Stockport Castle - History

History

The first mention of Stockport Castle comes from 1173, when Geoffrey de Costentyn held it against Henry II during the barons' rebellion of 1173–1174. There is a local tradition that Geoffrey de Constentyn was the son of Henry II, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany; in fact, Geoffrey de Constentyn was a local lord who not only owned the manor of Stockport, but land in Staffordshire and Ireland. The bailey would originally have been defended by a wooden palisade and earthworks; these were replaced by stone walls at the beginning of the 13th century. Two fragments of the wall survive.

Dent suggests that the castle began to decline in the 14th century when the Warren family became Lords of the Manor of Stockport; Stockport was not the only manor that the family owned, and they favoured the manor of Poynton over that of Stockport. The castle falling out of use mirrors a trend with the other castles in the Greater Manchester area; by the 13th century, apart from Dunham Castle, there was no indication of activity in castles in Greater Manchester. According to antiquarian John Leland, the castle lay in ruins by 1535. At this stage, the gaol was still present and a market was held in the castle's bailey. The castle grounds had been divided and rented out by the Lord of the Manor. The ruins were levelled in 1775 by Sir George Warren, the lord of the manor, and a cotton mill built on the site. In 1974, excavations of the motte were carried out to establish how long the castle had been occupied.