Bolsover Castle is in the town of Bolsover, (grid reference SK471707), in the north-east of the English county of Derbyshire. Built in the early 17th century, the present castle lies on the earthworks and ruins of the 12th-century medieval castle; the first structure of the present castle was built between 1612 and 1617 by Sir Charles Cavendish.[3] The site is now in the care of the English Heritage charity, as both a Grade I listed building[2] and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[1]
The original castle was built by the Peverel family in the 12th century and became Crown property in 1155 when William Peverel the Younger died. The Ferrers family who were Earls of Derby laid claim to the Peveril property.[4]
The castle was returned to crown control in 1223, at which point ?33 was spent on repairing the damage the Earl of Derby had caused when capturing the castle six years earlier. Over the next 20 years, four towers were added, the keep was repaired, various parts of the curtain wall were repaired, and a kitchen and barn were built, all at a cost of ?181. From 1290 onward, the castle and its surrounding manor were granted to a series of local farmers.