Millom Castle (The Gatehouse Record)

Description

Ruins of castle or moated manor house incorporating present farmhouse. Licence to crenellate 1335, east range later C14, great tower, now farmhouse C16 or C17 with later alterations. Stone rubble with ashlar dressings, house partly roughcast with parallel hipped slate roofs. House has hall to north; east range has central gatehouse, kitchen range to north, solar range to south. Windows with pointed heads. East elevation has projecting gatehouse up C17 steps, front wall collapsed, small projection to south. Straight-headed 1st floor window to south return. South elevation of house has varied windows with label moulds, mostly tall 12-pane sashes, later 2-storey wing to west. Cross-axial stack and return lateral stacks. Entrance to wing. West elevation has pointed entrance and window opening to hall, entrance with overlight and 2 sashed windows to house, gabled out-house to wing which has sashed windows. North elevation has later barns abutting. Solar range has 1st floor with larger windows and ogee-headed entrance, probably to garderobe, to south-west angle; ground floor fireplace has smoke hole to outer hall with finial. Gatehouse has signs of 1st floor, small courtyard to west has jamb of entrance with portcullis groove. Kitchen range has segmental-headed fireplace with smoke hole to outer wall. 2 pointed entrances to hall lwhich has signs of east dais and 2 formerly Y tracery north windows. House north elevation has 2 pointed entrances to vaulted cellars; sashed windows, one with bull's eye pane. East elevation has wide-boarded studded door. Moat to west and north. (Listed Building Report)

Millom Castle was probably founded in the 13th century, but following the licence to crenellate (1335) the main building took place, and probably included the entrance tower and the hall. Circa 1450 further buildings were erected and about 1600 the Great Tower was built. In 1644 the Castle was partially demolished. The present remains consist of the moat (visible on the south and westsides), the tower, hall, and ruined gatehouse. (PastScape ref. Curwen 1913)

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1335 Aug 24 (Click on the date for details of this licence.).
It has been incorrectly suggested that a Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1622 March 10.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1007126, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number cu360
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1086619
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 37299.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 2703.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Visit Cumbria
  Matthew Emmott's Castle Blog and Matthew Emmott's Castle Blog
  CastlesFortsBattle.co.uk
  Charles Taylor's ecastles
  Old Cumbria Gazetteer
  Abaroth's World
Books
- Grimsditch, Brian, Nevell, Michael and Nevell, Richard, 2012, Buckton Castle and the Castles of the North West England (University of Salford Archaeological Monograph 2) p. 110
  Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 (Yale University Press) p. 9 (incorrect regarding supposed 1622 licence)
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 115
  Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 74
  Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 1 Northern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 229, 263
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 44
  Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carlisle: Carel Press) p. 74
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 89
  Clare, T., 1981, Archaeological Sites of the Lake District p. 86-91
  Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p. 133-4
  Pevsner, N., 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth: Penguin) p. 162-3
  Collingwood, W.G., 1928, Lake District History p. 75
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 189, 211-12
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 321-2 online copy
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 410 online copy
  Lysons, Daniel and Samuel, 1816, 'Antiquities: Castles' Magna Britannia Vol. 4: Cumberland p. ccii-ccvi online transcription
  Buck, Samuel and Nathaniel, 1774, Buck's Antiquities (London) Vol. 1 p. 46
Periodical Articles
- Winchester, A.J.L., 1983, 'The Castle Household and Demesne Farm at Millom in 1513-14' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 83 p. 85-100 online copy
  Cowper, H.S., 1924, 'Millom Castle and the Hudlestons' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 24 p. 181-234 online copy
  Knowles, 1866-73, 'Millom Castle' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 1 p. 275-7 (plan) online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1895, Calendar of Patent Rolls Edward III (1334-38) Vol. 3 p. 167 online copy
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)
  Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p. 97
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 5 p. 55 online copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk North West Register 2016 (London: Historic England) p. 17 online copy
  Historic England, 2015, Heritage at Risk North West Register 2015 (London: Historic England) p. 19 online copy
  English Heritage, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 19 online copy
  English Heritage, 2013, Heritage at Risk Register 2013 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 19 online copy
  English Heritage, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 34 online copy
  English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 32 online copy
  English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 30 online copy
  English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 North West (London: English Heritage) p. 38 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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