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Elmley Castle

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Venue Type & Location

Private Residence

Site Name: Elmley Castle
Location: near Elmley Castle
County: Worcestershire
Location Type: Town - near town at determined location

Overview

Elmley Castle stood approximately 3/4 m. S of the village of the same name, on the summit of a hill in the deer park, 4 m. SE of Pershore.

The sites of the castle and the moat are traceable in the park. The castle hill and the surrounding ditches also remain.

Current Status

The castle no longer exists. The remains are on private land (Lodge Farm); not accessible to public.

History of the Venue

11th c. Castle built by Robert le Despenser.

13th c. Manor in possession of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick, son of William de Beauchamp of Elmley.

1448/9 Anne, daughter and heir of Henry de Beauchamp, 1st Duke of Warwick dies. Elmley passes to her aunt Anne, wife of Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury.

1471 Elmley settled on Neville's daughter Isabel, wife of George, Duke of Clarence, who held the castle until his death in 1478. Emley then was held by the Crown because of the minority of the heir.

1487 Anne, Countess of Warwick restored to the Warwick estates, but conveys them to the Crown.

early 16th c. Leland notes 'but one Tower, and that partly broken,' and saw stone being removed to repair Pershore Bridge (5,9).

1544 Sold to Sir William Herbert and Christopher Savage.

Patrons who owned this venue

Name Date Titles
Beauchamp, Henry de 1425-1446 Lord Le Despenser
Beauchamp, Henry de 1425-1446 Earl of Warwick
Beauchamp, Henry de 1425-1446 Count of Aumale
Beauchamp, Henry de 1425-1446 Duke of Warwick
Beauchamp, Henry de 1425-1446 Baron Burghersh
Beauchamp, Thomas de 1313-1369 Earl of Warwick
Beauchamp, Thomas de 1313-1369 Knight of the Garter
Despenser, Isabel le 1400-1439 Lady Bergavenny
Despenser, Isabel le 1400-1439 Countess of Warwick
Despenser, Isabel le 1400-1439 Countess of Worcester
Despenser, Isabel le 1400-1439 Baroness Burghersh
Neville, Cecily 1425-1450 Duchess of Warwick
Neville, Cecily 1425-1450 Countess of Worcester
Neville, Cecily 1425-1450 Lady Le Despenser
Neville, Cecily 1425-1450 Countess of Warwick

Bibliographic Sources

View a list of abbreviations.

  • Emery, Anthony. Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales 1300–1500. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1996--2006
  • Havins, Peter J. Neville. Portrait of Worcestershire. London: Robert Hale, 1974 139.
  • Pevsner, Nikolaus. Worcestershire. Harmondsworth, Midd: Penguin Books, 1968
  • Salter, Mike. The Castles of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Malvern, Worc: Folly Publications, 1989