Cainhoe Castle

A Norman castle stands near Clophill in Bedfordshire. Built after 1066 by Nigel d’Aubigny, it was a motte with three baileys. The d’Aubigny family held the castle until 1272, when it passed through several noble houses. By the time of the Black Death in 1348 the site was empty. Excavations in the 1970s and 1980s uncovered only earthworks. The castle’s brief history is tied to crusading knights and shifting baronial power. Nigel d’Aubigny appears in Domesday records connected to a mill at Cainhoe. After Simon d’Aubigny died without an heir, the de Lacys and Nortons took control. The Greys, Earls of Kent, later inherited the title. By 1374 the stone structure had collapsed into ruins. Visitors today see grassy mounds and shallow ditches marking the former baileys. The motte rises in the centre, surrounded by the remains of the three baileys. Interpretive signs explain the layout and the excavations. The site is quiet, with views over the surrounding countryside. English Heritage recognises it as a Scheduled Monument.