The history of Tattershall Castle

A Tudor palace in the 16th century

After Lord Cromwell’s death, and without a direct heir, Tattershall passed to his niece Joan (c. 1436–81) and her husband Sir Humphrey Bourchier (d. 1471). Around the time of Joan’s death in 1481 it passed to the Crown and from then on to family members and loyal subjects including Edward IV, Henry VII, Margaret Beaufort, Henry VIII and Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset.

Notably, in 1537 Henry VIII gifted the castle to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (c. 1484–1545), for his part in suppressing the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536. This preceded the ‘Pilgrimage of Grace’ (1536-37) a series of protests across northern England held in response to Henry’s religious policies.’

Tattershall then passed through multiple owners, before its sale in 1573–4 to Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln (1512–84).  

A Tudor interior 

A 1545 inventory after Suffolk’s death reveals the castle’s furnishings. Items listed include ‘Turkey carpets’, meaning carpets from the Islamic world, Anatolian woven rugs and wall-hangings, and beds with velvet canopies. These were typical for noble families, reflecting trade links with the Ottoman Empire.  

17th century and the Massachusetts Bay Colony     

Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln (1599–1667), furthered Tattershall’s ties to England’s expanding empire. An outspoken and influential Puritan, Theophilus was imprisoned for a time in the Tower of London and excluded from the House of Lords. 

In 1630, Theophilus and his wife fitted out the flagship of the Winthrop fleet, the Arbella, which carried Puritan settlers from England to form the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This colony developed as a settlement to support the Massachusetts Bay Company, a joint stock company which was granted a Royal Charter in 1629. The Arbella was named for the Earl’s sister who was aboard the ship with her husband, Isaac Johnson. Though both died within months of their arrival, Isaac Johnson is best remembered as the person who named Boston, after the Lincolnshire town in which the couple had previously lived.

British Civil Wars 

For most of the Civil Wars, Tattershall was a strategically important Parliamentarian possession. In the summer of 1643, however, it was fleetingly relinquished to the Royalists. It was also briefly used as a prison and contains several pieces of historical graffiti dating from the period. 

After the defeat of Charles I, Parliament ordered the slighting of the castle. It is believed the Earl of Lincoln agreed to the destruction of structures like the curtain wall and mural towers in order to spare the Great Tower.  

Romantic ruin of the 17th and 18th centuries 

In 1693 the castle passed from the Clintons to the Fortescue family who never lived at Tattershall. Thereafter it was abandoned, slipping into a 200-year decline. 

Floors collapsed, windows broke, and the moats were filled in. A dovecote was installed in the south-west turret, and the ground floor of the Great Tower became a cattle-shed. The castle became a popular tourist destination and an attraction for artists and antiquaries as a ‘picturesque’ ruin. It is from this period that much of the Great Tower’s historical graffiti dates. 

Rescue and recovery in the 20th century  

In 1910 the castle was put up for sale by Hugh, 4th Earl Fortescue, and by 1911 the fireplaces had been removed and sold separately. The threat of losing this nationally significant building caused public outcry. George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (1859–1925), intervened, purchasing the castle and tracking down and intercepting the fireplaces. Curzon led an appeal to raise the necessary £5,155 to buy them back. In the summer of 1912, they were returned ‘in triumph on a procession of decorated wagons’.  

Lord Curzon was responsible for the restoration of several historic properties now in the care of the National Trust, notably Bodiam Castle and Kedleston Hall. He was also involved in conserving the Taj Mahal, and Red Fort, Agra in India. 

A prominent imperialist and leading political figure, Lord Curzon was well-travelled and informed about Asia and the former Persian Empire. Nevertheless, in his role as Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary he implemented his belief in British superiority and dominance in the colonies, thus leaving a complicated legacy.

Restoration 

The site’s dramatic rescue influenced early heritage protection, notably the 1913 Ancient Monuments Consolidation and Amendment Act. Under the direction of Lord Curzon’s architect William Weir, Tattershall came to form the site seen today. Weir was an exponent of early building conservation principles championed by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Work included uncovering foundations of lost buildings, re-establishing the moat system, and the excavation of many archaeological artefacts. 

20th century and two World Wars 

Tattershall opened as a visitor attraction in August 1914, four days after Britain entered the First World War. It remained open throughout the conflict, despite its steward being called up for active service. During the Second World War it was garrisoned and used by Local Defence Volunteers. It was also used to store Natural History Museum collections to protect them from the Blitz in London.   

Tattershall today 

Bequeathed to the National Trust on Lord Curzon’s death in 1925, the castle remains a visitor attraction and home to a wide range of wildlife.  

In 2021, a collaborative doctoral research project with the University of Nottingham expanded understanding of the castle’s history and architecture. This included a project to record and research the historic graffiti that covers the Great Tower. 

Protecting the Castle’s wildlife and biodiversity has become increasingly important. In 1985 Tattershall was one of the first National Bat Monitoring sites, and in 2003 great crested newts were discovered in the moat; a colony now considered to be of regional importance. Tattershall is also one of only a handful of places in the east of England where a small plant called navelwort (umbilicus rupestris) is known to grow.

Further reading

• Curzon, George and Tipping, H. Avray. ‘Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire: A Historical and Descriptive Survey’, Jonathan Cape, 1929. 

• Leyser, Henrietta. ‘Medieval Women: A Social History of Women in England, 450–1500’, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005. 

• Marshal, Pamela. ‘The Fifteenth Century Great Tower at Tattershall Castle: Aspiration, Display and the Practicalities of Social Distinction’, Château Gaillard, Etudes de castellologie médiévale. 29.   

• Reeves, A. C. Cromwell, Ralph, third Baron Cromwell (1393?–1456). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 3 Jan 2008. 

• Wright, James Peter, with Helen Rowse. ‘Tattershall Castle’, National Trust, 2025. 

• Wright, James Peter. ‘Tattershall Castle: Building a History’, PhD thesis, University of Nottingham, 2022.