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Northampton Castle
In the civil parish of Northampton.
In the historic county of Northamptonshire (Modern Authority of Northamptonshire, 1974 county of Northamptonshire).
Motte and Bailey castle was probably built by Simon de Senlis, 1st Earl of Northampton, between 1090 and 1100. This castle was probably replaced in stone in C12. The castle was deserted after the town fire of 1685 and partly destroyed in 1880 during the building of the railway station. Excavations in 1962 may have revealed traces of Saxon occupation on the site, and it is possible that the site was a Saxon burh. Now almost totally gone. A postern gateway from the castle was re-erected in 1879 on Black Lion Hill.
This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence
that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Cropmarks/slight earthworks remains.
This site is a scheduled
monument protected by law.
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP74856059
PastScape number;
343615
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p78-9
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p169 [slight]
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
RCHME, 1985, ‘Medieval defences’ and ‘Northampton Castle' An inventory of the historical monuments in the county of Northampton. 5. Archaeological sites and churches in Northampton (London: HMSO) p50–1, 327–30, 332–5 [the main entries are on microfiche]
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p317
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p268
Williams, J.H., 1977, ‘Northampton Castle’,Archaeological Excavations 1976, (HMSO) p141
Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) (London)
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p750-3
Page, Wm (ed), 1930, VCH Northampton Vol3 p33-5
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Serjeantson, R.M., 1908, The Castle of Northampton (Northampton)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p330-4
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p286-9
Hartshorne, C.H., 1848, Historical Memories of Northampton (Northampton) p111-73
Journal Articles
- Giggins, Brian L., 2005, 'Northampton's Forgotten Castle' Castle Studies Group Bulletin Vol18 p185-7
Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p309
Williams, J.H. et al, 1977-8, ‘Chalk Lane' CBA Newsletter and Calendar, 1p112
Williams, J.H., 1977, ‘Northampton Castle' CBA Calendar of Excavations, summaries 1976 p10
Williams, J.H., 1977, ‘Northampton Castle' Newsletter, CBA Group 9, 7p16
Moore, W.R.G. and Giggins, B.L., 1977, ‘Northampton, castle' in ‘Archaeology in Northamptonshire, 1976' Northamptonshire Archaeology Vol12 p226
Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1976, ‘Medieval Britain in 1975' Medieval Archaeology Vol20 p168, 185
Hunter, R., et al, 1976, ‘Northampton' in ‘Archaeology in Northamptonshire, 1975' Northamptonshire Archaeology Vol11 p199
Mynard, 1972, CBA group 9 Vol2 p19
1965, Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p191
1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p257-8
Wilson, David M and Hurst, D G., 1962-3, ‘Medieval Britain in 1961' Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p322-3
Alexander, J., 1960-4, ‘Excavations in Northampton. 1961-2' Journal of the Northamptonshire Natural History Society and Field Club, 34 p127
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)] p19-64
Serjeantson, R.M., 1907-8, Journal of the Northamptonshire NaturaI History Society and Field Club Vol14 p81-98, 121-40, 155-77
1880, Gentleman's Magazine pt2 p928-9 plate II
Sharp, 1881, Associated Architectural Societies' reports and papers [Lincoln, York, Northampton, Bedford, Worcester, Leicester and Sheffield] Vol16 p243-51 [objects found]
Scriven, R.G., 1881, Associated Architectural Societies' reports and papers [Lincoln, York, Northampton, Bedford, Worcester, Leicester and Sheffield] Vol16 p71-2
Law, E.F. and Scriven, R.G., 1879-80, Associated Architectural Societies' reports and papers [Lincoln, York, Northampton, Bedford, Worcester, Leicester and Sheffield] Vol15 p198-210 [plan]
1860, Gentleman's Magazine pt1 p385-8
Hartshorne, C.H., 1846, 'The castle and parliaments of Northampton' Archaeological Journal Vol3 p309-32 [history only]
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/huntseng.html#norts3]
Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p324
Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p7
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