BoAr:BourneCastle:Moore

http://boar.org.uk/abpwxo2Moore’sCastle(print.htm Latest edit 24 Aug 2007

The Bourne Archive

John Moore’s Essay on Bourne Castle

From “Collections for a Topographical, Historical and Descriptive Account of the Hundred of Aveland.”

Published at Lincoln in 1809.

The castelle of Brunne (says Peak) ys a verrye ancyent portlie castelle scytewate neare Peterspoole, it contains thre principal wardes. On the north side ys ye porter’s lodge wch ys now reuinoose, and in decay by reasone ye floores of ye upper house ys decayed and very necessarie to be repayred.

The dungeon ys sett of a little moat made with, men’s handes, and for the most part as yt were square. It ys a fare and prattie buildinge with IV square toures, Rounde about ye same dungeon upon ye roofe of ye said toures ys tryme walkes and a fare prospect of the fennes. And in ye said dungeon ys ye halle, chamberes, and all other manner of houses of offices for ye lorde and his traine. The southe syde thereof servethe for ye lordes and ladies lodgeinges, and underneighe them ys ye prisone and wyne cellar wth ye shollorie.

Over ye moat yt surrounds ye castelle ys a drawe bridge, ye moat is verie fresh and deipe. Ther is also a fare parke belonging ye castelle.’ This castle is said to have been built by one of the Wake family. But in this both Camden, Stukeley, Salmon, and the author of Magna Britannia were mistaken; for a castle appears to have existed here as early as the year 1062,* before the Wakes possessed the manor.

Leland observed, that in his time “there appeared grete ditches, and the dungeon hill at the West end of the priory, also much service of the Wake’s fee was done to it; and that every feodary knew his Station and place of service.”‡

In the records belonging to this parish is the following memorandum, __“October 11th, 1645, Charles I. ye garrison at Burn castle began.” It appears from the above, that the castle was not demolished, until the time of the Commonwealth. The inhabitants have a tradition, that it was destroyed by the parliamentary forces under Cromwell, for adhering to Charles I. It is however certain, that, from this period, no mention is made of it; neither are there any records of the time of its demolition. The building, however, is entirely destroyed; but the foundation walls on the west side are left nearly entire.

The area within the outer ditch contains about eight acres, the inner about one, not like a keep, but flat and covered by a rampart within the ditch^. Very large irregular works are still remaining on the north and west sides between the two ditches; the earth is raised about twenty yards in length and ten in breadth and a ditch between every one of those points to the grand moat.** Altogether they look like a piece of ground drained, and are said to have supported Oliver Cromwell’s batteries against the town.

In the inner ditch was the gate-house. It consisted of a round tower thirty feet in height, embattled on the top, and ascended by a flight of stone steps. In the walls, (which were upwards of six feet thick) were several niches; and the door of entrance was through a circular arch, apparently Saxon, in height about eight feet, closed with a massy door. It was taken down by order of lord Exeter, to build a barn and repair the roofs. The situation of this lodge was at the north end of what is now called the castle barns. At the south end of which, on a mount of earth "caste up wth mene’s hands,” stood the castle.

*See Ingulphus’s History of Crowland, folio 898, who, after mentioning several benefactors of the abbey of Crowland, says Leofric, lord of the castle of Brunne, a famous and valiant soldier, kinsman to the great count of Hereford Ranulf or Radin, gave many possessions to this abbey, and assisted the monks with his counsel.

‡Itinerary, vol I folio 28.

**Whether this was a device for the defence of the place or owing to the approaches of besiegers, I cannot say, having never seen similar elsewhere. Salmon’s New Survey, vol I, page 250.