Yarmouth Castle

In the civil parish of Yarmouth.
In the historic county of Hampshire (Modern Authority of Isle of Wight, 1974 county of Isle of Wight).

Artillery fort of square plan with arrow head bastion on one corner only, guarding entrance. Built May to November 1547 but not possibly not completed untill 1559. Built as part of Henry VIII's coast defence scheme. In 1597-8 an earthen bulwalk with bastions was added and in 1609 additions were made including corner buttresses. Further alterations were made in 1632. The moat was backfilled and some of the eathworks demolished in 1669.

This site has been described as a;
Artillery Fort.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major 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 393277)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SZ35398979

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; 459201

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/196/yarmouthcastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.231
    http://www.btinternet.com/~rob.martin1/fort/home.htm#yar
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p68
    Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p50, 120
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p109
    Barron, W.G., 1985, The Castles of Hampshire and Isle of Wight (Paul Cave) p56
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p194
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p395, 565-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p321
    Morley, B.M., 1976, Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence (London) p35-6
    Pevsner, Nikolaus and David Lloyd, 1967, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Harmondsworth) p776-777
    Page, Wm (ed), 1912, VCH Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol5 p289-90
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p218
    Stone, P.G., 1891, The Architectural Antiquities of the Isle of Wight (London) Vol2 p139-41
    Worsley, Richard, 1781, The History of the Isle of Wight (London) p46, xliv-xlv, lxxxviii-lxxxix
• Journal Articles
  • 1985, Fort Vol13 p83-4
• Guidebooks
  • 2001, Yarmouth Castle Isle of Wight (English Heritage)
    Rigold, S.E., 1985, Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight (English Heritage)
    Rigold, S.E., 1978 [2edn], Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight (HMSO)
    Rigold, S.E., 1958, Yarmouth Castle, Isle of Wight (HMSO)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/wilshireeng.html#wight3]