Clophill
Cainhoe Castle

Places > Clophill > Castles

Cainhoe Castle is an earthwork castle of the late eleventh or early twelfth century with a motte (a mound of earth on which a castle was erected) and three baileys (outer walls and their enclosed spaces) well protected by ditches. The motte is approximately 8-9 meters high with a circular top. Stonework was added but as yet the nature of the castle in its final form is not known. The castle belonged to the d'Aubigny family and then passed to the Lacys and the Nortons, and then to the Greys, Earls of Kent. As well as the castle there are also a series of earthworks which are presumed to represent a deserted medieval village.

Sources:

• Cainhoe Castle excavations by Alison Taylor and Peter Woodward in Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, Vol. 10, 1975
• The castles of the Thames Valley and the Chilterns by Mike Salter (Folly Publications, 2003)

Page last updated: 23rd Janaury 2014