Burgh by Sands Church of St Michael

In the civil parish of Burgh By Sands.
In the historic county of Cumberland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

One of a small number of fortified churches in the border area, unique in having 2 fortified towers. Probably a late C12 church, bell tower 1360, C15 east tower, alterations of 1713 and restoration 1881. West tower has extremely thick walls on chamfered plinth with clasping buttresses; vaulted lower chamber has newel staircase in south-west angle, lit by arrow slits; west wall has internal steps in thickness of wall, to arrow slit; loop hole near former north entrance in aisle. Vestry was formerly the vicar's tower, reduced in height and gabled over, probably in 1713; remains of a blocked C15 window.

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY32865910

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; 10696

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 3769

• Web site links
  • http://www.visitcumbria.com/car/chc4.htm
• Books
  • Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p67, 68 n1
    Brooke, C.J., 2000, Safe Sanctuaries (Edinburgh; John Donald) p10, 280-286, 288, 295, 308, 310, 315-6, 319, 331, 339, 359-60, 361-2, 367
    Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p62-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p36
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p95-6
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p97
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p53-4
    Pevsner, N., 1967, The Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth, Penguin) p81
    Grainger, F. and Collingwood, W.G., 1929, The Register and Records of Holm Cultram [CWAAS Record Series Vol8] (Kendal: CWAAS)
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancashire North-of-the-Sands[CWAAS Extra Series Vol8] (Kendal: CWAAS) p324-5
    Lysons, D. and S., 1816, Magna Britannia Vol4 Cumberland p. cxci-ii and plates [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=404]
• Journal Articles
  • Storey, R.L., 1955, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol54 p121, 130
    Whyte, T., 1919, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London Vol31 p175
    1888, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol9 p150
    1887, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol2 p238
    Watkin, W.T., 1882, 'Roman inscriptions discovered in Britain in 1881, with notes on another found at Binchester' Archaeological Journal Vol39 p357-8
    Cory, 1875, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol2 p46-56
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Kelland, C.H., 1982, Ecclesiae Incastellatae: A Documentary and Architectural Study of the Concept of 'Fortified Churches' in England and Wales (M.Phil. Thesis, 2 vols, University College, University of London) p192