Kingerby Castle

Kingerby Castle lies five miles north-west of Market Rasen in Lincolnshire. It began as a motte and bailey castle built in the Middle Ages. King John ordered its burning in 1216, and it was fully destroyed two years later. After the fire the motte was reshaped into a platform for a new manor house. That manor house stood until 1812, when it was pulled down. In its place rose Kingerby Hall, which remains on the site today. The castle’s history shows how quickly power could shift in the 13th century. King John’s forces acted swiftly to remove a threat, yet the site kept changing hands. The manor house that followed became a local landmark before being replaced by the present hall. The motte’s altered shape still marks where the first castle once stood. Visitors find Kingerby Hall standing on a raised mound that was once the castle’s motte. The hall itself is a plain brick building from the early 19th century. Around it the flat Lincolnshire countryside stretches out in every direction. A quiet lane leads to the gate, and no crowds gather here. The only reminder of the castle’s violent past is the shape of the ground beneath the hall.