Bottreaux Castle is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle in Boscastle, Cornwall. It was originally built in the 12th century and only earthworks remain today.
History
Bottreaux Castle was likely built sometime between 1154 and 1189 (during the reign of Henry II) by Sir William des Bottreaux, though it does not actually appear in records until the 13th century. Its owners, the Bot(t)reaux family, were ennobled by Edward III as Barons Botreaux.
The last member of the Bottreaux family died in 1462, and the castle soon fell into decay. In 1478, William Worcester mentioned Bottreaux Castle only as a manor house. John Leyland visited the castle in 1538, but the castle was likely demolished before he visited; he commented on the ruins, calling them "far unworthie the name of a castel; the people there, call it the Courte". Around 1600, Richard Carew noted that it was once used as a unisex prison. He wrote:
The castle was in ruins by 1769, and an 1852 survey by Maclaughlan found that although some walls were visible, only about half of the motte was visible. The site, on a steep spur overlooking the River Jordan, is now a public park, and a war memorial is present on the site of the castle. It was designated as a Scheduled Monument on 22 April 1974.
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