Information for record number MWA4:
Kingsbury Hall Castle

Summary The site of Kingsbury Hall Castle which was built during the Medieval period. The walls of the enclosure are still visible, as well as an octagonal tower.
What Is It?  
Type: Castle
Period: Medieval (1066 AD - 1539 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Kingsbury
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 21 96
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

 
Source Number  

1 Two lengths of 14th century curtain wall about 1.7m thick and 6m high built of good coursed square masonry. The two lengths meet at a semi-octagonal tower about 2.5m wide across inner mouth. Adjoining W side of tower is a small turret containing garderobe. Traces of a second garderobe exist. The length of wall running N from the tower runs to the main gateway with a 3m wide archway, probably rebuilt, which appears to have had an external gatehouse. A pond to the N of the N wall may indicate a moat. Detailed information also exists on the history of the ownership of the manor of Kingsbury.
2 The title castle is appropriate because of the strong defensive nature of the site and the strength of the remaining structure. The walls are probably 13th century/early 14th century and the tower and main gateway slightly later.
3 The site was scheduled and the scheduled area later enlarged to include Kingsbury Hall.
4 SAM List
5 OS Card
6 Field Survey Form
7 Scheduled Monument Information. Revised area and new number. The scheduling includes the standing and buried remains of the Medieval enclosure castle, including a curtain wall and a house. The curtain wall includes standing remains to the south and east, dating from the 14th century. The walls measure about 1.5m in width, standing up to 5.5m high with a semi-octagonal tower located at the south east angle. The walls are constructed of coursed sandstone. The east curtain wall measures approx. 28m in length with an arched gateway. The southern wall is approx. 21m in length with the remains of a 2nd tower. The castle survives well.
8 Scheduling information from 1980.
9 Three architectural plans relating to a proposed new bungalow at Kingsbury Hall.
10 archival material from the Department of the Environment.
11 The curtain wall of Kingsbury Hall, Kingsbury, has been studied during a 2005 building survey of the site. The south-eastern corner of the site is defended by the still substantial curtain wall which is about 1.7m thick and survives up to a height of about 6m. This, however, is only thought part of the original height of the wall. Both surviving sections of the curtain wall are approximately 27m and at the south-eastern corner a half-octagonal tower remains containing garderobes. The wall presumably extended further to the west and north. It is presumed that this circuited the entire site - apart, perhaps, from the side with the river to the west. The gateway in the eastern section of the curtain wall is where there is a chamfered stone arch and appears a late 16th or early 17th century insertion. To either side of the opening are scars in the masonry on the external face which suggest the former existence of a projecting gatehouse or other mural tower. The general character of the wall, tower and garderobes suggest a later 14th century date for its construction.
 
Sources

Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 4, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 4
   
Source No: 6
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Monuments Evaluation and Presentation Project
Author/originator: Baker H D
Date: 1987
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Field Survey Form
   
Source No: 11
Source Type: Building Survey
Title: Kingsbury Hall, Kingsbury, Warwickshire: An archaeological & Architectural Analysis & Recommendations for Restoration
Author/originator: Richard K Morriss
Date: 2005
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 9
Source Type: Plan
Title: Proposed bungalow at Kingsbury Hall
Author/originator:
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 5
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: OS Card 29NW3
Author/originator: Ordnance Survey
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 29NW3
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Serial
Title: TBAS vol 67
Author/originator: Chatwin P B
Date: 1947
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 67
   
Source No: 8
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Kingsbury Hall
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1980
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 10
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Kingsbury Hall
Author/originator: DoE
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: SAM list 1985
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1985
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Kingsbury Hill Castle
Author/originator: DoE
Date: 1977
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 7
Source Type: Scheduling record
Title: Kingsbury Hall: a medieval enclosure castle and post medieval house
Author/originator: English Heritage
Date: 2001
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
back
source OS Card Ordnance Survey Record Card. Before the 1970s the Ordnance Survey (OS) were responsible for recording archaeological monuments during mapping exercises. This helped the Ordnance Survey to decide which monuments to publish on maps. During these exercises the details of the monuments were written down on record cards. Copies of some of the cards are kept at the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. The responsibility for recording archaeological monuments later passed to the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments. back
source SAM List Scheduled Ancient Monument List. A list or schedule of archaelogical and historic monuments that are considered to be of national importance. The list contains a detailed description of each Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and a map showing their location and extent. By being placed on the schedule, SAMs are protected by law from any unauthorised distrubance. The list has been compiled and is maintained by English Heritage. It is updated periodically. back
source TBAS Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society is a journal produced by the society annually. It contains articles about archaeological field work that has taken place in Birmingham and Warwickshire in previous years. Copies of the journal are kept by the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Field Survey The term ‘field survey’ is used to describe all work that does not disturb archaeological deposits below the ground through an excavation. Field survey techniques involve recording measurements that help archaeologists draw plans or diagrams of archaeological features. There are a variety of different field survey techniques, including geophysical survey, building recording survey, field walking survey, landscape survey and earthwork survey. back
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.
more ->
back
period Post Medieval About 1540 AD to 1750 AD (the 16th century AD to the 18th century AD)

The Post Medieval period comes after the medieval period and before the Imperial period.

This period covers the second half of the reign of the Tudors (1485 – 1603), the reign of the Stuarts (1603 – 1702) and the beginning of the reign of the Hannoverians (1714 – 1836).
more ->
back
monument GARDEROBE * A small latrine or toilet, usually built into the thickness of the wall of a castle or great house, with the waste dropping into a cess pit or straight to the outside. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. 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 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 TOWER * A tall building, either round, square or polygonal in plan, used for a variety of purposes, including defence, as a landmark, for the hanging of bells, industrial functions, etc. Use more specific type where known. back
monument POND * A body of still water often artificially formed for a specific purpose. Use specifc type where known. back
monument MURAL * A picture or pattern produced by either by cementing together small pieces of stone or glass of various colours or by painting directly onto a wall. back
monument MOAT * A wide ditch surrounding a building, usually filled with water. Use for moated sites, not defensive moats. Use with relevant site type where known, eg. MANOR HOUSE, GARDEN, etc. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument GATEHOUSE * A gateway with one or more chambers over the entrance arch; the flanking towers housing stairs and additional rooms. Use with wider site type where known. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument ENCLOSURE * An area of land enclosed by a boundary ditch, bank, wall, palisade or other similar barrier. Use specific type where known. back
monument MANOR * An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc. back
monument GATEWAY * A substantial structure supporting or surrounding a gate. May be ornate or monumental, and have associated structures such as lodges, tollbooths, guard houses etc. 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 STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument BUNGALOW * A one-storey house. back
monument CURTAIN WALL * A wall between two towers or pavilions, usually surrounding a building, and often forming a major part of the defences. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record