Hastings Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Haestinga; Haestingaceaster; Hasting; Hestengceastra

In the civil parish of Hastings.
In the historic county of Sussex (Modern Authority of East Sussex, 1974 county of East Sussex).

Castle and Collegiate Church. Castle built circa 1170, ruined by 1399. The church was founded circa 1090, dissolved in 1547. Foundations of church, North and East curtain walls and East gate of castle visible. Probably built on an Iron Age enclosure. There is documentary evidence that a collegiate foundation existed in Hastings in the reign of Edward the Confessor, but it is not documented as so in the Domesday Survey. The Castle built circa 1070. The church was started afterwards but before 1094. More building work in early 1170s to 1190s including the keep in 1172. Repairs of 1216 and afterwards progressive ruin. The walls are stone rubble, and as it exists now there are ruined walls and foundations of the church which had a central tower the western arch of which has been rebuilt, there are remains of a square tower at the west end of the nave. There remains the curtain walling along the North, North-west, North and North-east with the gatehouse on the North-east side with 2 rounded towers. Outside the walls on the north side are store-rooms (known as the Dungeons) in the form of narrow tunnel-vaulted passages. The keep and other buildings no longer exist.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 293726)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ820094

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; 417208

• Web site links
  • http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/hastings%20castle.htm
    http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/various-pictures3.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/199/hastingscastle.htm
• Books
  • Jones, R., 2003, 'Hastings to Herstmonceux: the castles of Sussex' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p171-8
    Brown, Philip, 2003, Two Norman Castles: Bramber and Hastings (Icon Press)
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern) p38-40
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p248-9
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford)
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p64-73
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p471
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p239
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Knowles, David and Hadcock, R Neville, 1971, Medieval religious houses in England and Wales (Longman) p427, 474
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p669-670
    Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1937, VCH Sussex Vol9 p14-19
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p8
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p158-60
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Dawson, C., 1909, History of Hastings Castle 2 vols (London) [NB: this is Dawson, the Piltdown forger, and book is in fact largely the work of William Herbert, about 1824]
    Clinch, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Sussex Vol1 p476-7
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p71-3
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p82-8
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p357-360
• Journal Articles
  • Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p309
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, ‘Evidence for a pre-Conquest origin for the chapels in Hastings and Pevensey castles' in Taylor, A.J., Studies in castles and castle-building, (London: Hambledon Press) p233–40
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985' Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p167
    Barker, P.A. and Barton, K.J., 1977, ‘Five castle excavations: reports on the Institute’s research project into the origins of the castle in England. Excavations at Hastings Castle, 1968' Archaeological Journal Vol134 p80-100
    (Barker), 1969, Medieval Archaeology Vol12 p260
    Taylor, A.J., 1969, 'Evidence for a pre-Conquest origin for the chapels in Hastings and Pevensey Castles' Château Gaillard Vol3 p144-9
    Barker, P.A. and Baxter, N.J., 1968, 'Excavations at Hastings Castle, 1968' Archaeological Journal Vol125 p303-5
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Baring, FH, 1915, ' Hastings Castle, 1050 - 1100, and the Chapel of St Mary' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol57 p119-135
    Sands, 1908, South-Eastern Naturalist Vol13 p53-65
    Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol74 p232-3
    Dawson, Charles, 1896, ' Description of and Remarks on the Dungeon Cells at Hastings Castle' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol40 p222-235
    Clark, G.T., 1882, The Builder Vol43 p533-5 [reprinted in MMA]
    Cooper, William Durrant, 1849, ' Hastings Rape, Castle, and Town.' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol2 p161-168 [history only]
• Guidebooks
  • Dyer, W.H., c. 1960, The Story of Hastings Castle (Hastings Tourism & Recreation Department)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Worcester Chronicle AD1066
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#sussex16]