Chichester Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cisseceastre; Ciceastre; Cheechester; Priory Park

In the civil parish of Chichester.
In the historic county of Sussex (Modern Authority of West Sussex, 1974 county of West Sussex).

Very early motte castle, probably did not receive masonry defences. The Earl of Sussex built the castle shortly after the Conquest to overawe the township and Rape of Chichester in the North of the Roman military settlement. It then passed to the Earls of Arundel. In 1217 the King ordered its destruction. The site then came into possession of the Greyfriars for use as a friary. The much eroded motte remains in a corner of the town walls.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Cropmarks/slight earthworks remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU863052

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 1386089

Books

Jones, R., 2003, 'Hastings to Herstmonceux: the castles of Sussex' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p171-8
Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern) p34
Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p248 [mention]
Magilton, J., 1995, 'Chichester Castle Reappears' The Archaeology of Chichester and Distrcit 1995 (Chichester District Council) p23-6
Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p50-3
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p471
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p207
Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p612-3
Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1935, VCH Sussex Vol3 p79-80
Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
Clinch, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Sussex Vol1 p474
Elwes, Dudley George Cary, 1876, A history of the Castles, Mansions, and Manors of Western Sussex (London: Longmans) p60n

Journal Articles

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/barkseng.html#sussex3]

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