Benefield Castle
Benefield Castle is in Lower Benefield, Northamptonshire, England. It sits on higher ground to the west of the village, at SP987884. The site is a ringwork, an early fortification built in the 1100s with buildings inside a large ditch and surrounded by a wall or palisade. The exact date isn’t known, but the castle is mentioned in 13th‑century records and may have been built during the Anarchy (the civil wars of Stephen’s reign, 1138–44).
The castle was seized by King John in 1208 after the owner, Hugh de Lisurs, failed to pay debts. In 1264, Henry III ordered knights to stay peaceful after the Battle of Lewes, as he had made peace with the barons. In 1265, men housed at the castle attacked Biggin Manor and raided cattle from Oundle; they were repulsed and the cattle recovered. Soon after, the castle was pulled down. By 1298 it is described as “an old castle,” and by 1315 no buildings remained—only the site. It is listed again as a ruin in 1378.
John Leyland mentions the ruins in 1535 as “the ditch and mines of an old castle.” A wall still stood in 1724, enclosing about an acre. The nearby manor house survived longer and is mentioned in 1445. By the mid‑18th century only a stone wall remained; 19th‑century maps show the main gatehouse on the eastern side, facing the manor farm.
Today only some earthworks remain on higher ground to the west of Lower Benefield. Archaeology shows evidence of domestic and defensive buildings and a large platform about 60 by 50 meters (roughly 200 by 160 feet), about 2 meters high. The large defensive ditch survives up to about 10 meters wide and 3 meters deep, though its southern part has been filled in.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:32 (CET).