Woodcroft Castle

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Woodcroft Castle

Northamptonshire


Woodcroft Castle
Type: mediæval castle
Location
Grid reference: TF14000450
Location: 52°37’35"N, 0°19’2"W
History
Key events: Civil War
Information

Woodcroft Castle is a moated mediæval castle in the parish of Etton, in Northamptonshire. It is within the Soke of Peterborough; Northamptonshire's north-easternmost part, within the Great Fen.

The castle is a Grade I listed building.[1]

History

Woodcroft Castle was built at the end of the 13th century.[2] The mediæval portions of the castle today include the front range, the circular tower, and the gatehouse.[3] There is debate as to whether the castle originally followed a normal quadrilateral design typical of the age of King Edward I, of which most has since been lost, or if it was simply never fully completed.[4] Early Tudor additions (late 1400s) retained these mediæval elements into the current design.[4]

Woodcroft Castle was held by the Royalists during the Civil War and was successfully besieged and taken by Parliamentary forces in 1648.[5] Dr Michael Hudson, commander of the Royalist garrison, was killed 6 June 1648 at the end of the siege.

The castle is a Grade II* listed building[6] and the 18th-century barn and stable range is Grade II. Today, the castle is a private dwelling.

See also

From Memorials of Old Northamptonshire (1903)

References

  1. National Heritage List 1126782: Woodcroft Castle
  2. Pettifer, p.168.
  3. Pettifer, p.168.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Woodcroft Castle: The Gatehouse (Pettifer, p.168)
  5. Pettifer, p.168.
  6. National Heritage List 1126782: Woodcroft Castle