Bedford Castle

In the civil parish of Bedford.
In the historic county of Bedfordshire (Modern Authority of Bedfordshire, 1974 county of Bedfordshire).

Damaged motte all that remains of an early C12 castle, which was destroyed in 1224, following two month long siege. The castle was built on the site of Mid Anglo-Saxon occupation. Has had several small excavations.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL05264968

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; 360158

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/153/bedfordcastle.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p12
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p3
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p134, 355
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p4-5
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p185-6
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p104-105
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p558-9
    Farrar, C.F., 1936, Old Bedford p.27-31, 39-50
    Wadmore, Beauchamp, 1920, The Earthworks of Bedfordshire (Bedford) p87-93
    Page, Wm (ed), 1912, 'The borough of Bedford: Castle and barony' VCH Bedford Vol3 p9-12 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42370]
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Page, Wm (ed), 1908, VCH Bedford Vol2 p24-28
    Goddard, A.R., 1906, The Great Siege of Bedford Castle (Bedford)
    Doubleday, H.Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), 1904, VCH Bedford Vol1 p285-6
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol1 p136-8
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p217-23
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p280-3
    Lysons, D. and S., 1806, Magna Britannia Vol1 p43-6
    Blyth, T.A., History of Bedford p.10-30
• Journal Articles
  • 2005-6, 'Bedford Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol 19 p127-9
    Oetgen, J., 2005, 'A regeneration issue: Bedford Castle Mound' The Archaeologist Vol57 p12-14
    Amt, E., 2002, 'Besieging Bedford: military logistics in 1224' Journal of Medieval Military History Vol1 p101-24
    Baker, D., 1982, 'Mottes, Moats and ringworks in Bedfordshire: Beauchamp Wadmore revisited' Château Gaillard Vol9-10 p35-54
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1981, ‘Medieval Britain in 1980’ Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p200
    Baker, D. and E., 1979, Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol13 p7-64
    Kennett, D.H., 1979, Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol4 p85
    [Baker] in Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1973, ‘Medieval Britain in 1972’ Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p159
    Baker, David, 1973, 'Bedford Castle, Some Preliminary Results from Rescue Excavations' Chateau-Gaillard Vol6 p15-21
    Kennett, D.H., 1972, Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol8 p139
    [Baker] in Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1972, ‘Medieval Britain in 1971’ Medieval Archaeology Vol16 p179
    Kennett, D.H., 1971, Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol7 p89
    [Baker] in Wilson, D.M. and Moorhouse, S., 1971, ‘Medieval Britain in 1970’ Medieval Archaeology Vol15 p145
    [Baker] in Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, D.G., 1970, Medieval Archaeology Vol14 p175
    Kennett, D.H., 1969, Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol6 p81
    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]
    Fowler, 1920, Beds. Hist. Rec. Socy. Vol5 p117-32 [history of siege]
    Elwes, 1874, Assoc. Archit. Socies. Vol12 p243-60
    Clark, 1868, The Builder Vol26 p689-90 [reprinted in Medieval Military Architecture]
    C.H.H(artshorne), 1861, Beds. Archit. and Arch. Socy. pt9 p129-43, pt10 p157-60
    Hurst, 1850-1, Assoc. Archit. Socies. p381-91
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities3.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/buckseng.html#beds3]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p20, 21, 24