Quadrangular castle

A quadrangular castle or courtyard castle is a type of castle characterised by ranges of buildings which are integral with the curtain walls, enclosing a central ward or quadrangle, and typically with angle towers. There is no keep and frequently no distinct gatehouse. The quadrangular form predominantly dates from the mid to late fourteenth century and signals the transition from defensively to domestically oriented great houses. The four walls are also known as ranges.

Quadrangular castles typically display a sophisticated and complex approach to the planning of internal social spaces.^[1]^[2] There are many quadrangular castles around the UK, for example: Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, and Bolton Castle.

The 27 quadrangular castles identified by John Rickard as being built in England consist roughly 10% of the castles built in the country between 1272 and 1422. No castles of this design were built in Wales.^[3]

One of the earliest quadrangular castles in Germany is Neuleiningen, of which substantial ruins remain.

List of quadrangular castles in the United Kingdom

Name	Location	Coordinates	Constructed	Built for	Designed by	Heritage status
Beverston Castle	Cotswold	51°38′39″N 2°12′05″W / 51.6442°N 2.20139°W / 51.6442; -2.20139	1225	Maurice de Gaunt Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Bodiam Castle	East Sussex	51°00′08″N 0°32′37″E / 51.00226°N 0.54353°E / 51.00226; 0.54353	1385	Edward Dalyngrigge	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Bolton Castle	Richmondshire	54°19′20″N 1°57′00″W / 54.3221°N 1.94991°W / 54.3221; -1.94991	1379	Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton	John Lewyn	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Caverswall Castle	Staffordshire Moorlands	52°58′57″N 2°04′29″W / 52.9826°N 2.0746°W / 52.9826; -2.0746	1275	William de Caverswall [d]	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Cawood Castle	Selby	53°49′53″N 1°07′40″W / 53.8313°N 1.1278°W / 53.8313; -1.1278	1378	John Kemp	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Chideock Castle [d]	Dorset	50°44′03″N 2°49′06″W / 50.7343°N 2.81825°W / 50.7343; -2.81825	1370s	Sir John Chideock [d]	anonymous	scheduled monument
Chillingham Castle	Northumberland	55°31′34″N 1°54′18″W / 55.526°N 1.905°W / 55.526; -1.905	1344	Sir Thomas Heton [d]	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Cooling Castle	Medway	51°27′20″N 0°31′22″E / 51.4555°N 0.522732°E / 51.4555; 0.522732	1380s	John de Cobham, 3rd Baron Cobham	Henry Yevele	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Danby Castle	North Yorkshire	54°27′20″N 0°53′43″W / 54.4555°N 0.895197°W / 54.4555; -0.895197	1302	William Latimer, 1st Lord Latimer [d]	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Farleigh Hungerford Castle	Mendip	51°19′03″N 2°17′13″W / 51.3174°N 2.2869°W / 51.3174; -2.2869	1383	Thomas Hungerford	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Ford Castle	Northumberland	55°37′53″N 2°05′25″W / 55.6314°N 2.09025°W / 55.6314; -2.09025	1338	Sir William Heron [d]	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Fyvie Castle	Aberdeenshire	57°26′36″N 2°23′42″W / 57.4433°N 2.3949°W / 57.4433; -2.3949	1300s	anonymous	anonymous	category A listed building
Greys Court	South Oxfordshire	51°32′42″N 0°57′22″W / 51.545°N 0.956164°W / 51.545; -0.956164	1348	John de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Rotherfield Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys Baron Lovel	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Greystoke Castle	Eden Cumbria	54°40′12″N 2°52′37″W / 54.66998°N 2.87705°W / 54.66998; -2.87705	1353	William de Greystoke, 2nd Baron Greystoke	anonymous	Grade II* listed building
Hartley Castle	Cumbria	54°28′09″N 2°20′12″W / 54.4691°N 2.33655°W / 54.4691; -2.33655	1353	Thomas de Musgrave [d] Sir Richard Musgrave, 1st Baronet	anonymous	scheduled monument Grade II listed building
Hemyock Castle	Mid Devon	50°54′45″N 3°13′54″W / 50.9125°N 3.23156°W / 50.9125; -3.23156	1380	Margaret and William Asthorpe	anonymous	scheduled monument Grade II* listed building
