Rugby Hall Place (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Rokeby; Hawle Place; Sir Henry Rokebye's castle

In the civil parish of Rugby.
In the historic county of Warwickshire.
Modern Authority of Warwickshire.
1974 county of Warwickshire.
Medieval County of Warwickshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SP50417548
Latitude 52.37505° Longitude -1.26092°

Rugby Hall Place has been described as a Timber Castle although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a probable Fortified Manor House.

There are no visible remains.

Description

There was a little castle at Rokeby (Rugby) "... which stood about a furlong (C. 200m) from the church northwards as is to be seen by the banks of earth and part of the moat yet remaining. I am of opinion that this was one of those castles built in King Stephen's time ... the inhabitants have it by tradition that it was Sir Henry Rokesbyes' castle" (Dugdale). Norman spur found 60 years ago on the site of the moated area in the field behind in church Street. The moat represents the early Medieval manor house of Rugby (Bloxham). (PastScape)

There was a little castle at Rugby which stood about a furlong (200m) to the N of the church. The banks of earth and part of the moat still remain. Dugdale believed that it was built at the time of King Stephen. The inhabitants call it by tradition Sir Henry Rokebye's castle (ref. Dugdale).
Norman spur found 60 years ago on the site of the moated area in the field behind in church Street. The moat represents the early Medieval manor house of Rugby (Bloxham).
Chatwin suggests that this was an Adulterine Castle (Chatwin).
The remains of earthworks and a moat. Leland c1545 records the earthworks and the name 'Hawle Place'. It is likely to have been a moated manor house from the remains shown on the 6" OS map of 1885. The site is now built over (VCH). (Warwickshire HER)

Comments

The evidence that this was an adulterine castle or that it dated from the time of Stephen is a 'Norman' spur found the 1820s and apparently identified as such by a school master. A more secure identification and other evidence are needed for any Norman date and the specific Anarchy date is merely received wisdom from the late C19. The VCH though it was simple a moated manor house of undefined medieval date also quoting Leland 'There appere certen diches at Rugby, the market towne in Warwikeshire, where the Rugbys, gentilmen of fame, dwellid. . . . The place thus diched is yet caulled the Hawle Place.'. This is suggestive more of a late medieval moated hall than an Norman embanked castle, although these two are not mutually exclusive.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 340093.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 3345.

Books
- Salter, Mike, 1992, Castles and Moated Mansions of Warwickshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 43
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 486 (possible)
  Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1951 VCH Warwickshire Vol. 6 p. 147, 203 online transcription
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 1 p. 361 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Chatwin, P.B., 1947-8, 'Castles in Warwickshire' Transactions of the Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society Vol. 67 p. 23-4
  Bloxam, M.H., 1885, RSNHS (Rugby School Natural History Society?) p. 1-2
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Dugdale, Wm., 1656, The Antiquities of Warwickshire (Thomas Warren) p. 16 online copy
  Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p. 477
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1909, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 4 p. 118 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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