Launceston Castle was probably built by Robert, Count of Mortain, after 1068, as an earth-and-timber motte-and-bailey. It was later rebuilt in stone with a circular shell keep, about 85 feet (26 m) across, probably in the late 12th century. Richard of Cornwall rebuilt the defenses, walls and gatehouses after 1227, and added a high tower to the keep and a new great hall. A historian suggests Edmund of Cornwall may have done some of this work. The walls are mainly shale, with granite and Polyphant stone detailing.
Henry I confiscated the castle in 1106. Rebels captured it in 1549, and Sir Thomas Fairfax took it in 1646. The county gaol closed in the 19th century, and the motte was terraced into a public park in 1840 to 1842.
The Duchy of Cornwall owns it, and English Heritage runs it. It is a Grade I listed building.
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