Hever Castle	Hever	51°11′13″N 0°06′50″E / 51.186944°N 0.113889°E / 51.186944; 0.113889	1271	William de Hever [d]	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Inverlochy Castle	Highland	56°49′57″N 5°04′52″W / 56.8326°N 5.081°W / 56.8326; -5.081	1270s	Clan Cumming	anonymous	category B listed building
Lumley Castle	County Durham	54°51′17″N 1°33′11″W / 54.8547°N 1.55293°W / 54.8547; -1.55293	1389	Ralph de Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley	John Lewyn John Vanbrugh	Grade I listed building
Maxstoke Castle	Warwickshire	52°29′58″N 1°40′18″W / 52.4994°N 1.67167°W / 52.4994; -1.67167	1345	William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Moor End Castle	Northamptonshire	52°05′42″N 0°54′01″W / 52.0949°N 0.900155°W / 52.0949; -0.900155	1347	Edward III of England Thomas de Ferrers [d]	anonymous	scheduled monument
Raby Castle	County Durham	54°35′27″N 1°48′06″W / 54.59092°N 1.80175°W / 54.59092; -1.80175	1378	House of Neville	John Lewyn	Grade I listed building
Ravensworth Castle	Tyne and Wear	54°55′34″N 1°38′18″W / 54.9262°N 1.6384°W / 54.9262; -1.6384	1350s	Marmaduke Lumley	anonymous	Grade II* listed building scheduled monument
Sheriff Hutton Castle	North Yorkshire Ryedale	54°05′17″N 1°00′19″W / 54.0881°N 1.00519°W / 54.0881; -1.00519	1382	John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby	John Lewyn	Grade II* listed building scheduled monument
Shirburn Castle	South Oxfordshire	51°39′27″N 0°59′38″W / 51.6576°N 0.9938°W / 51.6576; -0.9938	1377	Warin de Lisle [d]	Henry Yevele	Grade I listed building
Somerton Castle	North Kesteven	53°07′03″N 0°34′34″W / 53.1174°N 0.57616°W / 53.1174; -0.57616	1281	Antony Bek	anonymous	Grade I listed building scheduled monument
Starborough Castle	Surrey	51°10′42″N 0°02′19″E / 51.1783°N 0.0386396°E / 51.1783; 0.0386396	1341	Reginald de Cobham, 1st Baron Cobham	anonymous	scheduled monument Grade II* listed building
Sudeley Castle	Gloucestershire	51°33′54″N 1°34′20″W / 51.5650°N 1.5722°W / 51.5650; -1.5722	1443	Ralph Boteler, 1st Baron Sudeley	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Westenhanger Castle	Kent Shepway	51°05′40″N 1°01′53″E / 51.0944°N 1.03144°E / 51.0944; 1.03144	1343	John de Criol [d] Edward Poynings	anonymous	scheduled monument Grade I listed building
Wingfield Castle	Mid Suffolk	52°20′52″N 1°15′41″E / 52.3479°N 1.2614°E / 52.3479; 1.2614	1384	Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Woodcroft Castle	Cambridgeshire	52°37′35″N 0°19′02″W / 52.6263°N 0.3172°W / 52.6263; -0.3172	1280	anonymous	anonymous	Grade II* listed building
Woodsford Castle [d]	Dorset	50°42′45″N 2°20′38″W / 50.7126°N 2.34389°W / 50.7126; -2.34389	1336	William de Whitefield [d] Guy de Bryan, 1st Baron Bryan	anonymous	Grade I listed building
Wressle Castle	East Riding of Yorkshire	53°46′32″N 0°55′45″W / 53.7755°N 0.929291°W / 53.7755; -0.929291	1390s	Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland	John Lewyn	Grade I listed building scheduled monument

References

^ Faulkner, P (1958). "Domestic planning from the 12th to the 14th centuries". Archaeological Journal. 115: 150–83. doi:10.1080/00665983.1958.10854132.
^ Faulkner, P (1963). "Castle planning in the fourteenth century". Archaeological Journal. 120: 215–35. doi:10.1080/00665983.1963.10854241.
^ Rickard, John (2002). The castle community: the personnel of English and Welsh castles : 1272 - 1422 (1. publ. ed.). Woodbridge: Boydell. p. 21. ISBN 9780851159133.

[faulkner1-1] Faulkner, P (1958). "Domestic planning from the 12th to the 14th centuries". Archaeological Journal. 115: 150–83. doi:10.1080/00665983.1958.10854132.

[faulkner2-2] Faulkner, P (1963). "Castle planning in the fourteenth century". Archaeological Journal. 120: 215–35. doi:10.1080/00665983.1963.10854241.

[3] Rickard, John (2002). The castle community: the personnel of English and Welsh castles : 1272 - 1422 (1. publ. ed.). Woodbridge: Boydell. p. 21. ISBN 9780851159133.

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