Bamburgh Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Bamborough; Bebanburgh; Bebbanburgh; Bamborrow

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

Ancient site of fortification and palace of Kings of Northumbria. Fortified by William I in 1070. C12 square keep survives as does much of the curtain walling and gatehouse of C14. Left ruinous after War of Roses, but rebuilt from late C17 on. Very large C12 royal castle atop a volcanic outcrop, overlying prehistoric and Roman occupation. Limited excavation in 1960 and the late 1960s/early 1970s revealed that the naturally defensive site, well placed for coastal control, was continuously occupied from the first century BC until the end of the Middle Ages. Use of the site began in the pre Roman Iron Age, and Roman activity, included a possible beacon site on the seaward terminal of the rock. By 547 AD the site was a royal centre, Din Guyardi, the capital of the royal dynasty of Northumbria, where remains of St Oswald were preserved in the Basilica of St Peter. A castle was built in C12. Ruinous by 1704 it was extensively restored between 1894 and 1904 and divided into apartments. Original C12 remains include the keep, the main entrance and inner gateway with a vault, and a chapel. In 1464, Bamburgh became the first English castle to succumb to artillery assault.Despite its history there has been little investigation of the site. The Bamburgh Project, under the aegis of The Archaeological Practice, began in 1997 to investigate the site and its environs. Resistivity and magnetometry survey revealed possible Anglo Saxon features underlying the Inner and West Wards and the Chapel of St Peter. The Project continues.

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 NU18323508

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; 7536

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N5089

• Web site links
  • http://www.bamburghcastle.com/
    http://www.bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/
    http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/bamburgh%20castle.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/bamburgh/bamburgh.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/75/bamburghcastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_bamburgh.htm
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N5089
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=20
• Books
  • Graeme Young, Paul Gething (eds), 2003, Bamburgh Castle (The Bamburgh Research Project)
    Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p136-142
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p18-21
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p42-4
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p174-5
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p18-21 [plan]
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p154-7
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p5, 7, 8, 10, 24-6
    Cramp, R., 1984. Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture in England: Northumberland and County Durham (London) p162-3
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p326
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p182-3
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p43-52
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p98-9
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p56-57
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p554-8
    Pevsner, N., 1957, The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p80-1
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p34-9
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p22
    Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol1 (London) p41-54
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p100-1
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p43-57
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p363-7
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p427-35
    Bateson, Edward (ed), 1893, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol1 p17-70
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p223-82, 426-7
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p357-59
    Hodgson, J., 1820-58, History of Northumberland Vol1 pt1 p179, 183, 186
    Scott, W., 1814, Border Antiquites of England and Scotland p51-3
    Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol12 p203-6
    King, Edward, 1799-1805, Munimenta antiqua or Observations on antient castles (W.Bulmer and Co) Vol4 p220-8
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p214
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p49-59
• Journal Articles
  • Wood, P.N., 2005, 'Geophysical survey at Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland' Medieval Archaeology Vol49 p305-10
    Bradley, J and Gaimster, M. (eds), 2004, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2003' Medieval Archaeology Vol48 p281-2
    Wood, P. and Young, G., 1997-98, Archaeology in Northumberland p32-3
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p311
    1972, CBA Group 3 Newsbulletin Vol1 p9
    1960, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol23 p9-10, 12
    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
    St Joseph, J.K., 1950, 'Castles of Northumberalnd from the air' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol28 p11-12
    Brewis, 1925, Archaeological Journal Vol82 p245-8
    Hodgson, J.C., 1916, 'List of Ruined Towers, Chapels, etc., in Northumberland; compiled about 1715 by John Warburton, Somerset Herald, aided by John Horsley' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser3] Vol13 p4
    Tipping, H.A., 1908, Country Life Vol24 p160-71
    1898, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol8 p233-8
    1894, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol6 p193-7
    1891, The Monthly Chronicle; North Country Lore and Legend p165-73
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p93-113
    1887, The Antiquary, Vol16 p209-10 [slight]
    Clark, G.T., 1883-4, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol1 p245-7
• Guidebooks
  • Cleary, Byran, c. 2005, Bamburgh Castle: 'the finest castle in England' (Derby: Heritage House Group)
    Lady Armstrong (parts revised and edited by Hope-Taylor, B.), 1994, Bamburgh Castle (Norwick, Jerrold)
    Hope-Taylor, B., 1968, Bamburgh Castle Official Guide (London)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1584 Commissioners Report [Click here]
    1415 list of Northumberland Castles [Click here]
    The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Laud Chronicle AD547; Laud AD1095
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/nhumbeng.html#nhumb23]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p343