Stafford Castle Rebuilding by the Jerningham Family

Stafford Castle in Staffordshire underwent a dramatic nineteenth-century transformation when the Jerningham family attempted to resurrect the ruined medieval stronghold. This article explores how Sir George Jerningham initiated the clearance of the seventeenth-century ruins, the architectural vision behind the Gothic Revival redesign, the construction methods used to rebuild upon the ancient foundations, and why the ambitious project was ultimately left incomplete.

Background to the Reconstruction

The original stone keep of Stafford Castle, built in the fourteenth century by Ralph Stafford, was deliberately demolished (slighted) by Parliamentary forces in 1643 during the English Civil War. For over 150 years, the site remained an overgrown ruin crowning the high Norman motte.

The estate eventually passed through marriage to the Jerningham family of Norfolk. In the early 1800s, Sir George Jerningham sought to reclaim the forfeited family peerage of Baron Stafford. Restoring the physical seat of his ancestors was seen as an essential symbolic step to reinforce his dynastic claim, demonstrate high social standing, and celebrate his ancestral heritage.

The Gothic Revival Design

Work began around 1813 under the architectural direction of Sir George’s amateur architect brother, Edward Jerningham, with assistance from Staffordshire builder and architect John Trubshaw.

Rather than demolishing what remained of the medieval fabric, the Jerninghams chose to incorporate it:

• Foundation Clearance: Workers excavated and cleared centuries of accumulated earth and rubble from the top of the motte, exposing the fourteenth-century footings and basement vaults.
• Castellated Style: The new keep was designed in the Gothic Revival (or Castellated) style, intended to replicate the appearance of an authentic medieval fortress while functioning as a grand country residence.
• The Master Plan: The blueprint called for an imposing quadrangular structure flanked by four multi-storey octagonal corner towers linked by robust curtain walls and domestic apartments.

Construction and Materials

Trubshaw supervised the physical reconstruction on the existing medieval platform. The workforce utilized local sandstone, redressed fallen stone from the original keep, and laid modern brickwork lined with ashlar masonry. The builders integrated surviving medieval basements and undercrofts directly into the new living quarters.

Rebuilding on an artificial earthwork presented structural challenges. The heavy masonry required deep anchoring into the motte, and the team had to ensure the centuries-old earthworks could bear the immense weight of the new stone elevations.

Abandonment and Legacy

Despite the grandeur of the plan, the project was never fully completed. By the 1820s, ballooning expenses had placed severe financial strain on the Jerningham estate. Furthermore, Sir George successfully obtained the restoration of the Baron Stafford title in 1825, removing one of the primary motivations for finishing the costly residence.

Only the south front—comprising two multi-storey octagonal towers, the connecting curtain wall, and the modernized basement vaults—was completed and made habitable. The north towers and remaining ranges were abandoned at foundation level. The finished south wing served as accommodation for castle keepers and caretakers throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Although modern safety concerns led to the partial reduction of the towers in the 1960s, the surviving Jerningham masonry remains the dominant visual feature of Stafford Castle today, blending nineteenth-century romanticism with authentic medieval defense.