One of the reasons that I include this building is that it merits a few pages (22 to 26) in The Bassingham Story by Bill & Connie Wilson and Helen Ash, wherein the building’s early history is described. As this book is long out of print I shall take the liberty of transcribing the information in full here.
PROFILE 4 – SOMERTON CASTLE
Somerton Castle was originally built as a moated masonry castle by Anthony Bek, Baron of Eresby, who obtained a licence to “crenellate” or embattle it in 1281. He became Bishop of Durham in 1284. The choice was a low, dry eminence, close to the Brant, which flowed to the East. The climate was warm and dry, and the river-fed moats sometimes lacked water in those early years. In later, wetter years, flooding became a serious problem with water in the moats undercutting the stone walls and buildings. That the river itself was never used for supplies can be seen in 1359 however when John the Good paid to have his groceries and spices brought on a packhorse from Boston to Somerton.
The southeast tower is still intact, having been incorporated in the 16th century house with part of the southern curtain wall. This tower had double-flued chimneys, an unusual convenience in the 13th century. Hugh Battersby recalls this tower has three rooms, the bottom being “a dungeon below ground or half-below ground level, with slits of windows more or less ground level. We used to salt the pig in it – very damp it was. The rooms above were quite plain.” Of the southwest tower, only the base remains, used as a calf house. The northeast tower, or chapel, is described elsewhere. The northwest tower (right) was removed by the Marfleet family about 1849, in order to provide building material. It was shown on an estate map as late as 1825.
The castle is nearly encompassed by a double set of moats, the outer most being very wide, and there are other earthworks on the outer side of the moat, purpose unknown.
Hugh Battersby comments, “The Inner moat was the way in, in my day. The Outer moat didn’t go right round. It only went three quarters of the way round [it was never completed on the north side.]” An isolated mound northwest of the castle, known as the Toothill since at least 1825, makes more sense as a Bronze Age round barrow than as a look-out hill, as often claimed.
The castle was first shown in an engraving of Samuel Buck in 1726 (above). This shows all four corner towers and a conical walled well head within the enclosure. The 16th century dwelling house built onto the southeast tower is in this view hidden by the tower itself. Buck stated “this castle is said to have been besieged and taken by Ethelbald, king of the Mercians about the year 734”, but the Somerton alluded to in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle 733 entry is almost certainly Somerton in Somerset (which was in his own kingdom of Mercia) rather than Lincolnshire Somerton.
The site has yet to be tested by archaeology, but “Summertune” was already a farmstead of Boothby in Domesday times, and by 1279 a square walked and moated ‘grange’ had been built, still visible as a department south of the castle.
In August 1309 Bek presented Somerton Castle to the king with “all his lands in Navenby, Bootheby, Wadyngton, and Basyngham,” in a deed dated at Somerton and signed by John, Bishop of Lincoln; Thomas, Earl of Lancaster; and Peter, Earl of Cornwall.
The castle remained in Royal control until leased to Sir George Bromley in 1578. He sold the lease to Edward Disney, eldest son of Thomas Disney of Carlton le Moorland, who probably built the Elizabethan dwelling house still attached to the southeast tower. John Disney of Skinnand was in occupation when he died in 1584 and Edward Disney in his 1595 will asked his son and heir Thomas, “that my sister Monsone be permitted to have the house at Somerton with moote and orchards about the towers from the feaste of Sainte Michell 1599 for thirty yeres if she shall soe longe live.” After her death Thomas, having lost his own sons in infancy, sold the Somerton lease to Sir Edward Hussey in the time of Charles I. Ultimately the Crown sold the freehold to the Marfleet family in the early years of Victoria. From 1935 Somerton was farmed by the Battersby family, who left in 1973.Rgds
A resident keeper, or constable, was usually at the castle, the first mentioned being Henry de Bello Monte in 1312. Above him, although resident elsewhere, was a custodian or governor.
A Ministers Account of 1359-60 identifies the household staff as John Trusela, John de Colby, and John Broun, ploughmen and carters; William Thoril and Robert Gonwehird, shepherds; William Gose, Richard de Foresta and Robert Gonwardby, plough drivers; Thomas Poterne neatherd; Robert Cippe, gate-keeper; and a bailiff. Of these at least one, John Trusela, had seen out the Black Death, for he paid the 1332 Lay Subsidy for Boothby. Although there was no large village associated with the castle, some housing was provided within the castle bailey and the Grange. Thus we are told Robert Croune, a villein, had his own tenement. Henry Herd, a mason, had one in the Grange in 1409, and there was another house next to the watergate. Also quartered at the castle were parties of artisans as, for example, Stephen Coker and 18 labourers working on the moat in 1334, and Gerard de Artiller, there making crossbows from 1335-7.
On at least one occasion women cleaners were brought in to prepare the castle for guests. Emma Wodcok, Agnes of the Stable, Alice of Carleton, John of Hycham and Matilda Molet doing this in July 1363.
From time to time the castle also hosted important visitors. Prince Edward, the later Edward II, stayed there for a fortnight during the 1302 Lincoln Parliament, and Edward III stayed there in July 1363. Walter de Mandevile was held prisoner there in 1347, and Sir John Avenel in 1355. It was also seized by force in late 1335 by Sir Hugh de Freyne who, with an armed party, had abducted and taken Alice Countess of Lincoln. He later married her and was allowed to make his peace in March 1336.
