Camber Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; The Chamber; Winchelsea; Camere; Caumbre; Chambre; Rye

In the civil parish of Icklesham. In the historic county of Sussex (Modern Authority of East Sussex, 1974 county of East Sussex).

Between 1512 and 1514 Sir Edward Guldeford built a circular tower at the end of a shingle spits to defend Rye harbour. Use was made of this earlier tower when it was incorporated into the central tower of artillery fort begun in 1539. Camber Castle is second in size only to Deal Castle and, like all Henry VIII's fortifications, it is highly symmetrical. By its completion in 1544 the castle had cost £16,000 and by 1542 the garrison strength was forty-two men. However, by the end of C16 the silting of the Camber, and the eastward shifting of the harbour entrance, were already making the castle obsolete. In 1637 the garrison was disbanded. The castle is now roofless and some of the fine detail has been lost but it remains basically intact.
In 1487 Richard Guldeford was granted the manor of Higham (with a licence to crenellate it) specifically to support the building, within two years from the date of the licence, of a tower at 'le Camber' (which was also licenced to be crenellated), in a marsh of his, for the defence of parts of Kent and Sussex against enemies navigating the sea. This licence appears to be an enabling act to allow for the building and financing of a coastal artillery tower. As Richard was particularly bad at money management, and often indebted, this may explain why the tower doesn't seem to have been built until 1513, when his son started it (A pardon for his debts in 1506 led to many of his former duties being assigned to Edward.)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 410764)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ92121851

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 419206
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://www.yates.clara.net/castle.html
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/camber/camber.php
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/camber/camber.php#castle
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.176
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/camber.html
• Books
  • Harrington, Peter, 2007, The Castles of Henry VIII (Oxford: Osprey)
    Brown, Martin, 2003, 'War and Rumour of War: The Defence of Sussex 1530-1990' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p191-202
    Biddle, Martin, Hiller, Jonathan, Scott, Ian and Streeten, Anthony, 2001, Henry VIII's Coastal Artillery Fort at Camber Castle, Rye, East Sussex: An Archaeological, Structural and Historical Investigation (London: English Heritage)
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern) p32-3
    Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p11, 47, 48, 118
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p247-8
    Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p44-9
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p470
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) p415
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p200
    Salzman, L.F. (ed), 1937, VCH Sussex Vol9 p184-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p68-9 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/68/mode/1up
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p315
    Cooper, 1850, History of Winchelsea (London) p174-80
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p295
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol5 p188-90
• Journal Articles
  • Egan, G., 1983, ‘Post-medieval Britain in 1982' Post-Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p186
    Streeten, A., 1983, ‘Interim report on excavations at Camber Castle, East Sussex, 1982' Sussex Archaeological Society Newsletter 39 p316
    Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' The Archaeological Journal Vol138 p220-1
    (Colvin and Biddle), 1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p259-60 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Rutton, W.L., 1898, 'Henry VIII's Castles at Sandown, Deal, Walmer, Sandgate, and Camber' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol23 p24-30 esp p28
    1797, Gentleman's Magazine Vol67 pt1 p9 http://books.google.com/books?vid=uom39015018405236
• 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 (1485-94) p151
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#sussex18]