Castle Leavington

When William conquered England the first thing he and his men did was build castles throughout the land. It was their way of holding foreign, hostile territory. Most of the castles were made of timber; Castle Leavington was built as a timber castle by the Brus family. In the thirteenth century the Meynell family acquired the land from the king for service in one of the many wars with Scotland. They rebuilt it as a timber castle; though by that point many of the timber castles were being converted to stone.

Castle Leavington was last occupied in approximately 1390. After 1390 the timber disintegrated over the centuries. Nevertheless, it remains on the map; you can [almost] drive to Castle Leavington. And the mound that was an integral part of the castle structure remains clearly visible.

The Boyntons held the castle and lands for much of the 200 years between 1350 and 1545. It is a complicated story that illustrates how complicated inheritance could become [A Boynton Story: the Tangled Web of Castle Leavington]. The inquisitions post mortem and wills concerning Castle Leavington are also available [documents]

Join us for a walking tour of Castle Leavington; click on the GO.