Information for record number MWA10293:
The Keep, Kenilworth Castle.

Summary The stone Keep dates from the late 12th century with alterations and additions in the 14th. Most of the windows were widened or replaced in the 16th century. The north wall was destroyed after the Civil War.
What Is It?  
Type: Keep
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Kenilworth
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 27 72
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Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The Keep dates from the replacement in stone of the original motte and bailey construction, and dates from the late 12th century. It is rectangular with square angle turrets and three floor levels, the uppermost of which was a fighting gallery with arrow slits. Significant alterations were made in the late 14th century when new domestic ranges were added. Most of the windows were widened or replaced by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in the 16th century. The northern wall was destroyed in the slighting after the Civil War.
2 Building recording of the upper part of the central window arch on the lowest floor in the south wall of The Keep produced evidence for the widening of the 12th century window.
3 Building recording of the upper part of the westernmost window arch on the lowest floor of the Keep. Recorded evidence for the widening of the 12th century windows in the late 16th century.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Building Survey
Title: Archaeological Recording of the central window Arch of the Keep, Kenilworth Castle
Author/originator: Coutts C & Greig I
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0528
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Building Survey
Title: Archaeological Recording of the central window Arch of the Keep, Kenilworth Castle
Author/originator: Coutts C & Greig I
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Report No 0528
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Recording of the western window Arch of the Keep, Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Warwick Museum
Date: 2006
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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monument CIVIL * This is the top term for the class. See CIVIL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument ARCH * A structure over an opening usually formed of wedge-shaped blocks of brick or stone held together by mutual pressure and supported at the sides; they can also be formed from moulded concrete/ cast metal. A component; use for free-standing structure only. back
monument KEEP * The major tower of a fortification, often acting as its last defence. back
monument TURRET * A small tower or bartizan, which was often placed at the angles of a castle, to increase the flanking ability, some only serving as corner buttresses. Also used to describe the small rectangular towers situated between the milecastles along Hadrians Wall. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument MOTTE AND BAILEY * An early form of castle consisting of a flat-top steep-sided earthen mound, supporting a wooden tower, and a bailey. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back
monument DOMESTIC * This is the top term for the class. See DOMESTIC Class List for narrow terms. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record