Folkingham Castle

Folkingham Castle stands in the rolling countryside of Lincolnshire, near the quiet village of Folkingham. A motte-and-bailey castle was raised in the late 11th century by Gilbert de Gant, a Flemish knight who fought for William the Conqueror. The inner bailey is a rectangle surrounded by a deep moat, while a larger outer bailey once stretched beyond. In 1312 Edward II gave Henry de Beaumont permission to add battlements, giving the castle its present outline. After the Beaumont line ended in the 14th century the site passed to the crown and later became a private estate. The castle’s history is marked by the arrival of a 19th-century correction house built inside its walls. This institution was pulled down again in the 1950s, leaving the ancient earthworks and masonry exposed. The licence to crenellate issued by Edward II is still recognised as a key moment in the castle’s development. Gilbert de Gant’s Flemish origins explain the distinctive style of the early defences. The motte rises above the surrounding fields, offering long views across the flat fenland. Visitors walk around the two baileys and the deep moat that once held water. The inner bailey contains the remains of the great rectangular hall and other buildings. The outer bailey stretches away to the east, its boundaries still visible in the grass. The motte stands at the western edge, topped by a modern marker that shows where the keep once stood. From the top there are wide prospects over the Lincolnshire countryside. The site is peaceful, with only the wind and the cries of farmland birds breaking the silence.