| Codnor Castle | |
|---|---|
| Aldercar and Langley Mill,Amber Valley,Derbyshire | |
 Remains of Codnor Castle, viewed from the lower court | |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Location | |
  Codnor Castle Shown withinDerbyshire | |
| Coordinates | 53°02′43″N1°21′17″W / 53.0454°N 1.3548°W /53.0454; -1.3548 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 13th century |
| Materials | stone |
| Official name | Codnor Castle |
| Reference no. | 1007047 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Remains of Codnor Castle, Castle Lane |
| Designated | 25 November 1963 |
| Reference no. | 1109025 |
Codnor Castle is a ruined 13th-century castle inDerbyshire, England. The land aroundCodnor came under the jurisdiction ofWilliam Peverel after theNorman Conquest.[1] The building is registered as aScheduled Ancient Monument[2] a Grade II Listed Building[3] and is officially aBuilding at Risk.[4]
The castle is a stone keep and bailey fortress, and was established byWilliam Peverel. The present fragmentary remains represent a three-storeykeep and a strong curtain wall and ditch, flanked by round towers. The outer bailey is on a lower level, and was constructed at a later period. The castle overlooks theErewash valley and the counties ofDerbyshire andNottinghamshire. It originally had a deep moat, and on its eastern side, there was once a considerable abundance of trees, which have now been cut down. On the west side, there was a courtyard that was strongly fortified by huge round towers, which had battlements. In other parts of the ruins, there is evidence that the outer walls hadarrow-loops included to allow bowmen to use them if necessary.
By 1211, it was owned byHenry de Grey, a descendant of the Norman knightAnchetil de Greye[citation needed]. Henry's descendants include the long line ofLords Grey of Codnor, theLords Grey of Ruthyn,Wilton andRotherfield,Lady Jane Grey and the Earls of Stamford, and the extinct families of the Dukes of Suffolk and Kent. His son Richard settled inCodnor and was a loyal Baron toHenry III. Along with his brother John, they served the King in the Holy Land. John Grey distinguished himself in the Scottish wars, and found himself in great favour withEdward III. Together with William D'Eincourt,[5] the Lord Grey commanded all the knights of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in case of an invasion.Henry, the last of the family, died during the reign ofHenry VII without a legitimate heir. He left part of his lands to his illegitimate sons, Henry and Richard, and part to his widow,Katherine Stourton.
The remainder went to his aunt Elizabeth Grey, who in 1429 married Sir John Zouche, the youngest son of the fourthBaron Zouche ofHarringworth. Sir John Zouche of Codnor was three timesHigh Sheriff of Derbyshire. The castle remained in the hands of the Zouche family for two hundred years until they sold up and emigrated to Virginia in 1634.
Sir Streynsham Master,High Sheriff of Derbyshire, who bought the Codnor Castle estate in 1692, is reported as the last resident of the castle. He lived there until his death in 1724.
The castle site is not open for public access, though there are public footpaths across the upper field near the old keep (the North Court). The area around the farmhouse and farmyard is private property.[6]
There are public footpaths to the Castle from Codnor Market Place, where there is an information board in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, as well as public footpaths from the east in the Erewash valley.
In June 2007,Channel 4'sTime Team programme carried out anarchaeological dig around the castle. A perfectly preserved goldnoble of Henry V was found in the moat and is now displayed atDerby Museum and Art Gallery.[7][8]
Most Haunted Live! visited the castle as part of a paranormal investigation 'As Live' special in 2017. The programme was broadcast in March 2018.[9]
