Healy, near Eccleshall (The Gatehouse Record)

In the historic county of Staffordshire.
Modern Authority of Staffordshire.
1974 county of Staffordshire.
Medieval County of Staffordshire.

Healy, near Eccleshall has been described as a Timber Castle but is rejected as such.

There are uncertain remains.

Description

Nothing known of castle reported by Moore. King footnotes "The strong suspicion that this is the same as Heighley is somewhat abated by the fact that the latter is listed separately; it is also nowhere near Eccleshall."

Ad hoc in ortum Trenta cursu deflectit, et ab austro Canoc sylvam, vulgo Cankwod, longe lateque diffusam habet, demumque Sow flumen sinistra ripa suscipit, qui emergit iuxta Healy castrum a baronibus de Aldeleg sive Awdley extructum, quibus Hervaeus de Stafford locum donavit, ut Theobaldus de Verdon ipsum Adelegh, et a quibus familia Stanleiorum comitum Derbiae, sed haereditas et nomen ad Touchettos descendit, in quorum sobole et nomine illa dignitas adhuc elucet. Nec silentio hic praetereundae sunt aedes Gerards Bromley dictae tum ob magnificentiam, tum quod sit sedes praecipua Thomae Gerard quem baronem Gerard de Gerards Bromly primo regni sui anno rex Iacobus creavit.
Sow iste Trentae quasi parallelus aequali distantia fluit per Chebsey, quae suos olim dominos Hastingos habuit, nec procul ab Eccleshall habitatione episcopi Lichfeldensis

Comments

In fact Eccleshall is not that distant from Heighley (18km) and has a direct road connection to it. William Camden's Britannia mentions 'Healy' castle (Clearly the Audley castle of Heighley) as near the source of the River Sow and then goes on to trace the line of the river fairly directly to Eccleshall. Moore must have used Camden as a source and a relative quick reading could easily result in the description 'Healy, near Eccleshall', presumably Moore got Heighley from another source and didn't make the association.
Can be rejected as a different castle from Heighley.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record.

Books
- King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 452 (possible)
  Moore, James, 1798, List of the Principal Castles and Monasteries in Great Britain (London) p. 38 online copy
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)

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