Venue Type & Location
Overview
Located a few miles NW of Pontesbury guarding the route from Shrewsbury to Montgomery. Caus occupies one of the best defensive sites along the Welsh border, on the summit of a steep ridge above the River Rea.
Before its ruin the castle featured a round shell-keep with a curtain wall encompassing an inner bailey, entered by a gatehouse at the N end. Archaeological remains also indicate a rectangular building adjacent to the keep on the S side, which likely was the great hall.
Performance History
A possible performance venue. Caus Castle was refurbished by Henry, 10th Baron Stafford, whose entertainers are recorded elsewhere in Shropshire in the mid-16th c. It may also have been used a residence by Edward, 12th Baron Stafford, whose entertainers appear in the SW, before he lost ownership in 1590
Current Status
History of the Venue
late 11th c. Original Caus Castle built by Roger Fitz Corbet, probably at the site of the Hawcocks Mount ringwork. Abandoned in the 12th c. (Barker, 'Caus Castle' 34).
Late 12th c. A new stone motte and bailey castle was built three-quarters of a mile W. The borough of Cause was founded in the outer bailey.
1347 On the death of Beatrice Corbet the castle passed to the Staffords.
early 15th c. Garrisoned during Welsh rebellions but abandoned as a residence.
1521 Described as ruinous in a survey of the Stafford estates.
ca. 1540--56 Extensive repairs and alterations by Henry, 10th Baron Stafford, who used it as a residence.
1573 Sold to Sir Rowland Hayward as a gift for his son-in-law John Thynne but the Staffords retained possession.
1590 Sir John Thynne seized it by force.
1630s Thynne family made further repairs and additions.
1645 The castle surrendered to parliamentary forces after a short siege and was dismantled. Some fittings were removed to the Thynne residence at Minsterley Hall, Shropshire.
18th/early 19th c. Ruins used as a quarry.
Record Source
REED Shropshire 1.194, 206
Patrons who owned this venue
| Name | Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford, Edward | 1536-1603 | Baron Stafford |
| Stafford, Henry | 1501-1563 | Earl of Stafford |
| Stafford, Henry | 1501-1563 | Baron Stafford |
| Stafford, Henry | 1501-1563 | Lord Stafford |
Bibliographic Sources
- Barker, P.A. 'Caus Castle (SJ 337077) and Hawcock's Mount (SJ 349077).'. Archaeological Journal 138 (1981): 34.
- Darwin Country.
- Jackson, Michael. Castles of Shropshire. Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries, 1988
- Jones, W. Sinclair. 'Caus Castle's Historic Associations.'. Montgomeryshire Collections 38 (1918): 261--8.
- Lee, Lancelot John. 'Notes on the Parish of Worthen and Caus Castle.'. Shropshire Archaeological Society Transactions 3rd ser, vol 6 (1906): 93--122.
- Mackenzie, James D. The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure. 2 vols. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1896
- Page, William, A.T. Gaydon and G.C. Baugh, eds. The Victoria History of the County of Shropshire. 11 vols. London: Archibald Constable, U of London, 1908--98
- Pettifer, Adrian. English Castles: A Guide by Counties. Woodbridge: The Boydell P, 1995
- Salter, Mike. The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire. Malvern, Worc: Folly Publications, 1988
- Somerset Fry, Plantagenet. Castles of the British Isles. New York: Dorset P, 1990