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Monument details

HER Number:TQ 84 NW 7
Type of record:Listed Building
Name:Sutton Valence Castle

Summary

Fragmentary remains of a small 12th/13th century castle. The castle and the adjacent settlement of Sutton belonged to Simon de Montfort but were granted to William de Valence, half brother to Henry III, in 1265 in return for helping to defeat Simon de Montfort's rebellion. The active history of the castle is short and it appears to have fallen into disuse after 1300. It once controlled the important medieval route that ran from Rye and Winchelsea to Maidstone and the Medway.

Summary from record TQ 84 NW 211:

Grade II listed building. Main construction periods 1167 to 1232

Images

Sutton Valence Castle   © Explore KentSutton Valence Castle 2   © Explore KentSutton Valence Castle 3   © Explore Kent
Grid Reference:TQ 81534 49111
Map Sheet:TQ84NW
Parish:SUTTON VALENCE, MAIDSTONE, KENT

Monument Types

  • CASTLE (Medieval - 1167 AD to 1232 AD)
Protected Status:Scheduled Monument 1013537: TOWER KEEP CASTLE AT SUTTON VALENCE; Listed Building (II) 1186956: RUINS OF SUTTON CASTLE

Full description

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[TQ 8154 4912] Sutton Castle [NR] (1) Scheduled as Sutton Valence Castle. (2) Sutton Valence castle is situated on a spur of the Quarry Hills commanding the road from Maidstone to Rye and Old Winchelsea. It comprises a `keep', 36 ft. square externally approached on the N. side from a small fore-building, situated at the southern extremity of a bailey now levelled and with the ditch filled up. The bailey is now a hop garden and nothing is left save a crumbling wall on the western side. Excavation by Sutton Valence School in 1956 and 1957 produced pottery ranging from the 2nd half of the 12th c. to late 13th c. In conjunction with the stratification it suggests that the keep was constructed from the middle to late 12th c. with a fore-building added shortly afterwards. About 1200 the fore-building was levelled and a new staircase replaced it. Later this was encased by walls which were probably not completed. The castle was abandoned at the end of the 13th c. apparently peacefully. (3) Sutton Castle, as described. The keep stands to about 7.0m. height. There are now no remains of the curtain wall on the W. side. See GP AO/61/74/6. Keep from SW. (4) Checked and correct. (5) Additional bibliography. (6-14)

"Fragmentary remains of a small 12th/13th century castle. The castle and the adjacent settlement of Sutton belonged to Simon de Montfort but were granted to William de Valence, half brother to Henry III, in 1265 in return for helping to defeat Simon de Montfort's rebellion. The active history of the castle is short and it appears to have fallen into disuse after 1300. It once controlled the important medieval route that ran from Rye and Winchelsea to Maidstone and the Medway." (20)

Description from record TQ 84 NW 211:
The following text is from the original listed building designation:
SUTTON VALENCE RECTORY LANE TQ 8049-8149 (north side) 7/158 Ruins of Sutton Castle GV II
Ruins of castle. Late C12 or early C13. Stone. Ruins of keep about 12 metres square, walls standing in places to height of about 7 metres. Fragment of smaller block about 2 metres to north. Scheduled Ancient Monument. Listing NGR: TQ8153549111

From Register of Scheduled Monuments:

About 1/4m E of Sutton Valence church. Remains of a keep about 40' sq. Walls of wide-jointed ragstone masonry and irregularly laid flint in hard mortar, 5' 7" thick, standing now to a height of 20'-25', with remains of an upper stage (rectangular beam-holes in S face). Bailey wall no longer clear. (21)

Archive material (22)


<1> OS 6" 1961 (OS Card Reference). SKE48369.

<2> MOW List of Anc Mon of Eng & Wales 1958 46 (OS Card Reference). SKE47357.

<3> Arch Cant 25 1902 198-206 plan illust (H Sands) (OS Card Reference). SKE34878.

<4> Arch Cant 71 1957 227-8 (L R A Grove) (OS Card Reference). SKE35490.

<5> F1 CFW 16.11.61 (OS Card Reference). SKE42595.

<6> F2 ASP 01.12.61 (OS Card Reference). SKE43068.

<7> F3 CFW 20.01.64 (OS Card Reference). SKE43388.

<8> The English Castle 1936 56 (H Braun) (OS Card Reference). SKE50345.

<9> DOE(IAM) record form 3 November 1986 (OS Card Reference). SKE41445.

<10> History of Kent 8th ed V 1798 365 (E Hasted) (OS Card Reference). SKE44136.

<11> Castles of England 1 1897 45 (J D Mackenzie) (OS Card Reference). SKE38632.

<12> Kent Arch Soc Annual Report 1956 6 (OS Card Reference). SKE45882.

<13> Kent Arch Soc Annual Report 1957 9 (OS Card Reference). SKE45883.

<14> Anc Mon Board Eng 23rd Ann Rep 1976 11 (OS Card Reference). SKE33044.

<15> Anc Mon Board Eng 29th Ann Rep 1982 58 (OS Card Reference). SKE33045.

<16> Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald 1980 558-559 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38161.

<17> Field report for monument TQ 84 NW 7 - November, 1961 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4361.

<18> Field report for monument TQ 84 NW 7 - December, 1961 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4362.

<19> Field report for monument TQ 84 NW 7 - January, 1964 (Bibliographic reference). SKE4363.

<20> Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders, 2001, Kent's Defence Heritage (Unpublished document). SKE6956.

<21> English Heritage, Register of Scheduled Monuments (Scheduling record). SKE16191.

<22> Historic England, Archive material associated with Sutton Valence Castle, Scheduled Monument (Archive). SKE54206.

Sources and further reading

Cross-ref. Source description
<1>OS Card Reference: OS 6" 1961.
<2>OS Card Reference: MOW List of Anc Mon of Eng & Wales 1958 46.
<3>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 25 1902 198-206 plan illust (H Sands).
<4>OS Card Reference: Arch Cant 71 1957 227-8 (L R A Grove).
<5>OS Card Reference: F1 CFW 16.11.61.
<6>OS Card Reference: F2 ASP 01.12.61.
<7>OS Card Reference: F3 CFW 20.01.64.
<8>OS Card Reference: The English Castle 1936 56 (H Braun).
<9>OS Card Reference: DOE(IAM) record form 3 November 1986.
<10>OS Card Reference: History of Kent 8th ed V 1798 365 (E Hasted).
<11>OS Card Reference: Castles of England 1 1897 45 (J D Mackenzie).
<12>OS Card Reference: Kent Arch Soc Annual Report 1956 6.
<13>OS Card Reference: Kent Arch Soc Annual Report 1957 9.
<14>OS Card Reference: Anc Mon Board Eng 23rd Ann Rep 1976 11.
<15>OS Card Reference: Anc Mon Board Eng 29th Ann Rep 1982 58.
<16>OS Card Reference: Bldgs of Eng-West Kent & the Weald 1980 558-559 (J Newman).
<17>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 84 NW 7 - November, 1961.
<18>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 84 NW 7 - December, 1961.
<19>Bibliographic reference: Field report for monument TQ 84 NW 7 - January, 1964.
<20>Unpublished document: Victor Smith and Andrew Saunders. 2001. Kent's Defence Heritage.
<21>XYScheduling record: English Heritage. Register of Scheduled Monuments. [Mapped feature: #27446 Castle, ]
<22>Archive: Historic England. Archive material associated with Sutton Valence Castle, Scheduled Monument.

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