More information : [ST 1351 1328] Castle [O.E.] (1)
Near the church are the remains of Hemyock Castle, probably a fortified house rather than a true castle, erected in the late 13th or early 14th century. (2)
Hemyock Castle gatehouse and walls are scheduled as a Grade II structure; the gatehouse has round flanking towers and the fragmentary walls incorporate portions of semi-circular towers, probably of early 14th century date.
Pevsner makes a short reference to the fairly well preserved gateway dismissing the other remains as 'not eloquent'. (3,4)
Scheduled. (5)
Apart from the gatehouse, which is in a fair state of preservation, the remains of Hemyock Castle are poor. Three remnants of wall towers on the north side of the precincts and a further tower on the south side are of rubble construction with no dressed stone. The remains are from 2.0m to 4.0m high.
The moat is well defined, from 1.0m to 2.5m deep around the southern and western sides, and from 0.7m to 1.2m deep on the northern side GPs AO/62/16/4-6. (6)
The licence for crenellation of Hemyock Castle is dated 1380. The only record of siege is in 1642 when it was garrisoned by Parliamentarians and reduced by the Royalists. Although stated to have been destroyed by Cromwell it seems that abandonment and decay occurred after the Restoration. (7)
Castle (NR) (remains of) (NAT) (8)
No change to previous field report. (9)
Hemyock Castle Gatehouse and Curtain Walls. Grade II*. (10)
Listed by Cathcart King as a Quadrangular castle. (11) |