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The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
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Much Wenlock Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Castel Wenlock

In the civil parish of Much Wenlock.
In the historic county of Shropshire.
Modern Authority of Shropshire.
1974 county of Shropshire.
Medieval County of Shropshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SJ62380004
Latitude 52.59689° Longitude -2.55676°

Much Wenlock Castle has been described as a Fortified Ecclesiastical site although is doubtful that it was such, and also as a probable Uncertain.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*.

Description

There are traditions of a castle at Much Wenlock, Castel Wenlock being documented by William of Worcester in 1480. (PastScape ref. Jackson 1988)
Comments

The reference in William of Worcetre's Itinerary is in a list of distances ("From Bridgnorth to Wenlock Castle 5 miles") and, in this context, may well be a transcribing error.
The surviving , "C13. Stone rubble. One of the entrance-gate towers of the priory, a tall rectangular plain structure." (Listed Building Report) has a martial quality and the gatehouse complex of which it is the surviving part may well have been the court house and estate offices for the temporal holdings of the priory. This building had a similar form and identical function to most castles. There were certainly no other landowners who could have had a castle here and the town, whilst effectively an independent borough by the C13, was in church hands until the reformation.
The gatehouse of the priory was described as 'fortified' in 1845 but the priory is not generally described as fortified.
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

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Sources of information, references and further reading
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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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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
This record last updated 26/07/2017 09:21:29

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