BRAILES CASTLE

Warwickshire

This part of the country was as remote in the early medieval period as it is today, and Brailes Castle is one of the few in the area of any note.  The motte is very large and the bailey almost forms a separate platform upon which the motte itself stands.

The manor of Brailes passed to the Earls of Warwick in 1130 and it is likely the Castle was built soon after this date to keep control of what was a remote part of the Earldom, far from the seat of power in Warwick itself.

However, the Earls of Warwick were not renowned for looking after their lesser Castles and Brailes seems to have fallen into disuse very early on, before 1279 when a park is mentioned, but a Castle is not.

The Castle stands on semi-public land, criss-crossed with footpaths, although the earthworks themselves are strictly speaking on farmers' lands.

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2018