Duffield Castle, Derbyshire
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2022) |
Duffield Castle was a Norman Castle in Duffield, Derbyshire. The site is a scheduled monument.
It was on a rocky promontory facing the river, easily defended, though it is debatable whether it was inhabited in prehistoric times. It is also controversial whether the
However, remains that appear to be of
The Norman castle
In or around 1066
His third son, Robert, distinguished himself in the Battle of the Standard against the Scots in 1138 and was made the Earl of Derby.
His great grandson, William, who succeeded to the position in 1162 joined the King's sons in a rebellion against their father, Henry II, and in 1173 both castles were destroyed.
Following him was his second,
The next Earl,
The castle was literally razed to the ground, much of the stone being scavenged for other buildings, and gradually became overgrown. Memories of a castle persisted, preserved in the name of "Castle Orchard", which extended from the present cottages of that name at the base of the castle mound, to the Hazlewood Road. The site was rediscovered in 1885.
Architecture
Duffield Castle originally occupied over an estimated 5 acres of land and had a massive keep. The keep spanned 31 metres in length and width (approximately 0.24 acres) and was constructed from stone.[2]
In 1924, a H. Walton stated that there was a series of stairways and entrances on the west side that lead to the first floor; due to a lack of either windows or entrances on the ground floor level. The first floor was believed to contain a guardroom or stateroom and some private inner rooms. Furthermore, H. Walton also believed that the second floor contained domestic and small apartments, kitchens, private retirement rooms and possibly a chapel.[3]
Excavations
When the site was excavated, the foundations of a traditional
The grounds were preserved, with the foundations marked out, and donated to the National Trust, in 1899, one of its earliest archaeological monuments.[6] For many years, upkeep was carried out by the parish council, but has recently been taken back by the Trust.
Although further investigations were carried out in the 1930s and in 1957, few medieval remains were found, but the idea that the site had been occupied before the arrival of the Normans was confirmed by a number of Romano‑British finds.
A
As a postscript, the de Ferrers family in Normandy presided over an important centre for iron manufacture. It has been suggested that this is the origin of nailmaking in Belper.
References
- ^ Manby, T.G. (1959). "Duffield Castle Excavations 1957" (PDF). Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. 79: 1–21.
- ^ Historic Duffield Derbyshire (1st ed.). Derbyshire: Duffield Parish Council. December 1987. pp. 5, 6.
- ^ Duffield Derbyshire: Past & Present (1st ed.). Derbyshire: Duffield Parish Council. pp. 9, 10.
- ^ Bland, William (11 January 1887). "Recent excavations and discoveries on Castle Hill". Retrieved 22 June 2014.
- ^ Cox, J.C. (1887). "Duffield Castle; its history, site, and recently found remains; with some account of the seven Earl Ferrers who held it" (PDF). Derbyshire Archaeological Journal. 9: 118–178.
- ^ National Trust Annual Archaeological Review 2001–2002
External links
- William Bland (1887). "Duffield Castle". Retrieved 26 May 2010. - History of the de Ferrers family
- Maps of present day Duffield and the castle's location