Alnwick Castle

In the civil parish of Alnwick.
In the historic county of Northumberland (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

Medieval motte and bailey replaced by a stone built castle in the first half of C12. It was heavily fortified in C14 when the keep was strengthened but ruinous by C18, when it was restored and extended as a gothic style country house by Robert Adam and others. Further alterations were carried out in the second half of C19 under Anthony Salvin for the 4th Duke of Northumberland. The second largest inhabited Castle in England, after Windsor, and has been the home of the Percys, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. Mentioned soon after 1096 when Yves de Vescy became baron of Alnwick and erected the earliest parts of the Castle. The 1st Lord Percy of Alnwick rebuilt in the early 1300's and portions of this remain today, including the Abbot's Tower, the Middle Gateway and the Constable's Tower. Otherwise the castle is a rebuilding of 1750.

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.

listed building

Images of England

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU18711357

Web site links

http://www.alnwickcastle.com/
http://www.castlegate.net/castles/Alnwick/index.HTM
http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/alnwick/alnwick.php
http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/81/alnwickcastle.htm
http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/alnwick%20castle.htm
http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_alnwiick.htm
http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N4507
http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/easy_results.asp?index=1&main_query=alnwick%20castle
http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=957

Books

Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p115-9
Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p12-15
Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p36-9
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p170-2
Pevsner, N. (revised by John Grundy et al), 1992, The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p135-9
Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p11-4 [plan]
Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p181
Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p6-9, 39, 52, 53, 55
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p325
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p177-8
Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p13-27
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p89
Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p54
Sanders, I.J., 1960, English Baronies. A study of their origin and descent 1086-1327 p103
Churchill, R., 1954, Fifteen Famous English Homes p23-9
Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p12-24
Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p173-85
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p358-62
Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p376-386
Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p175-85 [plan]
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p371-81
Tate, George., 1866-69, The History of the Borough, Castle, and Barony of Alnwick (Alnwick) Vol1 p372-88
White, W., 1859, Northumberland and the Border p168-81
Hartshorne, C.H., 1858, Feudal and Military Antiquities of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders (London: Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute at Newcastle) Vol2 p103-27, 167-85, cxl-cxlvi
Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p213
Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p36-49

Journal Articles

1988, Country Life Vol182 p174-9
Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p311
Allibone, J. 1977, 'Alnwick Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol133 p148-54 [plans]
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]
Batho, G.R., 1958, 'The state of Alnwick Castle 1557-1632' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol36 p129-146
Batho, G.R., 1957, 'The Percies and Alnwick Castle. 1557-1632' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol35 p48-63
St Joseph, J.K., 1950, 'Castles of Northumberalnd from the air' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol28 p14-15
Hunter Blair, C.H., 1944, 'The Early Castles of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol22 p143-6 [plan]
Hussey, 1930, Country Life Vol66 p16-22, 52-60
Hussey, 1929, Country Life Vol65 p890-8, 952-9
1910, Publications of the Surtees Society Vol118 p13, 86
Knowles, W.H., 1909, 'The Gatehouse and Barbican of Alnwick Castle' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser3] Vol5 p286-303
Skelly, 1899-1900, History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club Vol17 p202-8, 295-6
1890, The Monthly Chronicle; North Country Lore and Legend p303-11
Bruce, 1887-8, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol3 p80-4
Clark, G.T., 1883-4, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol1 p208-51
W.D., 1873, The Antiquary Vol3 p285-7
Clark, G.T., 1869, The Builder Vol27 p782-4 [reprinted in MMA]
Wilson, 1860-62, Tyneside Naturalist Field Club Vol5 p172-7
Dickson, 1856-62, History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club Vol4 p8-10 [plans]
Donaldson, 1857, The Builder Vol15 p5-6
Donaldson et al, 1856-7, Transactions of the Royal Institute of British Architects p7-26

Guidebooks

Anon, 1980, Alnwick Castle, Home of the Duke of Northumberland (English Life Publications)
Graham, F. 1973, Alnwick, A Short History and Guide (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p3-16
Duke of Northumberland, 1931, Guidebook (Edinburgh]
Hartshorne, Charles H., 1865, A Guide to Alnwick Castle (Alnwick)
Anon, 1851, A Description of Alnwick Castle (Alnwick)
Anon, n.d., Guide-Book to Alnwick Castle (H.C.Coates &Son; Alnwick)

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#nhumb22]
Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p338, 343

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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Alnwick Castle

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU18711357

Sources of information, references and further reading