4. Torrington Castle – Burn burn burn!

HER National Records for Medieval Castle – Torrington Castle

HER number: MDV18797
Name: Great Torrington Bowling Green
Text: Bowling Green dating from 1645 to the east of Great Torrington Castle, with 18th century walls and gazebo. May be on the site of the medieval eastern bailey of the castle.
Link to official record: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV18797&resourceID=104

HER number: MDV438
Name: Borough Boundary Stone, Castle Street
Text: Borough boundary stone formerly built into wall near Castle house.
Link to official record: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV438&resourceID=104

HER number: MDV13834
Name: Great Torrington Castle Chapel
Text: Medieval chapel of St James at Great Torrington Castle, converted into a school in the 17th century. A school house was built by Lord Rolle, on or near the site of the chapel, in 1834.
Link to official record:
https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV13834&resourceID=104

HER number: MDV437
Name: Great Torrington Castle
Text: Great Torrington Castle, mentioned in documents in 1139 and 1228, but subsequent history uncertain. Remains of stone buildings and a rampart identified to the east of the Bowling Green.
Link to official record:
https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV437&resourceID=104

HER number: MDV18346
Name: Former pound, Great Torrington, Castle Hill
Text: Great Torrington Pound, a rectangular enclosure on Castle Hill with stone rubble walls.
Link to official record:
https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV18346&resourceID=104

Published works on the castle: Further reading/research – details of books and articles for people

Higham, R. A. + Goddard, S., 1987, Great Torrington Castle, 97-103 (Article in Serial). SDV11501.
Un-named castle of William Fitz-Odo captured in 1139. A castle demolished in 1228 due to lack of Royal Licence. In 1328, 1340 and 1347 Richard Merton received licence to crenellate the house, which is likely to be at the castle site as Merton’s Holding in 1343 seems to be associated with the chapel (see PRN 13834). Gardens are referred to adjacent to the castle in the late 14th century. The boundary between borough (see PRN 19042) and castle precincts was respected until relatively modern times. The site has a commanding position over the Torridge, with strong natural defences on the south. The name ‘Barley Grove’ on Castle Hill may be a corruption of ‘bailey’. Possible that a sunken yard adjacent to possible motte earthworks is situated in the former ditch. Parchmarks visible on the bowling green suggest stone features survive beneath. 1987 watching brief at circa SS49691892 identified a coursed rubble wall, 4 metres long, 0.6 metres deep, 0.9-0.5 metres wide, with a narrower wall superimposed. The walls were possibly rendered. The wall contained pot of circa1200-1500, the narrow wall, pot of circa 1300-1500. There was also a possible floor of trodden clay and flat stones on the walls south side. Above the floor was circa 1200-1500 pottery and a worn coin of uncertain date. The building was probably domestic. The tail of a rampart of clay, gravel and stone at least 0.8 metres high was also identified. This could represent the corner of an enclosure, or possibly part of a tower bearing mound on the east perimeter. About 500 medieval sherds were also retrieved from a service trench around the north and north-east side of the bowling green and demolition rubble recorded. The pot was largely local North Devon unglazed coarseware from Barnstaple/Bideford, of circa 1200-1500 type, though the assemblage appears to be similar to 15th century deposits in Exeter. Extensive destruction of the site means that a full plan of the castle is not possible. Archaeological features lay beneath a strikingly thin overburden.

Higham, R. A., 1988, Devon Castles: An Annotated List, 144 (Article in Serial). SDV341278.
The remaining earthwork fragment may have been a motte, and a bailey is mentioned in a 1371 document. A baronial castle, possibly founded in the years following the Norman conquest, although first mentioned in a document of 1139 when reference is made to the burning of a presumably timber castle with tower and unspecified buildings. It was demolished in 1228 and subsequent history uncertain, although a dubious reference occurs in 1343, and the chapel was standing in 1540.

Higham, R. A. + Freeman, J. P., 1996, Devon Castles (Draft Text), 2, 3, 8, gazetteer (Monograph). SDV354350.
A documented but largely vanished castle, fragments of which were revealed in excavtions in 1987. It is presumed to have been of 11th-12th century date being first referred to by implication in 1139. A licence to crenellate, which may have been for the same site, was granted in 1340 and chambers, hall, kitchens, chapel and grange are documented soon after. Excavation during reconstruction of the bowling green pavillion in 1987 allowed limited excavation. This revealed a rubble stone wall, perhaps part of the enclosed complex licensed in 1340, finds of late medieval pottery and the corner of a clay rampart, possibly from the earlier timber castle.

Watts, M. A., 1997, Great Torrington Castle: Excavation Prior to Extension to Bowling Club Pavilion and Observations During Relaying of Perimeter Path of the Green (Report – Excavation). SDV18280.
Excavation prior to extension of bowling green pavilion. East end of excavation trench (adjacent to north side of existing pavilion) revealed part of the Norman rampart at 0.35 metres below present ground level. Sealed by 0.25 metres of post-medieval deposits and circa 0.12 metres of topsoil. The surviving top of the rampart dropped towards west, where it was sealed by a thin layer of dark brown silt with charcoal, possibly a buried medieval soil horizon. This was overlain by a further deposit of clay and shale, possibly slumped rampart, which was sealed by a post-medieval levelling layer consisting of large stones under circa 0.15 metres of topsoil. A modern pipe trench cut through the centre of the section. No finds recovered. In February/March 1997 members of the local archaeology society made observations and collected unstratified potsherds during relaying of perimeter path around bowling green. This involved removal of circa 0.5 metres of deposits below present path. A deposit of large stones was observed at south end of west section of path. This may correspond to the post-medieval levelling layer recorded during excavation, and may therefore indicate the position of another section of Norman rampart. At west end of north section of path, in situ cobbles observed sloping to north adjacent to the green’s fence and also in vicinity of gate. The unstratified finds consisted mostly of post-medieval and later finds; however, 6 sherds of North Devon medieval coarsewares were also recovered, including a jug handle.

Exeter Archaeology, 2004, Archaeological assessment of land adjacent to Dartington Crystal, Great Torrington, 2 (Report – Assessment). SDV338048.
An unnamed ‘castellum’ belonging to William FitzOdo, the son of Odo who held Great Torrington in 1086, is recorded as having been captured and burnt in 1139. This probably refers to the timber motte and bailey in Great Torrington. The castle was presumably rebuilt as in 1228 it was demolished by the Sheriff of Devon and its ditches levelled. Licences to crenellate in 1338, 1340 and 1347 may refer to a house on the castle site.

Whiteaway, T., 2005, Archaeological monitoring of groundworks for extensions to Great Torrington Bowling Club Pavilion (Report – Watching Brief). SDV320957.
A watching brief was undertaken by Exeter Archaeology during groundworks to the north and south of Great Torrington Bowling Club Pavilion in 2004. A probable medieval wall aligned north to south was exposed on the north side of the pavilion. The un-bonded wall was constructed on a red clay which overlay makeup for the bailey rampart at the north end of the trench. The stratigraphy consisted of four layers of probable rampart material rising up to the boundary wall to the east. On the western side of the probable rampart material two dumps of levelling material were noted with the lower horizon comprising abundant stone fragments. To the south of the pavilion an east to west aligned wall was exposed. The upper courses of the wall sloped down to the west respecting the fall in the rampart bank. The wall was un-bonded but had well set facing stones. A scar at the eastern end suggested the wall originally continued to the north but no fabric survived. The wall did not correlate to the wall on the north side of the pavilion although the construction method was identical and they probably represent contemporary structures. Two sherds of medieval North Devon ware were recovered from the northern section dated between 13th and 15th centuries.