Lumley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Lomley

In the civil parish of Little Lumley.
In the historic county of Durham; County Palatinate of (Modern Authority of Durham, 1974 county of County Durham).

Sir Ralph Lumley obtained licences from Bishop Skirlaw in 1389 and from Richard II in 1392 to crenellate and rebuild his castle at Lumley. In plan, the castle is a quadrangle enclosing a square courtyard with a large tower at each corner. These towers are rectangular with their greatest length east and west. Access to the courtyard is gained by a vaulted passage on the east side. Externally, the outline of the original buildings has changed little, although many of the windows have been replaced by some of C16 and C18 date. The east range of buildings contains the remains of an earlier Manor House. Licence for a chapel was granted in 1432.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

A Durham licence to crenellate was granted in 1389.

A Confirmation licence to crenellate was granted in 1392 Oct 24.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ28785105

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 24697

County Sites and Monuments Record number; D2154

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=D2154
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=185
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern) p42-5
    Jackson, M.J., 1996, Castles of Durham and Cleveland (Carlise) p42-4
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p117-21, 159
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p30-1
    Corfe, Tom (ed), 1992, 'The Visible Middle Ages' in An Historical Atlas of County Durhan p28-9
    Jackson-Stops, G. (ed), 1985, The Treasure Houses of Great Britain p60-2, 81, 297, 346
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p136
    Pevsner, N., 1983 (Revised by Williamson, Elizabeth), The Buildings of England: Durham (London, Penguin) p357-62
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p258
    Hugill, Robert, 1979, The Castles and Towers of the County of Durham (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p68-75
    Tipping, H.A., 1928, English Homes, period 4 Vol2 (London) p291-4
    Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol1 (London) p247-57
    1919, Antiquities of Sunderland Vol18 p1-10
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Leighton, 1910, in Memories of Old Durham (London) p207-8 [slight]
    Milner, E. and Benham, E., 1904, Records of the Lumleys of Lumley Castle
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p346-8
    Whellan, F., 1894 (2edn), History, Topography and Directory of the County of Durham p825
    Howitt, W., c1850 (new edn 1896), Visits to Remarkable Places p275-83
    Boyle, J.R., 1892, Comprehensive Guide to the County of Durham: its Castles, Churches, and Manor-Houses (London) p425-37
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p304-10
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p206-7, 420
    Parsons, W. and White, W., 1828, History and Directory of Durham and Northumberland Vol2 p151-2
    Surtees, R., 1816-40 [1972 Reprint], History and Antiquities of Durham (London) Vol2 p153-4 [unimportant]
    Brayley, E. and Britton, J., 1803, Beauties of England and Wales; Durham Vol5 p189-91
    Hutchinson, Wm, 1788, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol2 p399-408
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p86
• Journal Articles
  • Hislop, M. 1996. 'Lumley Castle, its Antecedents and its Architect' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol24 p83-98
    Selkirk, R., 1987 Feb, Popular Archaeology p31
    Webb, G.F., 1954, Archaeological Journal Vol111 p212-3
    Tipping, H.A., 1910, Country Life Vol27 p896-905 [Reprinted in English Homes]
    1910, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol6 p120, 179-81
    1905-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol2 p134-5
    1905, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol111 p262-4
    Dodd, J., Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol22 p45, 46
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1872, Report of Deputy Keeper of Public Records Vol33 p
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/durhameng.html#durham13]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p152, 156