| Summary : The buried and earthwork remains of a Norman motte and bailey castle located at the west end of Owston Ferry. The castle is thought to have been constructed in the late 1080s, to control traffic between Lindsey and the Isle of Axholme across the River Trent. Records suggest that it was partially demolished in 1095, in one of the years when William Rufus faced a revolt in support of his brother's claim to the throne. In 1173-74 the castle was re-fortified by Roger de Mowbray in rebellion against Henry II, but surrendered to royal forces under the command of the king's son, Geoffrey Plantagenet, in 1174. The castle was then slighted to make it undefendable. The castle is thought to have originally included a motte surrounded by a moat ditch. To the north west were two baileys, the whole surrounded by a bank and second external moat ditch. The top is a circular, level platform which would have been the site of a tower. To the north of the motte there is a pair of baileys divided by a marked break of slope running due north. The eastern bailey contains St Martin's Church (SE 80 SW 4) and the churchyard. Archaeological excavation in the north east of this bailey in May 1995 showed that the remains of a sequence of two timber palisades on the external bank survive buried under up to 1 metre of later deposits. The external moat around the castle is believed to have been filled in when the castle was slighted in 1174. |
More information : [SE 8051 0026] Castle Hill [G.T.] (1)
The moated site south of the churchyard is all that remains of the fortified tower, called Kinaird, or Kinafare, Castle, of the Mowbrays. In 1173, Roger Mowbray garrisoned the castle against Henry II, whose troops razed it to the ground. Owston Ferry was earlier called Kinaird Ferry.
Owston Castle, scheduled. (2-3)
A well preserved motte with double bailey. No building remains are evident on the motte, and a 13th c church and graveyard now occupy the major bailey. Published survey (25") revised. (4)
SE 805003. Motte & Bailey, "Kinaird Castle", refortified by Roger de Mowbray during revolt against Henry II, 1173 - 4. Taken by Geoffrey, bishop elect of Lincoln in 1174, the castle was destroyed and not rebuilt. St Martin's Church and churchyard (SE 80 SW 4) occupy one of the two baileys on the north side. Motte and south bailey ditches survive at present (1975) much overgrown and with rubbish in ditches. Scheduled. (5)
SK 805002. Owston Castle, scheduled. (6)
The motte and bailey described by the previous authorities were
seen as earthworks and mapped from good quality air photographs. Location and description are as above. (Morph No. LI.665.3.1 - 3.2)
This description is based on data from the RCHME MORPH2 database.
(7)
Scheduled. (8)
Listed by Cathcart King. (9) |