Venue Type & Location
Overview
The castle of the Willoughby family was located on the S edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds. A 16th c. brick residence was built by Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, to the S of the medieval site.
Only remains of the moat, the entrance avenue, a walled garden and the 16th c. stable block are visible now.
Performance History
Probable performance venue. No medieval household records survive to prove that entertainers patronized by Robert, 6th Baron Willoughby de Eresby, performed at home as well as elsewhere in the N in the mid-15th c.
Current Status
History of the Venue
1276 John, 1st Baron Bec, granted licence to crenellate.
1302 Acquired by Sir William de Willoughby via marriage with the heiress, Alice de Bec.
15th c. Alterations made.
ca. 1540 Eresby became a minor residence after Katherine Willoughby married Charles Brandon, who rebuilt Grimsthorpe on a grand scale as their principal residence. He also built a new house at Eresby, including a formal garden, ponds and bowling green (Marjoram, 'Eresby' 80).
1769 House destroyed by fire.
1960s The owner, J. Saul, had the moat dredged. Further excavations revealed part of the outline of the medieval house, including a round tower with buttresses, the kitchen and tiled floor of the great hall.
Record Source
REED York 1.70, 72
Patrons who owned this venue
| Name | Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Bertie, Peregrine | 1555-1601 | Baron Willoughby de Eresby |
| Bertie, Robert | 1582-1642 | Baron Willoughby de Eresby |
| Bertie, Robert | 1582-1642 | Earl of Lindsey |
| Bertie, Robert | 1582-1642 | Knight of the Garter |
| Willoughby, Robert de | 1385-1452 | Baron Willoughby (de Eresby) |
Bibliographic Sources
- King, David J. Cathcart. Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. 2 vols. Millwood, NY, London and Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus International Publications, 1983
- Leach, Terence R. Lincolnshire Country Houses & their Families. 2 vols. Lincoln: Laece Books, 1990--1
- Leland, John. The Itinerary of John Leland in or about the Years 1535–1543. 5 vols. London: Centaur, 1964
- Marjoram, J. ‘Eresby Manor House, Spilsby.’
. Lincoln: F.N. Field & A.J. White, 1984 A Prospect of Lincolnshire 79--88. - Pevsner, Nikolaus, and John Harris. Lincolnshire. 1964. London: Penguin Books, 1998
- Salter, Mike. The Castles of the East Midlands. Malvern: Folly Publications, 2002
- Smith, H. Cotton. The Town of Sir John Franklin: A History of Spilsby in Lincolnshire. Spilsby: The Spilsby Printing Company, 1892
- Wilson, C.M. 'Archaeological Notes, 1970.'. Lincolnshire History and Archaeology 6 (1971): 11.