Great Barford Castle Great Barford Castle , later known as " Creakers Manor " , was a Norman castle located in the village of Great Barford , in the county of Bedfordshire , England ( ) . Great Barford Castle was a Motte and bailey castle , made of timber , and surrounded by a moat . It was so named due to its location , just north of the parish of Great Barford . It is located 1 mile south of Renhold Castle , leading to it sometimes being referred to as the " Second Renhold " . The castle is also located near two other castles ; Bedford Castle , which is 5 miles away , and Gannock Castle , which is 6 miles east of it . Early history . Originally thought to have been built just after the Norman Invasion ( 1066 ) , when William the Conqueror commanded the building of so many castles in defense of his new position as King of England , it is now known to have been built after the Domesday Book ( 1086 ) was commissioned . By 1250 , the castle was standing , and was in the possession of James de Crevequeor ( d . 1263 ) , the family from which it derived its later name of " Creakers Manor " . James ' eldest son Robert died in the same year as his father and it is unknown if he ever held the castle . In 1302 / 1303 the castle was in the possession of James ' youngest son James de Crevequeor . By 1416 , it had passed to Stephen de Crevequeor , grandson of the first mentioned James , and his wife Anne , who were still holding it in 1530 . Their son John de Crevequeor ( d . 1370 ) was holding it as of 1346 , and upon his death without issue , his nephew Stephen de Crevequeor ( d . 1370 ) , son of John ' s brother Geoffrey , inherited the property . Stephen died shortly after inheriting the estate , while still underage , and the property passed to Stephen ' s younger brother , John Crevequer , on the attainment of his majority in 1385 . This is when the castle was first referred to , in historical documents , as " Creaker ' s Manor " , and was hencefore known as such . The manor was held , in 1428 , by Stephen Crevequer , a son or grandson of the afore mentioned John Crevequeor . Stephen Crevequer is listed as one of the Bedfordshire gentry in 1433 , but there in no mention of the manor . Later History . The manor is not mentioned again until 1511 , when William FitzJeffrey of Thurleigh died and the manor is listed in his possession passing to his son John FitzJeffrey , son of his first wife . John FitzJeffrey died in 1535 , and his widow Joan retained the property until her death a year later , when it passed to John ' s half - brother George FitzJeffrey , who had been first married to the daughter of John Baptist . On George ' s death in 1575 , the manor was left to his second wife , Judith Throckmorton , of the famous Throckmorton family of that period . She married John Rolt of Milton Ernest . Judith and John transferred the manor , in 1589 , to George ' s son George FitzJeffrey , who was knight ed in 1606 . George died in 1618 without heir , his son having predeceased him in 1616 , and was buried on the property in December of that same year . The property was sold and later held by the Chandler , Mander , Peck , and Halsey families , until being sold in 1770 to the Pedley family . It is believed that the manor mentioned in 1511 is not the original pre - 12th century structure , the original having been destroyed , or having fallen into ruin , and the remains reincorporated into the manor mentioned . However , nothing is known for certain . Present . By 1820 the manor had ceased to exist as a manor , a priory having since been built on its location . Little is left of the original dwelling , with only cropmarks and slight earthworks remaining .