Bothal Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Bothall; Bothale; Bottle

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

Possible site of Norman castle but existing structure dates from C14. A licence to crenellate was granted to Sir Robert Bertram in 1343. The gate tower and fragments of curtain wall are medieval, a good deal of which survives. The rest of the castle was built within the last sixty years. The castle is in an excellent state of repair and is used as a private residence and as offices by the agent of the Duke of Portland.

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

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1343 May 15.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ23998649

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; 25356

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N11538

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N11538
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p216-7
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p29
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p54-5
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p177-8
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p34-6
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p199
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p63-5
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p328-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p192-3
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p77-81
    Bibby, R., 1973, Bothal Observed (Frank Graham)
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p72-3
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p48-50
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p369-70
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p287-8
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p9, 283-96
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p413
    Gibson, W., 1845-54 (3rd series), Northumbrian Castles, Churches and Antiquities p134-6
    Hodgson, J.C., 1832, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) pt2 Vol2 p151-7
    Scott, W., 1814, Border Antiquites of England and Scotland p47-50
    Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol12 p186-7
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p216
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p74-9
• Journal Articles
  • Hunter Blair, C.H., 1944, 'The Early Castles of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol22 p147-8 [plan]
    Hunter Blair, C.H., 1925, Archaeological Journal Vol82 p283-9
    1922, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol10 p264-5
    1911, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol5 p77-9
    1910, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol6 p102, 178
    Bates, C.J., 1885-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol2 p106-11
    1867, Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Vol1 p118-21
    1822, Gentlemans Magazine Vol92 pt1 p403-4
• Guidebooks
  • Anon, n.d., Bothal Castle (Welwyn Electronics)
• 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]
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1343-45) p30
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/nhumbeng.html#nhumb20]