Site Report

WoSASPIN 17845
NS97SE 21 9558 7115.

(NS 9558 7115) Couston Castle (NR) (remains of)
OS 6" map (1968)

The fragmentary remains of Couston Castle, of 17th century date, stand in the garden of the E side of North Couston farm-house. The building has been L-shaped on plan, the main block, 54' 4" x 25', running E-W, with the wing, which contained the newel stair, projecting on the NW. The masonry is rubble. At basement level there were two chambers in the main block. The smaller, at the E end, has been a vaulted cellar, the larger was the kitchen, but no trace of the vault, if such existed, remains. No details can be given of the upper floors, the remains are very dilapidated.
Bell suggests a 15th century date for this castle, and notes some remains of a turret on one corner.
RCAHMS 1929, visited 1926; J M Bell 1893

All that remains is part of the W wall. Its date could not be ascertained.
Visited by OS (JLD) 19 November 1952 and (JP) 9 August 1974

Fragmentary remains of 17th century house. L-plan. Random rubble; very dilapidated. Roofless. Interior: Semi-circular fireplace-arch at W end.
SDD List 1964

A watching brief was undertaken, by Headland Archaeology Ltd, on the demolition of the ruined and fragmentary remains of North Couston Castle. The watching brief confirmed the survival of various elements of the castle, including the newel stair tower, fireplace and oven. A number of additional elements were also noted. No evidence for a foundation trench was noted.The surviving remains corresponded to the (mainly) basement level of the two storey wing of an originally 'L' shaped building. No upper storey features survived except for evidence of scontions for window or door openings on both east west wall fragments.

No major additional features were recorded during the Watching Brief, which otherwise largely confirmed the survival of previously recorded features namely the newel stair tower, fireplace and oven. Additional features that had not been previously or specifically identified were a small window embrasure centrally set in the west gable wall and the stone sill of a window in the stair tower both approximating to first floor height.

At the north-west comer a tusker was incorporated into the quoins indicating the location of a bonded wall face extending further north. This wall would have been the ivy-clad wall depicted both by Archer and in Bell, and assumed to have been demolished before the RCAHMS visit in 1926. Much of the original stone from the castle has been used in the construction of the North Couston Farm and its outbuildings probably from the Improvement Period post 1750 onwards.

Demolition of the remains and the subsequent clearance of the site revealed that the base courses of the wall directly overlay a yellow/brown subsoil of sand within 250mm of the existing ground surface, with no evidence of foundation trenches or a plinth course. This surprising discovery would certainly account for the subsidence and instability of the remains and may go some way to explaining its early abandonment. No internal floor surfaces, evidence for cellars or other cut features was revealed during the demolition process.

A single, fairly unabraded sherd of a Late Medieval Redware jug (15th - 16th century, Julie Franklin Pers. Comm.) was recovered from the mortar bonding the rubble wall at the south west corner that might indicate that the earliest building on the site predates the 17th century. This might accord with the apparent dereliction and abandonment of the site by the 18th century.
Text from Headland Report
Entered WoSAS 17/5/07 (PM)