Laxton Castle
Laxton Castle is a ruined castle north of the village of Laxton in the English county of Nottinghamshire . According to the British Archaeological Association's early 20th century report , the site is not only "the most impressive example of a hill and courtyard fortress in the area," but also "the two courtyards in near perfect condition" that Laxton Castle is makes it a valuable study object.
The earthworks and wall remains that have survived to this day have been studied by archaeologists from the University of Birmingham and the University of Nottingham since 2003 . A 16th-century mansion called Laxton Hall also stood on the site of the ruins of the medieval castle .
Details
The first motte to be built on this site was probably erected soon after the Norman conquest of England , presumably at the behest of Geoffrey Alselin , who received the property as a fief in 1066, or, more likely, Alselin 's son-in-law Robert de Caux who used Laxton Castle as a family residence after Alselin's death. The shape of the inner courtyard is common for smaller earthwork castles of Norman origin.
The second phase of construction may have followed De Caux's appointment as hereditary keeper of the Royal Forests of Nottingham and Derbyshire , although the extent of the renovations that King John Ohneland carried out after bringing the castle to the Crown in 1204 is unknown . In 1230 the title and castle fell to the Everingham family until they lost their title again in 1286. The property was found unfit to support the family and so they left and moved to another property in Yorkshire . After that, Laxton Castle fell into disrepair.
The British Archaeological Association drew attention to the castle's defenses:
“The grandeur of the outer courtyard, the formidable character of the defenses of the inner courtyard, the arrangement of the mound for the keep on the edge of a natural escarpment on the north side and the evidence of guarded paths to this place all show the great importance of Laxton Castle in the troubled days of his early days, when the feudal lords only cared about their personal possessions and hardly wasted a thought on the rights of their neighbors. "
Individual evidence
- ^ A b British Archaeological Association: Journal . 1906-1907. Retrieved June 28, 2016. (Public Domain)
- ↑ a b c d e Keith Challis: Settlement Morphology and Medieval Village Planning: A Case Study at Laxton, Nottinghamshire . HP Vista Center, Institute of Archeology & Antiquity, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
Coordinates: 53 ° 12 ′ 3.2 ″ N , 0 ° 55 ′ 25 ″ W.