Aldford Castle

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Aldford Castle is a ruined motte-and-bailey fortress in the village of Aldford, Cheshire, England. The motte sits north of St John’s Church, which stands on the old bailey ditch. The exact date of the castle is uncertain. It may have started as an earth-and-timber fort in the mid-1100s during Henry II’s reign, possibly built by Robert de Alford, but firm evidence is lacking. Some sources claim it was built even earlier and then controlled by Robertus, a descendant of the Bigod family, in 1160. The first solid records show Richard de Alford owning it in the early 1200s; after his death in 1213, the lands probably passed to the family of John de Aderne, who may have married de Alford’s daughter Margaret.

Archaeology shows it was rebuilt in stone in the 13th century as a shell keep fortress. Its purpose was defensive against Welsh tribes. There is debate over whether the rights to the castle were hereditary or earned by military service; some accounts say the owners paid a lease until 1224.

Today you can see fragments of stonework around the bailey and notable earthworks. The site is about five miles from Chester, near where a small river meets the River Dee. The castle was triangular in shape, with the keep in the northwest corner. The place where the keep stood is now a mound called Blobb Hill, overlooking the River Dee. Aldford Castle is protected as a Scheduled Monument.