Brougham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Broome; Brouham; Browham; Bruham; Brum; Burgham; Brouham

In the civil parish of Brougham.
In the historic county of Westmorland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Built 1203 beside Roman auxillary fort, which was used as a bailey. Remains consist of square keep of c1203. and curtain wall and two, old fashioned, rectangular gatehouse probably associated with a licence to crenellate granted in 1309 to Robert Clifford. It was converted into a country house in C17 by Lady Anne Clifford. It was partly demolished circa 1691. It fell into disrepair and was sold off for building materials in 1714. The castle is situated on a spur jutting into the flood plain of the River Eamont; the river cliff undoubtedly steepened and strengthened, provides a natural defence on the north and part of the west sides, and a moat, double on the south half of the west side, connects the cliff around the other sides to form a complete circuit. The moat was cleaned out in the 1930's.

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

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1309 July 16.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY53712900

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; 11985

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 02887

• Web site links
  • http://www.visitcumbria.com/pen/brougham.htm
    http://www.bispham2.freeserve.co.uk/castles/brougham.htm
    http://members.rott.chello.nl/tjemmes/bham.html
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_brougham.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.142
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/90/broughamcastle.htm
• Books
  • Summerson, Henry, Trueman, Michael, and Harrison, Stuart, 1998, Brougham Castle, Cumbria: a survey and documentary history (CWAAS research series No8)
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p25-7
    Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p264-5
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p263
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p267-8 [plan]
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p68-70
    Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p35-7 [plan]
    Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p166
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p491
    Clare, T., 1981, Archaeological Sites of the Lake District p64-75
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p195
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p47-52
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)p120-1,123
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p232-4
    RCHME, 1936, An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland (HMSO) p55, 57-62
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p66-7, 87-94, 454
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p272-82
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p283-5
    Taylor, M.W., 1892, The Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland and Cumberland p35-8
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p294-304
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p329-34
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1853, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol2 p220-22
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p309
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol6 p23-7
• Journal Articles
  • Lynch, F., 1982, 'Brougham Castle' 129th Annual Meeting, Cumbria and Lake District 1982, CAA p28
    Wilson, 1976, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol76 p67-76 [on communications]
    Simpson, 1942, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol42 p170-9
    1922, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol22 p143-57
    Towry Whyte, E., 1903, 'Brougham Castle, Westmorland' Archaeologia Vol58 pt2 p359-82 [plans, full description]
    1881-2, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol6 p15-26
    Clark, G.T., 1876, The Builder Vol34 p683-6 [reprinted in MMA]
    Simpson, 1866-73, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol1 p66-70 [unimportant]
• Guidebooks
  • Summerson, Henry, 1998, Brougham and Brough Castles (English Heritage)
    Charlton, John, 1985, Brougham Castle (English Heritage)
    Charlton, John, 1950, Brougham Castle (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Chancery Warrents (1244-13-26) p291
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p96, 483
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p47
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Coulson, C., Handlist of English Royal Licences to Crenellate 1200-1578