Laxton Castle

Laxton Castle stands north of the village of Laxton in Nottinghamshire. Built in the late 11th or early 12th century, it is a fine example of a motte-and-bailey stronghold. The site includes two nearly intact courts surrounded by earthworks and masonry ruins. Archaeologists from Birmingham University and the University of Nottingham have studied the remains since 2003. A 16th-century manor house called Laxton Hall once stood on the same ground. The castle’s defences were once formidable, with a keep on a steep natural slope and guarded approaches. The castle was first raised soon after the Norman Conquest, likely under Robert de Caux. Geoffrey Alselin received the land in 1066, and his son-in-law later made Laxton his seat. King John held the castle for a time in 1204, and in 1230 it passed to the Everingham family. By the 1280s the family found the property too small and left for Yorkshire. The castle then fell into ruin and was little used. Visitors today see grassy mounds and crumbling stone walls marking the old courts. The northern side drops sharply down an escarpment where the keep once stood. A track once led to the gate, now vanished. The brick manor house, Laxton Hall, was built over the ruins in the 16th century. Its three gables can still be traced among later farm buildings. The wider fields around the site show where the outer defences once stood. The place speaks of power long gone, yet its earthworks remain almost as they were eight centuries ago.