Dudley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Duddeleg

In the civil parish of Dudley.
In the historic county of Staffordshire (Modern Authority of Dudley, 1974 county of West Midlands).

Excavations between 1983 and 1993 indicate that the castle was begun as a motte and bailey circa1071-1100. The keep, barbican and curtain walls added in C13 and C14.The castle was slighted in 1647 and rebuilt in the early C17 and destroyed by fire in 1750
NB. Whilst Dudley town was in a detached part of medieval Worcestershire, surrounded by Staffordshire, the Castle and priory always remained in Staffordshire.

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 1264 March 16.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 217909)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO947907

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; 118932

• Web site links
  • http://www.woden.com/dudley/castle.html
    http://www.imint.freeserve.co.uk/dudley.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/139/dudleycastle.htm
    http://www.dudleymall.co.uk/loclhist/olddudley/dudleycastle.htm
• Books
  • Thomas, R., Animals, economy and status: intergrating zooarchaeological and historical data in the study of Dudley Castle, West Midlands (c. 1100-1750) (Oxford: Archaeopress BAR British series 392)
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p378-9
    Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p22-27
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p227-8
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p40-4
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p200, 201, 245, 310, 358
    Boland, P. et al, 1985, Dudley Castle Archaeological Project. An introduction and Summary of Excavations 1983-85 (Dudley Borough Council)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p450
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p223
    Pevsner, N., 1974, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire (London, Penguin) p118-20
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Chandler, G. and Hannah, I.C., 1949, Dudley as it was and as it is today. (London: Batsford) p12-56
    Willis-Bund, J.W. (ed), 1913, 'Parishes: Dudley' VCH Worcester Vol3 p94-8 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43093
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p144-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Lynam, C., 1908, in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol1 p353-4 [plan]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p394-7
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p502-6
    Twamley, 1867, History of Dudley Castle and Priory (London)
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p233-4, 402
    Booker, 1825, Descriptive and Historical Account of Dudley Castle (Dudley)
    Shaw, Stebbing, 1801, The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire (J.Nichols abd Son) [Republished 1976 by EP Publishing] Vol2 p138-43
    Shaw, Stebbing, 1798, The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire (J.Nichols abd Son) [Republished 1976 by EP Publishing] Vol1 p36
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p266
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p40-4
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p107
    1988, Medieval Archaeology Vol 32 p286
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p312
    1985, Medieval Archaeology Vol29 p203-5
    Boland, P., 1985, 'Dudley Castle archaeological project -summary report 1984-5' West Midlands Archaeology Vol28 p23-30
    Boland, P., 1984, 'Dudley Castle archaeological project -first interim report 1983-4' West Midlands Archaeology Vol27 p1-20
    Cantor, Leonard, 1966, 'The Medieval Castles of Staffordshire' North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies Vol6 p38-46
    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]
    Simpson, W.D., 1944, Archaeological Journal Vol101 p119-25
    Simpson, W.D., 1939, 'The Castles of Dudley and Ashby de la Zouche' Archaeological Journal Vol95 p141-54
    Brakspear, 1914, Archaeological Journal Vol71 p1-24 [reprinted as guide book]
    Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol74 p229
    Roberts, 1873, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol29 p413-18
    Godwin, 1858, Archaeological Journal Vol15 p47-54
• Guidebooks
  • Moore, Brian and Guest, Andrew, 1994, Dudley Castle Guide and Commemorative Brochure
    Brakspear [with historical note by Rollason], n.d. c.1914, (Dudley)
    Blocksridge, 1910, (Dudley)
• 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 Patent Rolls (1258-66) p307
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/warkseng.html#staf2]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p443, 471, 517