Launceston Castle, an unusual castle once owned by some fascinating people.
/
Why visit Launceston Castle?
A “must visit” for all castle fans. Originally a “motte and bailey” type of castle, it is almost unique in design. The shell keep sits on top of a motte with a central tower rising up above it.
Standing on the staircase and looking over at the motte, it is easy to see why this style of castle was built. It is almost impossible to attack it by riding up the motte because it is far too steep for horses. It is also very steep for foot soldiers to charge up trying to defend themselves and attack with appropriate weapons. It is easy to see how such a design can be defended by shooting arrows at the enemy trying to clamber up the steep motte and making them rather indefensible targets.
Looking from the top of the tower gives an amazing view of the surrounding town and countryside. Such a view would give an early warning of an advancing army.
The masonry of the keep is formed from thin pieces of local shale stone and is very different from most castles which are usually made of large oblong blocks of limestone or sandstone. Building with this thin stone seems, to me , to be a lot harder than using big stone that makes up the Tower of London or Bodium Castle
2. What is there to see at Launceston Castle?
The south gatehouse and barbican. The barbican is an extra stone building or towers in front of the gatehouse, which being a weak point in the castle’s defences are, with this addition, now made much stronger. The barbican will include at least one portcullis and so makes the entrance very difficult to successfully attack.
The view from the south gatehouse to the tower shows just how big the bailey was and gives an idea of how many buildings they could fit in it as well as the space that could be used to accommodate people fleeing from attackers.
The north gatehouse, or the “town gate”, provided rooms for the constable, the man who ran the castle for the lord who owned it. Lords rarely stayed here for long periods of time and therefore the constable can be seen as the most important inhabitant for a high percentage of each year. There would have been a defensive ditch in front of it which would have been hard to cross when under attack.
A slot in the north gatehouse which may have been for a portcullis.
A view of the motte from the top of the ditch surrounding it. Successfully attacking the keep by charging up this very steep motte seems a very difficult manoeuvre to accomplish.
Having crossed the ditch at the bottom of the motte you come across the remains of a gatehouse.
Turning around you are faced with numerous steps to get you to the shell keep.
Having climbed the motte and turned around, you have a good view of part of the bailey, the walls and the south gatehouse. The circular feature at the bottom of the photo is the well. This is an essential feature of every castle because in a siege, the inhabitants would die of thirst before they die of hunger. In desperation, besieged people have been known to drink their own urine, horses blood and even, so I have read, buried themselves up to their necks hoping to absorb the moisture of the surrounding soil through their skin. This last story is in my opinion open to doubt, but it suggests how desperate thirsty inhabitants would become. People being besieged had to be offered a chance to surrender straightaway and if they do not surrender at the start, the besiegers have the right to slaughter them all, disallowing any mercy.
This is the entrance to the shell keep. Note how thick the wall is and the slot on the right which is yet another portcullis.
The gap between the two walls. When the inside tower was built, this gap had a roof. Notice how thin the building stone was.
Above, you can see small pieces of quartz in the mortar.
Above, the tower entrance.
Above, the interior of the central tower.
You can take the stairs to the top of the tower in order to see spectacular views of the surrounding land. On a clear day you can see for miles in all directions!
Above, the view from the tower to the lower shell keep wall and beyond. Anybody approaching the castle with evil intention would have been quickly spotted and people would have quickly clambered inside the castle wall to safety.
Below, lookouts at the top of the tower would have been able to see for miles. The castle was built to control the countryside between Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor as well as guard the ford on the River Tamar.
From the bottom of the motte you can see the distant curtain wall and realise the large size of the bailey. The bald patch in the middle of the photo is where the Great Hall once stood. Measuring 22m by 7 m, it was a substantial building but by the middle of the 17th century it was demolished and all of its stone removed to be used in buildings elsewhere.
Why was Launceston Castle built?
As you all know, in 1066 Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold in the Battle of Hastings and became king of England, the mighty William the Conqueror. However, winning the battle and being crowned was the easy part of being king of England. William had about 8000 supporters in England but there were approximately 2 500 000 Anglos Saxons living there and they did not like the idea of a “foreigner” being king over them. Rebellions soon broke out all over the country from Exeter in the west, to York in the north and East Anglia in the east. The western rebels united in 1068 in Exeter and were joined by Harold Godwinson’s mother, Gytha. They refused to accept William as their king and pay the £18 tribute that he had demanded. He was now was obliged to take 500 men westwards and did his usual tactic of destroying towns as he went. The rebels in Exeter were not phased by his cruel tactics and so he had to besiege the city. Exeter’s elders tried to negotiate terms with William and offered hostages but when they returned to their city, the inhabitants turned on them and would not agree to capitulation. William now resorted to another one of his regular tactics: he blinded one of the hostages, but again the rebels refused to give in. The siege lasted 18 days before terms could be agreed for its ending. To hold on to Exeter, a castle was quickly built in Exeter and around 1068, a motte and Bailey castle was built in “Dunhevet” (Launceston’s original name), again to control the locals.
Robert Count of Mortain is seen here on William’s left. The man on William’s right, the senior side, was William’s other half brother and Robert’s full brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux. Wiki commons.
