Source/Archive record SCH9736 - What law says that there has to be a castle? The castle landscape of Frodsham, Cheshire

Power of place and the dynamics of landscape manipulation are the focus of current research into the number, location and distribution of castles raised in Cheshire in the period of the Earldom of Chester, c. 1066 – c. 1237. Previous studies have focused on individual castles within the county only, underlining the need for a multidisciplinary approach to landscape using archaeological and textual evidence to further our understanding of the Norman Conquest and the development of Norman lordship. This paper explores the nature of rules and regulations regarding the definition of a castle, and their relationship with the archaeological record. Within this context, the paper considers Frodsham Castle, Cheshire. Believed to have been constructed by the first Earl of Chester within an administrative centre of a pre-existing and substantial Anglo-Saxon estate, the location of Frodsham’s vanished castle has proved elusive with reference to available historical sources alone. Drawing on a reinterpretation of the available archaeological, documentary and antiquarian evidence, this paper explores the relationship between comital law and regulation and the power of place in considering the functions and role of Frodsham Castle.