulwarks with room for one or two pieces. Although some of the large royal buildings were of high quality with good detail these are actually practical military works.

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

Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 63079)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SW84113275

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 number; 428635
Web site links
- http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/st-mawes/st-mawes.php
  http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/204/stmawescastle.htm
  http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/st%20mawes%20castle.htm
  http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_St_Mawes.htm
  http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/204/stmawescastle.htm
  http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.307
  http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/content/433.html
Books
- Duffy, Michael, 1999, 'Coastal Defences and Garrisons 1480-1914' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p158-60
  Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p35-7
  Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage)
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p22
  Spreadbury, I. D., 1984, Castles in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (Redruth)
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p75
  Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p289-90
  Price, M. and H., 1980, Castles of Cornwall (Bossiney Books) p33-44
  Morley, B.M., 1976, Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence (London) p13-4, 18-9, 40
  Pevsner, Nikolaus; revised by Enid Radcliffe, 1970, Buildings of England: Cornwall (Harmondsworth) p189-90
  Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p792-3
  Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p113-5
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p12-13
  Oliver, S.P., 1984, Pendennis and St Mawes: an historical sketch of two Cornish castles (Redruth: Dyllansow Truran) [facsimile of the 1875 edition]
  Lysons, D. and S., 1814, Magna Britannia Vol3 Cornwall [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=403]
  Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p28
Guidebooks
- Linzey, Dick, 1999, Pendennis and St Mawes (English Heritage)
  Morley, B., 1988, The castles of Pendennis & St Mawes (English Heritage)
  Anon. 1985, Pendennis and St Mawes castles (London. English Heritage)
  Anon, 1963, Pendennis and St Mawes castles (HMSO)
  1947, Saint Mawes Castle [guide] (Ministry of Works, Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings)
  Drake, 1934, Saint Mawes Castle (HMSO)
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cornwalleng.html#cornwall1]
  Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p73, 75, 86

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations.

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