Monument record 1733/1/0 - Beeston Castle

<1> Chester Archaeological Society, Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society, Hough P R 1978 (Journal/Periodical). SCH1595.

Beeston was listed among the possessions of Robert Fitz Hugh, Baron of Malpas at Domesday. The Castle was built by Ranulph de Blundeville, 6th Earl of Chester c.1220. He was succeeded by his nephew, John le Scot, who died without male issue in 1237. Henry III annexed Cheshire & the Castle came into crown hands. It figured in the Barons' War of 1264-65 when it was garrisoned by Simon de Montefort. In late thirteenth century and early fourteenth century Edward I carried out alterations, including raising the height of the inner bailey walls and crenelating them. The Chamberlain's Accounts of 1303 - 1304 and 1358 - 1360 describe major building programmes. Thereafter, no expenditure on the Castle, except in wages to custodians is known. In the sixteenth century Leyland described the Castle as "shattered and ruinous". In the reign of Elizabeth I, the Castle was sold to the Beeston and later in 1627 - 1628 a will of Sir Hugh Beeston refers to "two poore kynsmen" living in Beeston Castle. Beeston played an important role in the Civil War. In 1643, 200-300 Parliamentary troops occupied the Castle and their leader, William Brereton, caused the breeches to be made up with mud walls, the well of the outer ward to be cleansed & a few rooms erected. The outer ward was probably the main living quarters of the garrison and the chief military stronghold. The upper ward was probably largely deserted but for sentries. The force was reduced and in December 1643 nine Royalists led by Captain Sandford forced the garrison to surrender. The Castle remained in Royalist hands for almost two years, but in November 1645 it fell to the Parliamentarians. Two months later warrants were issued for the "pullinge downe and utter defacings of Beeston Castle", to prevent its repeated use as a stronghold. (See also sources 2-4)

<2> Chester Archaeological Society, Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society, Ridgway M H & Cathcart King D J 1959 46/1-23 (Journal/Periodical). SCH1595.

<3> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 75-6/103-122 Dore R N 1965 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

<4> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Ormerod G 1882 2/273-275 (Book). SCH1389.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, 1981 SJ55NW3 (Index). SCH2487.

<6> Toy S, 1953, Castles of Great Britain, /116 (Book). SCH515.

<7> Various, Aerial photographs, SRW Beeston 1-7, 439 & 627. (Aerial Photograph). SCH128.

<8> MAP Archaeological Consultancy Ltd, 2007, Beeston Castle, Tarporley, Cheshire (Client Report). SCH5007.

