Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Ennor Castle
Hob Uid: 304082
Location : Isles of Scilly St. Mary's
Grid Ref : SV9141010340
Summary : A small castle known as Ennor, or Old Town, Castle in the present village of Old Town on the south coast of St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. The castle occupies a small but prominent knoll on the east side of the broad Lower Moors valley behind Old Town Bay. The walls of the keep no longer survive above ground level though there is some unmortared walling and a spread of dense rubble on the south east side. The top of the mound forms a sub-rectangular area measuring 22 metres north-east to south-west by up to 17 metres transversely. The earliest reference to Ennor Castle is in a deed of AD 1244 and by 1306 Ranulf de Blanchminster held the castle. A royal licence to crenellate the castle was granted to Ranulf in 1315 but in 1337, the castle along with the rest of Scilly was included in the lands of the newly created Duchy of Cornwall. The fortunes of the castle were eclipsed when the fortification of Scilly was revised to serve national defence considerations in the late 16th century, when Star Castle was built. Ennor Castle became redundant and its stone was used for building purposes in the Old Town. Scheduled.
More information : (SV 91411034) Old Town Castle (NR) (Site of) (NAT) (1) 'Old Castle' the remains of a 13th/14th century castle, the 'Castle of Ennor' in Medeval times. ('Ennor' was probably the 14th century name for St Mary's Island). It is aid to have been built by one of the Earls of Cornwall and is known to have been occupied in 1306. Noted as a 'meately strong pile' by Leland, an account of ordnance shows that in 1554 the building was used as an armoury, and was fortified with five light cannon to defend the harbour and quay of Old Town. Traditionally robbed of stone for the building of Star Castle (SV 81 SE 30) in 1593. A 14th century pot from the castle was presented to Truro Museum in 1958. (2-6) About 1908 (7) the remains consisted of a crescent shaped wall, about 12 yards long, built on the side of a granite rock. Walling visible circa 1954. (8) 'Old Town Castle' (name confirmed) utilises a semi-circular west-facing and almost vertical rock 6.0m to 9.0m high. The rock has a narrow flattish top apparently 20.0m x 10m in size and shelves on the east side for about 20., before reaching ground level though this side has a deep accumulation of earth and is heavily overgrown. The building remains consist of a single obtuse-angled well of small well-set stones, apparently unmortared but with packing pieces, set onto or against the rock. the west-facing wall along the top edge extends for 7.0m and is aobut 0.1m high and 0.1m thick. The wall extends towards the north east for another 10.0m increasing to about 2.0m in height as the outcrop lessens. thereafter it is increasingly submerged in tumble. There are no particular features or cut stone, (and it is the cut stone that was probably removed to Star Castle, the rest hardly being worth the cartage), though it has doubtless provided stone for local houses. Revised at 1:2500 on PFD. (9) Scheduled listing. (10) Listed by Cathcart King. (11) A small, steep-sided natural mound with scarce remains of walling (no sign of mortar) and fallen stonework, it is heavily overgrown. There are no obviously relevant earthworks in pasture to the north, the only side on which other remains might survive. Not surveyed. (12)

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Source Number : 1
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Source details : OS 6" 1963
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Source Number : 2
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Source details : St John O'Neil BH. 1961. Isles of Scilly Guide, 17
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Source Number : 11
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Source Number : 12
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Source details : MCBB and AMB 7 October 2008
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Vol(s) : 1, 1962

Source Number : 5
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Page(s) : Jan-30
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Vol(s) : 4, 1970

Source Number : 6
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Page(s) : 42, 91
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Vol(s) : 3, 1957-60

Source Number : 7
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Page(s) : 20
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Vol(s) : 1908

Source Number : 8
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Source details : Isles of Scilly November 1954
Page(s) : 16
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : 08/03/1978
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Source Number : 10
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Source details : 29/05/1996
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Medieval
Display Date : Mentioned in 1244
Monument End Date : 1244
Monument Start Date : 1244
Monument Type : Shell Keep, Castle, Angle Tower
Evidence : Ruined Building

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : Converted to carry artillery 1554
Monument End Date : 1554
Monument Start Date : 1554
Monument Type : Artillery Castle
Evidence : Ruined Building

Monument Period Name : Post Medieval
Display Date : Largely dismantled 1593
Monument End Date : 1593
Monument Start Date : 1593
Monument Type : Shell Keep, Castle
Evidence : Ruined Building

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : CO 990
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : SI 990
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (National No.)
External Cross Reference Number : 15469
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : SV 91 SW 46
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

Related Activities :

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1978-03-08
End Date : 1978-03-08

Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 2008-09-01
End Date : 2010-04-01

Associated Activities :
Activity type : DESK BASED ASSESSMENT
Start Date : 2010-01-01
End Date : 2012-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : MANAGEMENT SURVEY
Start Date : 2013-01-01
End Date : 2014-12-31

Historic England Research Records

Ennor Castle