Sandal Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Sandall

In the civil parish of Wakefield.
In the historic county of Yorkshire West Riding (Modern Authority of Wakefield, 1974 county of West Yorkshire).

Motte and bailey of c 1157 converted to stone c1200. Allowed to decay during C16 and slighted after Civil War. Excavated 1964-73. Foundations only remain of complex multi-lobed keep on motte, with barbican into inner ward, and of curtain wall and interior buildings in compact bailey.

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 footings remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 444634)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SE33721816

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; 52533

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/111/sandalcastle.htm
    http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/CultureAndLeisure/HistoricWakefield/Highlights/Castles/Sandal/default.htm
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles and Tower Houses of Yorkshire (Malvern) p82-3
    Ingham, Bernard, 2001, Bernard Ingham's Yorkshire Castles (Dalesman) p52-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p307-8
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p298-300
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p524
    Mayes, P. and Butler, L.A.S., 1983, Sandal Castle Excavations 1964-1973: a detailed archaeological report. (Wakefield Historical Publications)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p290-6
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Mayes, P., 1973. Sandal Castle, Wakefield: excavations 1964–72 (Wakefield: Wakefield Corporation)
    Mayes, P., 1967. Sandal Castle, Wakefield: excavations 1966 (Wakefield: Wakefield Corporation)
    Mayes, P., 1966. Sandal Castle, Wakefield: excavations 1965 (Wakefield: Wakefield Corporation)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p828 [slight]
    Illingworth, J.L., 1938 (republished 1970), Yorkshire's Ruined Castles (Wakefield) p90-3
    Armitage and Montgomerie, 1912, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH York Vol2 p35, 37
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p250-1
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p182-4
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p340
• Journal Articles
  • Macdonnell, E., 1981, ‘A stronghold regained: Sandal Castle, West Yorkshire' Country Life, 170 p1802
    Mayes, P., 1980, ‘Sandal Castle, Wakefield, West Yorkshire' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p401-2
    (Mayes and Stubbs), 1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p197 and fig60
    (Mayes and Stubbs), 1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p165
    (Butler), 1972, Medieval Archaeology Vol16 p184-5
    (Butler), 1971, Medieval Archaeology Vol15 p149
    (Mayesr), 1970, Medieval Archaeology Vol14 p177-8
    (Mayesr), 1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p288
    (Mayesr), 1966, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p192
    (Mayesr), 1965, Medieval Archaeology Vol9 p192
    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]
    Walker, J.W., 1895, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol13 p154-88
    Clark, G.T., 1879-80, Yorkshire Archaeological Journal Vol6 p110-12
    Wentworth, 1864, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol20 p133-6 [history]
• Guidebooks
  • Butler, Lawrence, 1991, Sandal Castle, Wakefield (Wakefield Historical Publications)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/yorkseng.html#york8]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p528
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p40