Newcastle-upon-Tyne Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castrum de Novo-Castro sup Tynam

In the civil parish of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
In the historic county of Northumberland (Modern Authority of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1974 county of Tyne and Wear).

Castle keep of 1168-78. A square tower of three floors composed of sandstone with ashlar dressings. Roof and battlements added circa 1811 by Newcastle Corporation and the building was restored circa 1848 for Society of Antiquaries. The keep is now a museum. Only other suvivor of castle is mid C13 Black Gate again much altered. Castle became obsolescent when the town walls were built in the late C13.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ25046386

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; 955064, 1007169, 1157591, 1157585, 1157577

• Web site links
  • http://rajeev.freeuk.com/timarchive/html/castle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Newcastle.htm
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=870
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=941
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing)
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p83-5
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p191-3 [plan]
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p144-8 [plan]
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p343-8
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p6-8, 13, 80-2
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p338-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p265-6
    Harbottle, B. and Clack, P.A.G., 1976, ‘Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Archaeology and development' in Clack, P.A.G. and Gosling, P.F., Archaeology in the North: Report of the Northern Archaeological Survey (Northern Archaeological Survey) p111-31
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p248-61
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p254-7
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p138-9
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p745-9
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p95-9, 150-1
    Middlebrook, 1950, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p19-20 and plans
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p170-5
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p171-2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p403-8
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p13
    Knowles, W. and Boyle, J., 1890, Vestiges of Old Newcastle and Gateshead p40-85
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p367-9
    Mackenzie, E., 1827, Descriptive and Historical Account of the Town and County of Newcastle p89-104
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p63-9
• Journal Articles
  • Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106
    Nolan, John, 1990, ‘The Castle of Newcastle-upon-Tyne after c. 1600‘ Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol18 p79-126
    1986, Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p170
    1985, Medieval Archaeology Vol29 p202-3
    Ellison, Margaret and Harbottle, Barbara, 1983, 'The Excavation of a 17th Century Bastion in the Castle of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1976-81' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol11 p135-263
    Harbottle, B., 1982, ‘The castle of Newcastle-upon-Tyne: excavations 1973-1979' Château Gaillard Vol9-10 p407-18
    Harbottle, B. and Ellison, M., 1981, ‘An excavation in the castle ditch, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1974-6‘ Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol9 p75-250
    Tullett, E., 1979, ‘An excavation at the Comer Tower, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1978' Archaeologia Aeliana, [ser5] Vol7 p179-39
    [Harbottle and Ellison], 1978, Medieval Archaeology Vol22 p169
    Quiney, A.P., 1976, 'The Keep and Black Gate, Newcastle upon Tyne' Archaeological Journal Vol133 p244-5
    1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p241
    1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p196
    1969, Medieval Archaeology Vol13 p260
    1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p285
    Harbottle, R.B., 1967, 'An excavation at the Gunner Tower, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,1964' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol45 p123-38
    Harbottle, R.B., 1966, 'Excavations at the south curtain wall of the castle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1960-1961. Contributions by Daniels, C.M., Gillam, J.P., Edwards, B.J.N. and Parsons, J.E.' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol44 p79-146
    1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p323
    [Harbottle and Dixon], 1961, Medieval Archaeology Vol5 p318-9
    1961, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol176 p31-2, 99-101
    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
    Hunter Blair, C.H., 1944, 'The Early Castles of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol22 p122-7 [plan of earthworks]
    Knowles, W.H., 1926, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol2 p1-51
    1925, 'The Roman wall [at Newcastle]' Archaeological Journal Vol82 p207-10
    1911-12, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol5 p42-3
    Heslop, R.O., 1904, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol25 p91-105
    1885-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol2 p17-8
    1882-4, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol1 p190-4
    Johnson, 1882, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol9 p53-6
    1855-7, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol1 p19, 36, 50, 54, 81, 85, 197, 274, 303-5
    Longstaffe, 1860, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol4 p45-139
    1855, Gentlemans Magazine Vol44 pt2 p627
    1835, Vestusta Monumenta Vol5 plates x-xviii
• Guidebooks
  • Harbottle, B., 1977. The castle of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. (Newcastle: Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
    Graham, F., 1972, The castle and town walls of Newcastle (Northern Historical Booklets 21)
    Brewis, 1954, Guide to the Keep (Newcastle)
    Bulmer, 1954, Story of the Castle (Newcastle)
    Cowen and Bulmer, 1949, Guide to the Black-Gate (Newcastle)
    Knowles, W.H., 1926, The Castle of Newcastle (Newcastle) [Reprint of Archaeologia Aeliana article]
    1906 [4edn], The Castle of Newcastle, a short descriptive guide (Newcastle)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1415 list of Northumberland Castles [Click here]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/nhumbeng.html#nhumb15]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p342