Hamsterley Castles

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; The Castles

In the civil parish of South Bedburn.
In the historic county of Durham; County Palatinate of (Modern Authority of Durham, 1974 county of County Durham).

PastScape records as "An enigmatic earthwork with dry stone walls of uncertain date.' The Castles' is a trapezoidal enclosure covering just over an acre with dry stone rubble walls averaging 16 feet thick and originally 11 feet high. There is late ridge and furrow inside the enclosure. Trenching of the site has failed to establish its function. A few Bronze Age flints, including an arrowhead have been found on the site." Keys to the Past writes "Although no firm date can be given to the site it seems likely that the structure was built sometime in C5 to C7 by a local king who still wanted Roman-style military forts but lacked the technological skills to construct a true fort." This is marked in An Histroical Atlas of County Durham as a questionable medieval tower house or small castle; no descriptive text.

This site has been described as a;
Uncertain.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Questionable.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ10353307

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; 22237

County Sites and Monuments Record number; D1743

Web site links
- http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=D1743
  http://www.teesarchaeology.com//projects/aerial_photography/gallery/index501.html
Books
- Corfe, Tom (ed), 1992, 'The Visible Middle Ages' in An Historical Atlas of County Durhan p28-9
  McCord, Norman, 1971, Durham History from the Air p1, 10
Journal Articles
- Birkley, E., 1954, Archaeological Journal Vol111 p223
  Hodgkin, J.E., 1934-6, Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Vol7 p92-8

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This record last updated on Friday, April 6, 2007

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