Chalgrave Castle

A 12th-century motte and bailey stronghold, Chalgrave Castle, is now in ruins. In collaboration with the Bedfordshire Archaeology Council, the location has been the focus of multiple archaeological excavations. At Chalgrave, to the southeast of the church, there was formerly a castle. It was a motte-and-bailey structure, consisting of a mound (the motte) on which a tower would have stood and a surrounding area (the bailey) that would have been enclosed by walls for protection. These castles were typically made almost completely of wood. The excavation, which was limited to the motte's area, revealed that the motte was built in the middle of the 12th century, presumably by the Loring family, tenants of the Manor of Chalgrave who were subject to the Barony of Bedford's rule. The motte appears to have protected an 11th-century manor house that served as Albert of Lorraine's residence and was known to be the manor's owner.

Late in the 12th century, it appears that this square tower was demolished and the motte was expanded to create an oval-shaped space rather than a circular one. Then, it was covered with a brand-new structure that had one level, according to the depth of the foundations. The ditch surrounding the motte was recut at the same time. The castle appears to have been abandoned in the early 13th century and replaced with a manor house on or near the location of what is now Manor Farm or what became the Chantry House, having a lifespan of fewer than 100 years.

The construction of the castle happened in two distinct stages. It appears that the first Norman lord of the manor established his dominance over his new territory by erecting a fortification atop a portion of an earlier residence. The motte was expanded, and a timber-framed structure was built on top of the mound before the end of the 11th century. At the same time, a new ditch was dug around the area. This shows that the first castle was too small for the Norman lord to feel at home. It might have been hastily constructed after the Conquest and afterwards found to be unfit for habitation.

The Loring family owned the estate by the fourteenth century. Sir Nigel Loring, a hero of the Hundred Years War with France whose military achievements were chronicled by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, was the most well-known member of the family. In All Saints Church, Sir Nigel is interred. Unfortunately, almost little is still visible on the castle site today because it was leveled after excavations there in 1970. A pathway directly passes the location, which is close to the All Saints Chalgrave historic church, which is worth visiting in and of itself to see its medieval artwork.

The Loring family's ancestral home was Chalgrave, and Roger, who passed away around 1185, is the earliest member to have been named. In Chalgrave Church, at least one member of the family is interred in a magnificent tomb with his likeness carved on top of the tomb chest. Sir Nigel was the last of the Lorings. He participated in the Hundred Years War, fighting in the English triumphs at Sluys in 1340 and Poitiers in 1356. He was a founding member of the Knights of the Garter when King Edward III (1327-1377) established the organisation in 1344. Around 1365, he retired to Chalgrave, where he passed away in 1386.