The village of Codnor dates back to Saxon times, and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1087 as Cotenovre. Following the Norman Conquest, the land around Codnor fell under the jurisdiction of William Peverel. Codnor Castle was a Norman earthwork motte and bailey fortress, founded by William Peveril. In 1211, the lordship of Codnor passed to the de Grey family. Henry de Gray founded the stone castle during this period, by adding a citadel to the large inner bailey curtain wall. Today all that is left is a ruinous 14th century three storey chamber block, with fragments of lodgings built against a curtain wall.