Tattershall Castle: Building a History
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Nottingham
Department Name: Archaeology
Abstract
Introduction
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire is a Grade I listed building situated to the south of the village of Tattershall. It comprises the remains of a medieval castle now in the care of the National Trust. Given the importance of the castle as one of the very earliest English brick built edifices there has so far been no major detailed study of the site. All or some of the following themes may be considered for elements of the CDA.
Documentary History:
- Assessment of published texts.
- Primary source documentary analysis.
- Map regression and analysis of historical illustrations.
- Biographical and wider historical detail to place the castle in context.
- Analysis of Tattershall within castle studies to include status, access, gender, function, symbolism, defence and residence.
- The relationship to associated buildings including the collegiate church and grammar school.
- Study of the site during the both the entire medieval and post-medieval period - not just the era of Ralph Cromwell.
Standing Building Survey
- Field investigation to record the location, form and function of buildings, the building materials employed (with specialist analysis of ceramic building material, timber and stone) and the dates and phases of construction.
- The production of annotated measured drawings.
- An interpretive 3D photo-model of the buildings.
- Detailed and general photographic survey with annotated photo-plans.
- Historic graffiti survey.
- An overall composite site plan drawing on all known evidence for structures.
Landscape Archaeology
- Map regression and walk-over survey to understand changing landscapes.
- Gathering a dataset of archaeological interventions and surveys.
- Analysis of LiDAR and infrared data.
- Standing building survey to Historic England Level 1 of Tattershall to assess the potential for more detailed surveys of medieval buildings in the village.
- Standing building surveys of the associated religious landscape.
- Comparison to other landscapes of lordship during the medieval period.
The Great Tower
- Documentary analysis to better understand function, status and access.
- Tattershall must be registered in the context of debate surrounding the function and use of late medieval castles.
- A survey of Continental structures which may have influenced the tower as the incorporation of machicolations, moulded brick vaulting and heraldic fireplaces possibly derive from French and German examples.
- A survey of buildings which were in turn architecturally inspired by Tattershall.
- An exploration of the strong links to other late fifteenth century buildings through aristocratic networks.
Conclusions
A CDA study researching the history and archaeology of Tattershall Castle should take into account a multidisciplinary approach including documentary research, standing building survey and archaeological fieldwork. The study ought to account for all periods of the castle's history and analyse the entire enclosure. As castles do not exist in a spatial or historical vacuum it is also vital that the wider region is drawn into the study to incorporate a landscape analysis of the collegiate church, grammar school, village, parklands, monastic foundations and surrounding area in both the medieval and post-medieval periods. The work should also be presented in the context of wider castle studies so that the prior influences on the site can be understood alongside its contemporary world and architectural legacy.
The study has tremendous potential to produce a number of conference papers and journal articles alongside the eventual thesis. Such publications would add to an existing corpus by the applicant. The work could feed into public outreach in the form of social media, website content and more traditional guidebooks and site interpretation
Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire is a Grade I listed building situated to the south of the village of Tattershall. It comprises the remains of a medieval castle now in the care of the National Trust. Given the importance of the castle as one of the very earliest English brick built edifices there has so far been no major detailed study of the site. All or some of the following themes may be considered for elements of the CDA.
Documentary History:
- Assessment of published texts.
- Primary source documentary analysis.
- Map regression and analysis of historical illustrations.
- Biographical and wider historical detail to place the castle in context.
- Analysis of Tattershall within castle studies to include status, access, gender, function, symbolism, defence and residence.
- The relationship to associated buildings including the collegiate church and grammar school.
- Study of the site during the both the entire medieval and post-medieval period - not just the era of Ralph Cromwell.
Standing Building Survey
- Field investigation to record the location, form and function of buildings, the building materials employed (with specialist analysis of ceramic building material, timber and stone) and the dates and phases of construction.
- The production of annotated measured drawings.
- An interpretive 3D photo-model of the buildings.
- Detailed and general photographic survey with annotated photo-plans.
- Historic graffiti survey.
- An overall composite site plan drawing on all known evidence for structures.
Landscape Archaeology
- Map regression and walk-over survey to understand changing landscapes.
- Gathering a dataset of archaeological interventions and surveys.
- Analysis of LiDAR and infrared data.
- Standing building survey to Historic England Level 1 of Tattershall to assess the potential for more detailed surveys of medieval buildings in the village.
- Standing building surveys of the associated religious landscape.
- Comparison to other landscapes of lordship during the medieval period.
The Great Tower
- Documentary analysis to better understand function, status and access.
- Tattershall must be registered in the context of debate surrounding the function and use of late medieval castles.
- A survey of Continental structures which may have influenced the tower as the incorporation of machicolations, moulded brick vaulting and heraldic fireplaces possibly derive from French and German examples.
- A survey of buildings which were in turn architecturally inspired by Tattershall.
- An exploration of the strong links to other late fifteenth century buildings through aristocratic networks.
Conclusions
A CDA study researching the history and archaeology of Tattershall Castle should take into account a multidisciplinary approach including documentary research, standing building survey and archaeological fieldwork. The study ought to account for all periods of the castle's history and analyse the entire enclosure. As castles do not exist in a spatial or historical vacuum it is also vital that the wider region is drawn into the study to incorporate a landscape analysis of the collegiate church, grammar school, village, parklands, monastic foundations and surrounding area in both the medieval and post-medieval periods. The work should also be presented in the context of wider castle studies so that the prior influences on the site can be understood alongside its contemporary world and architectural legacy.
The study has tremendous potential to produce a number of conference papers and journal articles alongside the eventual thesis. Such publications would add to an existing corpus by the applicant. The work could feed into public outreach in the form of social media, website content and more traditional guidebooks and site interpretation
People |
ORCID iD |
| James Wright (Student) |