Nantwich Castle

Nantwich Castle was a Norman castle in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, built before 1180 to guard a ford across the River Weaver. The castle is first documented in 1288. It was last recorded in 1462, and was in ruins by 1485. No trace now remains above ground; excavations in 1978 near the Crown Inn uncovered terracing and two ditches, one or both of which possibly formed the castle's bailey.

The castle was in existence before 1180. There is little evidence either for who founded it or for its precise date of foundation. Some sources assume it was probably built by William Malbank, the first baron of Nantwich. However, local historian Eric Garton cites one document in which it is referred to as "the Castle of Piers Malbanke", whose existence is not otherwise recorded; he might have been one of the brothers of William Malbank, or of his heirs, Hugh and William. Archaeological evidence suggests that the castle stood on slightly elevated ground between the River Weaver and the modern High Street and Mill Street, probably near the Crown Inn. This is one of the highest points in Nantwich, and would have commanded a strong position near the ford of the Weaver, which was located to the south of the existing bridge.

Although a baronial castle, Nantwich was not one of the major castles of Cheshire. The only description, which dates from an 1818 history of the town by John Weld Platt, claims it was "square, surmounted at each angle with turrets. The outer walls of the castle were defended by a moat of considerable breadth, passable only by a draw-bridge." However, the later historian James Hall considers Platt's description to be "purely fictitious, and therefore of no historical importance".

After the death of the third baron in around 1160–70 without male issue, the lands and privileges of the barony were divided between his three daughters. An inquisition dated 15 May 1288 states that the castle passed to his eldest daughter, Philippa; this is the earliest documentary evidence of its existence. Philippa Malbank married Thomas, Lord Basset, and their daughter and co-heir, also Philippa, married Henry de Beaumont, 5th Earl of Warwick. The castle passed back to the Earl of Chester in the 13th century, when Philippa, Countess of Warwick, died without issue.

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