Risinghoe Castle
Encyclopedia
Risinghoe Castle, sometimes known as Goldington Castle, is a 20 foot mound, located in the former village of Goldington
, a parish in the hundred of Barford, in the county of Bedfordshire
, England
. The village of Goldington
has now been incorporated into the town of Bedford
, and the castle is now officially is located in Newnham
ward. The mound is located on the north side of the river Ouse
, three miles east of Bedford Castle
and a mile west of Renhold Castle
castle
built sometime after the Norman Invasion
of 1066. It is referred to as having been the property of Hugh de Beauchamp
, the chief landowner in Goldington
in 1086. The castle is mentioned as already being old by the end of the 12th century. It was probably obtained by Warden Abbey with the grange of Risinghoe and Puttenhoe Manor, with which it was conferred on Sir John Gostwick
at the Dissolution
(1538–1541), afterwards passing, with the rest of their property in Goldington, to John Russell, Duke of Bedford
.
There is no surviving physical evidence of a bailey, nor other elements of a castle, although this may be due to extensive clay extraction on the site in Victorian times. A number of authors have stated that the mound was excavated in 1943, however no primary sources for the excavation appear to exist, and there is no mention of it in the report of the 1943 annual meeting of the Bedfordshire Natural History and Archaeological Society. An alternative version, stated by local residents, is that the mound was penetrated for the construction of an air raid shelter in 1940 and nothing was found. If the second version of events is correct, then no professional excavation has ever taken place.
Beauchamp Wadmore, in his 1920 book The Earthworks of Bedfordshire, casts further doubts on the status as a castle site. Wadmore’s researches point to the mound being erected to commemorate a 9th century victory over the Danes associated with nearby Gannock Castle
. Wadmore also states that, prior to the damage of the site for clay extraction, a second smaller mound existed. However, an early Ordnance Survey
map names it as a castle site.
Risinghoe Castle is located on private property belonging to a local company and is not open to the public. However, the site can be viewed from a distance from the nearby road.
Goldington
Goldington is an electoral ward and former village within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.The boundaries of Goldington are approximately Norse Road and Cemetery to the north and east, Goldington Road to the south, with Church Lane and Haylands Way to the west...
, a parish in the hundred of Barford, in the county of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village of Goldington
Goldington
Goldington is an electoral ward and former village within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.The boundaries of Goldington are approximately Norse Road and Cemetery to the north and east, Goldington Road to the south, with Church Lane and Haylands Way to the west...
has now been incorporated into the town of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, and the castle is now officially is located in Newnham
Newnham, Bedford
Newnham is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.The boundaries of Newnham are approximately Goldington Road to the north, the River Great Ouse to the south and east, with Denmark Street and George Street to the west....
ward. The mound is located on the north side of the river Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
, three miles east of Bedford Castle
Bedford Castle
Bedford Castle was a large medieval castle in Bedford, England. Built after 1100 by Henry I, the castle played a prominent part in both the civil war of the Anarchy and the First Barons' War. The castle was significantly extended in stone, although the final plan of the castle remains uncertain...
and a mile west of Renhold Castle
Renhold Castle
Renhold Castle was a Medieval castle located in the village of Renhold, in the hundred of Barford, in the county of Bedfordshire, England.Renhold Castle was a timber motte-and-bailey castle, encased by a moat. It was located 4 miles east of Bedford Castle and a mile south of Great Barford Castle...
Details
Controversy exists over the original purpose of the earthwork, particularly whether it was actually part of a castle site. Conventional wisdom states Risinghoe Castle was a timber Motte-and-baileyMotte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
built sometime after the Norman Invasion
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
of 1066. It is referred to as having been the property of Hugh de Beauchamp
Hugh de Beauchamp
Hugh de Beauchamp was an Anglo-Norman feudal lord of Abergavenny in the Welsh Marches in the late 12th century.He is of the large Beauchamp dynasty but his parentage is as yet unknown or unproven. Hugh de Beauchamp became lord of Abergavenny after the deaths without issue of the sons of Miles de...
, the chief landowner in Goldington
Goldington
Goldington is an electoral ward and former village within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.The boundaries of Goldington are approximately Norse Road and Cemetery to the north and east, Goldington Road to the south, with Church Lane and Haylands Way to the west...
in 1086. The castle is mentioned as already being old by the end of the 12th century. It was probably obtained by Warden Abbey with the grange of Risinghoe and Puttenhoe Manor, with which it was conferred on Sir John Gostwick
John Gostwick
-Life:He was born the son of John Gostwick in Willington, Bedfordshire, and educated in Potton. Around 1510 he entered the service of Cardinal Wolsey and became a Gentleman Usher to Henry VII. He was also a merchant importing caps and hats from the continent of Europe. By 1517 he was a wax chandler...
at the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
(1538–1541), afterwards passing, with the rest of their property in Goldington, to John Russell, Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, FRS was an 18th century British statesman. He was the fourth son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey...
.
There is no surviving physical evidence of a bailey, nor other elements of a castle, although this may be due to extensive clay extraction on the site in Victorian times. A number of authors have stated that the mound was excavated in 1943, however no primary sources for the excavation appear to exist, and there is no mention of it in the report of the 1943 annual meeting of the Bedfordshire Natural History and Archaeological Society. An alternative version, stated by local residents, is that the mound was penetrated for the construction of an air raid shelter in 1940 and nothing was found. If the second version of events is correct, then no professional excavation has ever taken place.
Beauchamp Wadmore, in his 1920 book The Earthworks of Bedfordshire, casts further doubts on the status as a castle site. Wadmore’s researches point to the mound being erected to commemorate a 9th century victory over the Danes associated with nearby Gannock Castle
Gannock Castle
Gannock Castle is located in the village of Tempsford, in the county of Bedfordshire, England. It is located 6 miles east of Great Barford Castle and 9 miles east of Bedford Castle.-History:...
. Wadmore also states that, prior to the damage of the site for clay extraction, a second smaller mound existed. However, an early Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map names it as a castle site.
Risinghoe Castle is located on private property belonging to a local company and is not open to the public. However, the site can be viewed from a distance from the nearby road.