Bottreaux Castle (pronounced "Botro"), colloquially known as The Courte during the time John Leyland visited, and later known as Boscastle Castle, is a ruined

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in Boscastle, England. It was originally built in the 12th century and only earthworks remain today.

History

Bottreaux Castle was likely built sometime between 1154 and 1189 (during the reign of

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

) by Sir William des Bottreaux, and it was anciently in the possession of the de Botreaux family, which became under William de Botreaux (1337–91) the

Barons Botreaux Barons may refer to: *Baron (plural), a rank of nobility *Barons (surname), a Latvian surname *Barons, Alberta, Canada * ''Barons'' (TV series), a 2022 Australian drama series * ''The Barons'', a 2009 Belgian film Sports * Birmingham Barons, a Min ...

; the castle does not actually appear in records until the 13th century. The last member of the Bottreaux family died in 1462, and the castle soon fell into decay. In 1478,

William Worcester William Worcester (c. 1415 – c. 1482) was an English antiquary, author, and historian known for his detailed writings on medieval England. He served as the secretary to Sir John Fastolf, a prominent military commander during the Hundred Year ...

mentioned Bottreaux Castle only as a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

, John Leyland visited the castle in 1538, but the castle was likely demolished before he visited; he commented on the ruins, calling them "''far unworthie the name of a castel; the people there, call it the Courte.''" In , Richard Carew noted that it was once used as a unisex prison. He wrote: "''The first place which heere offreth itselfe to sight, is Bottreaux Castle, seated on a bad harbour of the North sea, & suburbed with a poore market town, yet entitling the owner in times past, with the stile of a Baron, from whom, by match it descended to the L. Hungerford, & 21resteth in the Earle of Huntingdon. The diuersified roomes of a prison, in the Castle, for both sexes, better preserued by the Inhabitants memorie, then descerneable by their owne endurance, shew the same, heeretofore to haue exercised some large iurisdiction.''" The castle was in ruins by 1769 and an 1852 survey by Maclaughlan found that although some walls were visible, only about half of the motte was visible. The current site of the castle sits on a steep spur overlooking the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan (, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn''; , ''Nəhar hayYardēn''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Sharieat'' (), is a endorheic basin, endorheic river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and d ...

in a public park and a

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

is present on the site of the castle. It was designated as a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

on April 22, 1974.

References

Castles in Cornwall Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century {{coord missing, Cornwall