Banbury Castle

In the civil parish of Banbury.
In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Site of a castle, demolished in 1648 and now built over. Founded by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln. Excavation in 1973-74 uncovered three phases. Firstly a castle, built circa 1125-36, of rectangular plan; remodelled to a concentric plan in the late C13 and early C14. After the siege of 1644 bastions were added. Finds included Medieval pottery, silver pennies and a cannon. Some Iron Age and Roman pottery was found along with worked flints.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Nothing visible remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP45704079

PastScape number; 337195

Books

Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p64-5
Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p178
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p206 [slight]
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p387
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p183
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Crossley, Alan (ed), 1972, VCH Oxfordshire Vol10 p39-42
Harvey, P.D.A., 1969, 'Banbury' in Lobel, M.D. (ed), Historic Towns (Lovell Johns-Cook Hammond and Kell Organization; London and Oxford)
Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p28
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Potts, W., 1907, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Oxfordshire Vol2 p322
Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p150-2
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p421-5
Beesley, 1841, History of Banbury (London) p63-9, 88-9

Journal Articles

Fasham, P.J., 1983, ‘Excavations in Banbury, 1972: second and final report' Oxoniensia 48 p71–118
Radwell, K.A., 1976, 'Excavations on the Site of Banbury Castle, 1973-4' Oxoniensia Vol41 p90-147
1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p239
Radwell, K.A., 1974, Cake and Cokehorse Vol5 p177-81 [excavation report]
1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p196
1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p163
Fasham, 1973, Oxoniensia Vol38 p312-38
1972, Oxford City and County Museum: Archaeological and historical newsletter Vol9 p2
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]

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/gloceng.html#oxon6]
Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p370
Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p39

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Banbury Castle

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP45704079

Sources of information, references and further reading