Scheduled MonumentsEnglandTattershall Castle and College

Tattershall Castle and College

England
List entry 1018394
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1018394
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
6.16 hectares
Grid reference
TF 21147 57519
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Tattershall Castle is a fifteenth-century fortress built by Ralph, Lord Cromwell, between 1433 and 1439, representing one of the finest examples of brick construction from the medieval period in England. The castle is dominated by a substantial brick-built keep or tower house, which stands approximately 110 feet high and demonstrates the sophisticated masonry techniques employed in its construction, with decorative diaper patterning and multiple storeys featuring large windows and ornamental brick details. The site also incorporates the adjacent College of the Holy Trinity, founded by Cromwell in 1440, which reflects the patron's status and piety during the later medieval period. The complex exemplifies the transition from military fortification towards the more domestic and residential character of late medieval aristocratic architecture, though it retains defensive capability through its formidable tower structure and moated position within the Lincolnshire landscape.

Tattershall Castle and College is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1018394. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tattershall Castle and College?

Tattershall Castle is a fifteenth-century fortress built by Ralph, Lord Cromwell, between 1433 and 1439, representing one of the finest examples of brick construction from the medieval period in England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1018394.

Who is responsible for protecting Tattershall Castle and College?

Tattershall Castle and College is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1018394.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tattershall Castle and College?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tattershall College Grammar School (0.3 km), Butter Cross, Tattershall (0.4 km), Dogdyke Pumping Station (1.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Tattershall Castle and College

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Tattershall Castle and College's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Tattershall Castle and College

Tattershall Castle and College stands on West Walton Formation, Ampthill Clay Formation And Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Kimmeridgian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.