<9> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Scheduling description for Beeston Castle:- Strategically situated on Beeston Crag overlooking the Cheshire Plain and a number of ancient routeways. Construction of the castle commenced in 1226 for Ranulph, Earl of Chester, and the monument includes both upstanding and buried remains of Ranulph's castle and later medieval and post-medieval modifications; together with buried remains indicating prehistoric and Roman activity on Beeston Crag. The castle remains include a sandstone-built outer gatehouse and outer enclosure wall which have one rectangular and nine D-shaped towers attached to them. The enclosure wall follows the strongest, most easily defended, line of the hill-slope around the crag. Outside the wall, to left and right of the gatehouse, are lengths of outer ditch originally up to 3m deep and 5m wide; these provided the additional defence required at the main entrance. The original line of the old road into the castle remains faintly discernible in places and approaches from the north east. Enclosed within the outer defences is a large outer bailey containing a well, extensive quarries, and a relatively flat area where armies in transit could be accommodated in a temporary encampment. Surrounding two sides of the crag's summit is a rock-cut inner ditch up to 10.5m wide by 9m deep originally spanned by a timber bridge supported on a central pillar of rock, and latterly by a stone ramp. This ramp, part of which still exists along with remains of the original rock pillar, led to the gatehouse of the inner bailey where there is a central passage between two D-shaped towers. The gatehouse has a single ground floor chamber in each tower and a single chamber on the upper floor extending across the central passage. The wall of the inner bailey exhibits the remains of a further three D-shaped towers overlooking the ditch on the southern and eastern sides. Elsewhere the wall runs along the edge of a sheer precipice. On the western side the wall has been destroyed at a point known as Pulpit Rock, where the rock juts out above a sheer drop. Within the inner bailey is a well 124m deep, one of the deepest castle wells in the country. The castle was unfinished at Ranulph's death in 1232, and still incomplete at the death of his successor, John, in 1237. Most of the defences had been completed but there were no permanent living quarters other than chambers within the gatehouses and some of the towers. After John's death the castle passed to Henry III and was used as a base to assemble troops and supplies for his campaigns in Wales. The castle remained simply a fortified enclosure with a small permanent garrison accommodated in timber buildings in the outer bailey. In 1254 Henry gave Beeston to his son Edward, later Edward I. After Edward's conquest of Wales documentary sources indicate Beeston was strengthened in 1303-4 by the repair of three towers and the construction of a stone ramp for access into the inner bailey. During the 14th century the castle was kept in good repair but later fell into decline, and by the 16th century the Crown had no further use for it. It was acquired by Sir Hugh Beeston and occupied by some members of his family. In February 1643 the castle was seized on orders of Sir William Brereton, commander of Parliamentarian forces in Cheshire. Breaches in the wall were repaired with mud-walling, the well in the outer ward was cleaned, a few rooms erected' and the castle garrisoned. A square tower adjacent to the outer gatehouse is thought to date to this activity. On December 13th 1643 Royalist troops captured the castle by scaling the precipitous cliffs on the north side. Between November 1644 and November 1645 Brereton's troops laid siege to the castle, during which time they dug a trench round the foot of the hill and built a fortified position or 'mount', capable of holding a hundred men, opposite the outer gatehouse. On November 15th 1645 the Royalist garrison surrendered. At the end of the Civil War orders were given for the castle defences to be destroyed. Between 1703-22 a George Walley was living in the outer gatehouse. Ownership then passed to Sir Thomas Mostyn. The hill was let for grazing and quarrying, and the outer gatehouse was demolished to give better access to the quarries. In 1840 the Beeston Estate was purchased by Lord Tollemache and although stone continued to be quarried the remains of the castle began to be appreciated as a picturesque ruin. Some repairs were carried out in 1846 and the present gatehouse, or Lodge, was built as an entrance. The castle was taken into the guardianship of the Ministry of Works in 1959. The walls, towers, and gatehouses of the inner and outer bailey are Listed Buildings Grade I; the Lodge is a Listed Building Grade II. Limited excavation at the outer gateway between 1978-81 revealed prehistoric rampart defences built of stone and timber with at least three ditch cuts and a counterscarp bank. These features are thought to indicate the presence of a late prehistoric hillfort built on the crag around the ninth century BC. The outer gatehouse and outer wall of Ranulph's castle were constructed on the prehistoric rampart and consequently obliterate much of the earlier defences. In 1978 a Late Bronze Age socketed axe head was found in the outer bailey. Excavation of a small area within the outer bailey in 1980-1 produced six more bronze implements; one dated to the ninth or eighth centuries BC. Other finds included clay moulds and crucibles used in bronze working, prehistoric pottery, flint tools, fragments of very course pottery salt holders, and structural evidence of at least three phases of postholes representing a sequence of building phases dating between c.660 and 330 BC. Limited excavation on the Lower Green outside the outer walls produced post-medieval, medieval and Romano-British pottery from the upper levels. Below these was a cobbled surface interpreted as either an agricultural or domestic yard, or a road surface. The Lodge, its associated buildings, and the 19th century estate wall around the base of Beeston Crag are excluded from the scheduling; also excluded are all English Heritage fixtures and fittings including signs, bases for benches and seats, and the modern bridge giving access into the inner bailey but the ground beneath all these features is also included.

<10> Earthworks Archaeological Services, 2018, Beeston Castle, Beeston, Cheshire: An Archaeological Evaluation, R4225 (Client Report). SCH8554.

An archaeological evaluation was undertaken at Beeston Castle during April 2018. It comprised the excavation of two test pits within the area of a former stone quarry located within the north-east extent of the outer ward of the castle. During the eighteenth century the hill was let for grazing and quarrying, and the outer gatehouse was demolished to give better access to the quarries. Stone continued to be quarried during the nineteenth century but as the remains of the castle began to be appreciated as a picturesque ruin repairs were carried out and the present gatehouse, or lodge, was built in 1846.

The evaluation has demonstrated that, beneath a thin layer of accumulated humic topsoil, the
underlying deposits contained within the area of the proposed intrusion comprise little more than a thin
layer of stony, sandy material lying immediately above the natural geology, the level of which having
been disturbed during historic stone quarrying operations. Indeed, the stony-sandy material encountered
can be interpreted as material derived from a large waste mound, lying towards the southern limits of the
former stone quarry. Over time, material would have eroded from this spoil mound and accumulated over
the floor of the quarry. To summarise, no deposits or features of archaeological significance were recorded.

<11> Higham N J, 1984-9, Professor Nick Higham's Aerial Photographs, 1986/7/53, 55 & 65 (18/08/1986); 3495/44, 46, 48, 52, 54, 56 & 58; J87/2/36-37 (Aerial Photograph). SCH7659.

<12> Cheshire Historic Environment Record, 1989, Jill Collens' Aerial Photographs, 6.05496, 6.0550 (Aerial Photograph). SCH9711.