Pilsbury Castle
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Pilsbury Castle was a
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...
castle in
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
near the present-day
village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
of
Pilsbury Pilsbury is a hamlet in the English county of Derbyshire, approximately 2 miles north of Hartington. It is on the side of the valley of the River Dove that, thereabouts, forms the border with the county of Staffordshire. History Pilsbury w ...
, overlooking the River Dove.


Details

Pilsbury Castle occupied an area of high ground approximately overlooking the River Dove, near the village of Pilsbury. The castle was probably originally an
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
fortification before being used by the Normans, and the name "Pilsbury Castle" forms from the Celtic ''pil'', the Saxon ''bury'' and the Norman ''castel'', all meaning "fortified site". In early medieval times, the site would have been located along the River Dove routeway, and would also have overlooked a key crossing point. The Normans built a substantial
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 eas ...
castle on the site, and several theories have been put forward as to when and who did so. One theory is that the castle was built in the years following the
Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
. The area around Pilsbury was granted to
Henry de Ferrers Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Normans, Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest of England, Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and i ...
by
King William King William may refer to: People Bimbia * William I of Bimbia * William II of Bimbia () Britain and Ireland * William of England (disambiguation), multiple kings * William I, King of Scots (–1214), also known as William the Lion German Empir ...
; the area was devastated during the
harrying of the North The Harrying of the North was a series of military campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate Northern England, where the presence of the last House of Wessex, Wessex claimant, Edgar Ætheling, had encour ...
, and the castle may have been built in the aftermath by Henry to establish control. Henry built other castles at
Tutbury Tutbury is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It is north of Burton upon Trent and south of the Peak District. The village has a population of about 3,076 residents. It adjoins Hatton to the north on the Staffordshire–Der ...
and Duffield, making Pilsbury part of this set of 11th-century fortifications. An alternative suggestion is that it was built by Robert de Ferrers or his father, around the period known as
The Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adel ...
for, while the de Ferrers supported
Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 113 ...
, the neighbouring
Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...
supported
Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...
.Landon, Ash, Payne and Phillips (2006). The castle itself includes a motte and two bailey enclosures, approximately and across respectively. It had timber defences, ditches and additional flanking earthworks. The castle appears to have been abandoned in subsequent years, and it may be that it was destroyed after William de Ferrers' part in the
Revolt of 1173–74 Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
, or it might have become abandoned when the land passed to the
Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...
after the sixth Earl was dispossessed. Alternatively, it may simply have become redundant as nearby Hartington grew in importance and the village of Pilsbury became increasingly depopulated. By the 20th century, there was little to see except for a mound on a limestone outcrop and the remains of various earthworks. At the beginning of the present century, however, archaeological surveys revealed the foundations of the castle. The site is a
Scheduled Ancient 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 ...
.


See also

*
Castles in Great Britain and Ireland Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 105 ...
*
List of castles in England This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a list ...


References


Bibliography

* Cox, J. C. "Ancient Earthworks," in Page (ed) (1905). * Landon, N., P. Ash, A. Payne, and G. Phillips (2006) "Pilsbury: A Forgotten Castle," ''Derbyshire Archaeological Journal'', Vol 126. pp 82‑102. * Page, William. (ed) (1905) ''The Victoria History of the County of Derby, vol. 1.'' London: James Street. * Turbutt, G. (1999) ''A History of Derbyshire. Volume 2: Medieval Derbyshire.'' Cardiff: Merton Priory Press.


External links


Pilsbury Castle website
{{Derbyshire Places of interest Castles in Derbyshire History of Derbyshire Tourist attractions in Derbyshire Scheduled monuments in Derbyshire Norman castles