To make sure that loyalty of the west was maintained, the Launceston and large areas of Cornwall were given to his half brother, Robert the Count of Mortain. His original castle would have been built as quickly as possible and would have been a simple earth mound with a ditch and wooden “palisade” wall around it with a wooden tower (early keep) on the top. Putting Robert in charge, a senior supporter of William as well as his half brother, shows just how important it was to William to keep the south-west under control. Launceston Castle was at the centre of this policy of control. Launceston now was the administrative centre for the earldom of Cornwall and, as a consequence, had numerous buildings within the bailey to support it.
How did Launceston Castle control the local Cornish people?
The Motte and its tower were designed to be seen for miles. It was to tower above the locals working in the fields and whenever they took a breath and looked up, they saw the castle letting them know that the Normans were now in charge. Soldiers would be garrisoned within its walls and could both ride and march out to rapidly suppress any rebellion. Castles were often placed within a day’s ride of each other for rapid mutual support and so, militarily, the people were suppressed. The castle being the centre of administration would also be the centre of the “feudal system” which placed the local peasantry under the control of the Mortains and their officials. Under the feudal system, peasants were loaned certain pieces of land which they could farm as long as they worked on their lords land as well. Even their movements were controlled, they were not allowed to leave their manors without their lords permission.
What happened to Launceston Castle after the Mortains?
The Mortain family lost control of the castle when Robert’s son rebelled against William’s successor, his son William Rufus (William II). In 1141, Launceston castle was granted to Reginald de Dunstanville, one of King Henry I’s 24 illegitimate children. (Henry I succeeded William Rufus).
In the 13th century, the new owner Richard of Cornwall, the younger brother of King Henry III replaced the key wooden structures of the castle with stone. On top of the motte was the shell keep but as yet without the central tower. Around 1227, Richard of Cornwall added the central tower and the gap between it and the existing keep was given a roof. The gatehouses were now rebuilt out of stone and the stone curtain wall was built around the bailey. The great hall and kitchens were now built of stone. Richard was one of the richest men in the kingdom and so had the finances to rebuild the castle.
Richard died in 1272 and his son, Edmund made his mark by moving all the admin from Launceston to Lostwithiel and the importance of Launceston Castle began to decline . Why did he move? Edmund wanted to be nearer to his chief source of income, Cornish tin mining. In 1337 the decline was temporarily put into reverse when King Edward III’s son, the heir to the throne, Edward the Black Prince was made Duke of Cornwall in 1337. However, after him, the decline continued and by 1650 there was not a single building left standing in the once crowded bailey. During the English Civil War, like much of the West Country, Launceston was on the Royalist side and had to be taken by General Fairfax. The castle at that time was in such a poor condition that the normal practice of slighting a castle to make it inoperative was deemed unnecessary. For a time the North Gatehouse was used for a prison until a jail was built in the bailey only to be demolished in 1842.
Essential Information
Getting there
By car; Postcode for Sat Nav: PL15 7DR use the A30 and signs to Launceston. No onsite parking but there are several car parks in Launceston.
By bus;
First 76; Jackets X85 (Sat only); Western Greyhound 510, 576; Group Travel 208, 220, 223, 225 & DAC 236
Tickets and
You don’t need to book your visit in advance, but you will always get the best price and guaranteed entry by booking online ahead of your visit. The prices shown here include a discount. The admission price will be higher if you choose to pay on the day you visit.
You can book your advance ticket online up to 8.45am on the day you want to visit.
Your booking is for the site/event only and does not guarantee a car parking space, which may carry an additional charge.
You can arrive anytime from the time slot you book, and stay as long as you like.
If you are a Member and wish to book, your ticket will still be free. Please remember to bring your English Heritage membership card with you. Members are able to book tickets for those included in the membership only. Any additional bookings made will be chargeable on site.
Some of our sites can get very busy, especially on Bank Holidays. Our busiest times are between 11am and 2pm, so if you prefer to visit at a quieter time you may wish to visit outside of these hours.
Please remember to bring your booking confirmation with you when you visit.
With donation Without donation
Adult £6.50 £5.90
Child (5-17 years) £3.90 £3.50
Concession £5.90 £5.30
Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) £16.90 £15.30
Family (1 adult, up to 3 children) £10.40 £9.40
Overseas Visitor Pass (9 or 16 days unlimited) Click here for English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass
Member - Join now FreeFree
Opening Times;
From 28/09/2021: On 28 September, Launceston Castle will open at 11am. Last admission one hour before closing
From 29/09/2021: Last admission one hour before closing.
Check English Heritage’s Launceston Castle for times in the Spring and Summer 2022
Articles that might interest you
Durham Cathedral is a very special building for a number of reasons to the extent that the author, Bill Bryson wrote it was “the best cathedral on Planet Earth.” Building began in 1093 and was to take 40 years to complete. If you are in the North-East of England, it should be number one on your list of places to visit. It is a good example of Romanesque architecture with its rounded or semi-circular arches, typical of architecture under the Normans (Norman castles have these arches too). When built it was Britain’s tallest building and must have amazed onlookers at a time when buildings were mainly made out of wood with wattle and daub walls and a thatched roof. It is home to the shrine of St Cuthbert, on of England's most important saints and the Venerable Bede.