Odiham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; King Johns Castle

In the civil parish of Odiham. In the historic county of Hampshire (Modern Authority of Hampshire, 1974 county of Hampshire).

Odiham Castle. Built as a hunting lodge by King John and used by him as a stopping place on the way from Windsor to Winchester. From here he set out for Runnymede to pledge himself to the Barons' Magna Carta. The Castle withstood siege in the C13 when the Dauphin of France invaded England. King David of Scotland was a prisoner here in the C14. Remains of a keep, and traces of an extramural settlement, situated on the site of an earlier castle. Used as a hunting lodge by C15. Flint walls with stone dressings. Excavations during 1981-85 located an inner moat, and uncovered remains of buildings beneath the castle keep. The earliest buildings were dated to 1207-14. The keep was assigned to early C13.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 136964)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SU72555187

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 244270
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 4255 '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.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/186/odihamcastle.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/odiham/odiham.php
    http://www.hants.gov.uk/hampshiretreasures/entries/v03p128e03.html
    http://www3.hants.gov.uk/museum/archaeology-collections/odiham-castle-excavations-summary-2.htm
    http://accessibility.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=Node&wce=8139
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.001002003005002007001
    http://www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk/castle1.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/odiham.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p43
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p86
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p38
    Barton, K.J. and Allen, D., 1986, 'Odiham Castle' in Hughes, M. (ed), Archaeology in Historic Buildings in Hampshire Annual Report for 1984/85
    Barron, W.G., 1985, The Castles of Hampshire and Isle of Wight (Paul Cave) p33-5
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p191
    MacGregor, P. (edited with additional material by Stapleton, B.), 1983, Odiham Castle 1200–1500: castle and community. (Gloucester: Alan Sutton)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p270
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N. and Lloyd, D., 1967, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (Harmondsworth) p.360
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p766-8
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p103-4
    Williams-Freeman, J.P.,1915, An Introduction to Field Archaeology as Illustrated by Hampshire (London) p67-9, 388-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Page, Wm (ed), 1911, VCH Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Vol4 p88-90
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol1 p206-9 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland01mack#page/206/mode/1up
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p336-346
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p400-3
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol2 p214-5
• Journal Articles
  • Roberts, E., 1995, 'Edward III's lodge at Odiham, Hampshire' Medieval Archaeology Vol39 p91-106 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Hughes, Michael, 1989, 'Hampshire Castles and the Landscape 1066-1216' Landscape History Vol2 p27-60
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    1891, Hampshire Antiquary and Naturalist Vol1 p7, 9 [notes of no great importance]
    Clark, G.T., 1872, 'Odiham Castle, Hants' The Archaeological Journal Vol29 p331-41 [reprinted in MMA] http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo29brit#page/n395/mode/1up
    Home, 1842, Archaeologia Vol29 p390
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p229-31
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Odiham Castle, Hampshire (Archaeological Investigation Report Series AI/17/2004) {available from National Monument Record Centre]