Bletsoe Castle

Bletsoe Castle was a late medieval fortified manor house in the village Bletsoe, Bedfordshire.

Details
Bletsoe Castle was created by John Pateshull, who received a license to crenellate an existing manor house on the east side of Blestoe in 1327. Pateshull had owned the manor of Blestoe since 1313, but in 1324 he inherited additional lands, allowing him to acquire permission to crenellate the property. It was the birthplace of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby who later became the mother to Henry VII of England. Although her year of birth is uncertain, it remains in dispute that it is either May 31st 1441 or 1443.

In the late 16th or early 17th century, a new building was erected around the castle, quadrangular in design with three or four storeys and gable windows. Much of this later building was pulled down, leaving a much smaller building, still incorporating parts of the older castle, within the older medieval earthworks.

Today the castle is a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building. The medieval moat has a diameter of 130 m, is on average 18 m wide and 2.4 m deep. The moat is water-filled in parts though the south side has been destroyed by the construction of agricultural buildings over it.