Anstey Castle

Anstey Castle stands in the village of Anstey in Hertfordshire. It was built in the 12th century as a stone motte and bailey fortress, traditionally founded by Eustace II, Count of Boulogne. The castle was strengthened during the First Barons' War by Nicholas de Anstey, who opposed King John. After the war, de Anstey was ordered to destroy parts of the castle in 1218. The remaining materials were used to repair the nearby church, where traces of the castle’s crest and shield can still be seen in the graffiti. The castle passed through several hands after de Anstey’s death in 1225. It was seized by the king and later granted to Robert de Rokele on behalf of the Bishop of Canterbury. By 1304, the site was still called a castle, but by 1314, it was referred to only as a manor. The remains today include a large motte about 8.2 metres high, surrounded by a 10-metre water-filled ditch. The bailey to the north and east is bordered by a dry ditch, and a large mound remains from the original structure. Excavations in 1902–1903 by R.T. Andrews and W.B. Gerish found no conclusive evidence about the castle’s exact age. No visible ruins of the castle itself survive on the mound, but the earthworks and ditches still mark the site’s historic defences. The church nearby holds the only surviving traces of the castle’s former presence.