The most famous event was the arrival of King John the Good of France [1319-1364] and his son Prince Philip, when the king was held to ransom after his capture by Edward the Black Prince at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. King John was brought to England and in August 1359 was transferred to Somerton, under the Lord D’eyncourt the governor, with an escort of twenty two men-at-arms and twenty archers. Forty attendants came with him including his secretary, major-domo, physician, assistant secretary and chaplain, assistant chaplain, clerk, tailor, painter, jester, chief of the minstrels, barber, chef, laundryman, valets for himself and Prince Philip, footmen, grooms, pages, and kitchen servants.
Accompanying King John was the Baroness D’eyncourt, as hostess, and the Countess of Warren, grand-daughter of King Edward I. Marie de St. Pol, Countess of Pembroke, also came with many servants and two ‘chariots’, requiring eleven horses to draw them.
However in 1360 there was fear of a French invasion, and John was removed to the Tower of London for greater security.
Wikipedia extends the history with the following:
Sir Henry Hussey left Somerton Castle to his aunt, Jane Hatcher, who died in 1734 and it then passed to the Pochin family of Barkby in Leicestershire, who sold the castle to Montague Cholmeley of Easton in 1780.
The property and estate were bought from Sir Montague Cholmeley, 1st Baronet in 1812 by the Isaac Marfleet of Bassingham who had been previously leasing the castle; the property then passed on to several of the family’s descendants, until it passed to the Battersby family, who sold the castle and surrounding farmland in the mid-1970s.
About 2010, due to the deterioration of the fabric of the castle buildings, Somerton Castle was put on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register, and Ridge & Morris of Snape in Suffolk were commissioned as architects to draw up plans for the restoration of the castle. Planning consents were granted by North Kesteven District Council for additional building work, which included a new wing extending to the northwards behind the south front and also the conversion of the 19th-century farm buildings into dwellings.
Somerton Castle in the Censuses.
Census records show us that local Bassingham land-owner, Charles Barber Marfleet had been born in Somerton Castle around 1805
The earliest Census record dates from 1841 and shows Richard Coney as the occupant. Coney was there with his wife, five daughters and young son, together with three farmhands. This entry was the last in the schedule for Boothby Graffoe that year.
Still there in 1851, Coney was now identified as a “Groundkeeper”. A couple of daughters had moved on (or died) and there were now two more young children born after his son, Samuel (now aged 11 years).
By 1861 the Castle had changed hands and was now occupied by the family of William Wells, a 43-years-old farm bailiff from Dunston, Lincolnshire, together with their various servants and farmhands.
There seem to be two distinct households occupying the Castle in the 1871 Census. The first name on the schedule is that of Samuel Hallam, a 30-years-old “Farmingman Forman” from Navenby, Lincolnshire; the second is most likely the ‘Head Honcho’ as that is Henry Marfleet, 62-years-old “Landowner farmer of 500 acres employing 10 labourers & 6 boys.” The Marfleets were back, albeit not for much longer.
1881 saw the Castle change hands once again, with John Barnes named Head. Another farm bailiff, this time born in Welbourn around 1826, Barnes employed four farm servants.
By 1891 the Marfleet family were back at the Castle, with 67-years-old farming widow, Annie, registered as Head of the household.
The 1901 Census showed the Castle to be in the hands of William Whitaker, a 61-years-old farm bailiff from Airmyn, Yorkshire. In addition to his immediate family there were three farmworkers boarding with them, and also a grand-daughter and two visitors. It must have been quite busy!
By the time that the 1911 Census rolled around – and with the Castle included in the Coleby Boothby Graffoe schedule – the place was absolutely packed to the rafters with no fewer than four families listed as residing there. The first name on the schedule is that of Alfred Inkly, a 45-years-old farmer from Surfleet, Lincolnshire together with his small family and three farm servants. The next named household is that of W. E. Espin of Barlings, Lincolnshire. His is a much larger family and his job is that of “Farm foreman”. His three boarders are two “waggoners” and a farm labourer. The next named householder is 78-years-old George Espin, also from Barlings, and almost certainly the father of the previously named Head of household. Even at that late age Espin was, of course, still working as a farmer; no state pension in those days! The final name in this run of residents is Frank West who, along with his wife and daughter, formed the fourth and final household in the Castle. West, a general farm labourer, was only 20 years old and a native of Sheffield, Yorkshire.
I am informed that the 1921 Census once again found the Castle as a building of multiple occupancy, the family names involved being Calvert, Dudding, Johnson, Hackney, Harness and Whitfield but, because I have no access to this Census, I can give no further details.
The Battersby family was definitely in situ by 1939, and at this point the address was given as Navenby. Walter E. Battersby was almost 31 and a farmer. Keeping him company were his wife, Catherine, and their son Walter Jr.
And then there is also this postcard…
As you can see, this postcard was posted from Bassingham on 31st December 1909 and is addressed to a friend in Newark. The family are gathered in their ‘Sunday Best’ and are preparing to go out for the day somewhere, probably at some point during the previous summer. Its inclusion here is down to the fact that John Brogan believes that the Marfleets and the Broughtons were related, and thinks that the older chap seated with the reins is most likely the Mr. Broughton who owned Somerton Castle, and was almost certainly William’s father. Around the time of this photograph, Thomas Broughton lived in Nocton – he’s there in both 1901 and 1911; his son, William, lived in Bassingham and you can read all about him HERE. However, I am at present unable to confirm any connection with Somerton Castle as I cannot find any record of the Broughtons having owned or even lived there, although that’s not to say that it isn’t true; I just can’t prove it yet.
Bassingham Back Then... 