Haxey

Description

The chief Town in (Axholme)… is Axey, or as it was formerly called Axel…It hardly deserves the Name of a Town, because it has so few Inhabitants. Nevertheless there is to be seen the Platform of a Castle, which was demolished in the Barons Wars, and belonged to the Mowbreys, who had great part of the Island in their Posession…' (Cox) Note that it is unclear whether the supposed Mowbray castle at Haxey mentioned in (Cox) is a confusion with the motte and bailey castle at Owston Ferry. A later paragraph in the same document gives an account of Roger de Mowbray's rebellion against Henry II in 1173, and the repairing of the 'Castle of Kinafare…near Kinard Ferry'. This implies that there were two 12th century castles controlled by Mowbrays, located within 4km of each other. The destruction of the Haxey castle is linked to the 'Barons Wars' which took place between 1135 and 1154, some time before the rebellion of 1173. If there was another defended site at Haxey, its location in unknown, and it has not been mentioned by any other antiquarian source. (M. Hemblade, 2009, Supposed Mowbray castle at Haxey) (North Lincolshire SMR)

It seems probably that there were not two castles but that Cox was recording two sources and that this castle was Kinaird Castle. However, absence of physical evidence is not quite the same of evidence of absence so a castle here can not be entirely eliminated. The relative lack of suitable ground for building in this marshy area may mean that that land has undergone several periods of development. Map reference given is for parish church of Haxey.