Ravensworth Castle, County Durham

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Rawyneshelme; Ravenshelme; Ravensholme; Raveneswath

In the civil parish of Lamesley.
In the historic county of Durham; County Palatinate of (Modern Authority of Gateshead, 1974 county of Tyne and Wear).

licensed 1390. The castle originally had curtain walls and three towers. The best preserved part of the castle is the three-story north west keep / gate tower and its arch. Here was the main entrance to the castle. The arch was protected by a portcullis, the guiding slots for which can still be seen. Of the south east and south west towers little is left. The remains of some ancillary buildings can be seen: a belfry tower towards the southwest, and a rectangular building that stood in the centre of the castle walls. It is not known if this latter structure was residential or used for stabling. One can also trace the water defences, later adapted to form water gardens. 2 eastern towers and fragments of curtain wall; dates given as C12 (Pevsner and Williamson); late C13 (Boyle); 1290 (Longstaff). C14 plan of 4 towers and curtain wall forming square enclosure with no keep; (compare Ford 1338, Chillingham 1344, Raby 1378) Coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings. 3 storeys. Southern tower has elliptical-headed entrance in the north face, 4 lancet windows in west ground floor of late C13 type. North tower has mullioned and transomed window in first floor north face. Historical note: Ravensworth Castle was the property of the Fitz-Marmadukes; then in C14 and C15 of the Lumleys; then of the Gascoignes, from whom Thomas Liddell, a Newcastle merchant, bought it in 1607. It remained in the Liddell family until 1976. Sir Thomas Liddell, later Lord Ravensworth, demolished all but these towers of the house then standing. It is now listed in the "Buildings at Risk" register, launched in 1998 by English Heritage: "Much repointing and consolidation needed to all parts of the building. Significant parts of the standing remains, including the gate tower are now at risk."

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.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 303829)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ23255914

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; 24643

• Web site links
  • http://members.fortunecity.com/hburdon/
    http://www.dales-castles.org.uk/ravensworth.htm
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=629
    http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index91.html
    http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index343.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern) p55
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p385
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p32-3
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p151-2
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p137
    Pevsner, N., 1983 (Revised by Williamson, Elizabeth), The Buildings of England: Durham (London, Penguin) p389-90
    Hugill, Robert, 1979, The Castles and Towers of the County of Durham (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p88-91
    Pevsner, N., 1953, The Buildings of England: Durham (London, Penguin) p195-6
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p353-4
    Whellan, F., 1894 (2edn), History, Topography and Directory of the County of Durham p1207-8
    Surtees, R., 1816-40 [1972 Reprint], History and Antiquities of Durham (London) Vol2 p208 [slight]
    Brayley, E. and Britton, J., 1803, Beauties of England and Wales; Durham Vol5 p179
    Hutchinson, Wm, 1785-94, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol2 p417-19
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p89
• Journal Articles
  • Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p228
    Ryder, P.F., 1979, 'Ravensworth Castle' Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol51 p81-100
    1939, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol16 p43-70
    1893, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Vol6 p48-50
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p156-7, 339, 554, 565
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p79; Vol4 p27