Acton Burnell Castle is the remains of a fortified manor house built in the 13th century by Robert Burnell, Chancellor of England and close friend of King Edward the First. The King was a regular visitor and it is said that he convened one of the first English Parliaments here in 1263. Acton Burnell Castle is a ruin of a fortified manor house built in the 13 century (1284) by Robert Burnell, a powerful landowner and friend of King Edward I.
Acton Burnell is one of Shropshire’s two fortified manor houses, the second being Stokesay Castle at Craven Arms (English Heritage). The village and the castle got their name from their creator, Robert Burnell. There were lots of other Actons in Shropshire, so the way people differentiated which one they were speaking of was to add an important name after it (Acton Scott, Acton Pigot, Acton Round etc.).
Robert Burnell was a very powerful man and friend of King Edward I before he became king. Robert Burnell owned lots of land and when he later became Bishop of Bath and Wales he gained even more status in the community, thus enabling him to accomplish whatever he pleased. Bishop Robert Burnell died in 1292 and was buried in Wells.
The castle continued to survive until it was replaced by a more homely building, Acton Burnell Hall. Built in 1814 of Classical style by the Smythe family the hall had parkland, 2 lakes (possibly medieval fish ponds), a gothic folly (Sham Castle-SJ544.016. This folly has round towers, gothic windows and dates to 1780, standing on a mound in a field surrounded by trees) and Acton Burnell Castle which became a folly on the grounds.
Robert Burnell left behind not only the castle, but was responsible for building the village up to what it is today and for St Mary’s Church (1260-1289) which sits between the castle and the hall.