Brockhurst Castle

From Ars Magica

History

Half a mile north of Little Stretton and south of Church Stretton stands Brockhurst Castle. This castle is thought to have been erected by Henry II in 1154-5 to help keep in check the rebellious Hugh de Mortimer. Custody of it wa given to Engelhard de Pitchford, who assumed the name de Stretton and held it until the 1170s Richard I had the castle repaired in 1194-5. The castle was reapird by Hugh de Neville, who was custodian from 1209 until he was forcibly ejected by John Fitz-alan. Not until 1215 was he obliged to restore it to de Nevile, who win turn was then ordered to hand it over to Hugh de Mortimer. In 1229 the castle was granted to Hubert de Burgh but it was forfeited on his fall in 1232 and then went to Henry de Hastings who repaired it with wood from Womerton. The site seems to have been abandoned by 1255 when it was reported "there is no castle at Stretton".

Modern Remains

There are still (2001) impressive earthworks of two baileys in line on a spur south of Church Stretton. The inner bailey at the SW end meansures 60m by 40m and is known from excavations in 1959 to have ahd a curtain wall of local shale 1.8m thick from the start. It was partly buried in an earth bank, and then later completely robbed of its materials. A ditch 3m deep and 12m wide divides it from the D-shaped outer bailey 40m by 30m which has a rampart, and a deep ditch surrounds both baileys.