Stamford Town Wall

In the civil parish of Stamford. In the historic county of Lincolnshire (Modern Authority of Lincolnshire, 1974 county of Lincolnshire).

One rebuilt round tower and other slight fragmentary remains of Medieval town wall at Stamford, believed to have been built between 1135 and 1154, most of the wall was probably destroyed in 1461, the parts that remain show evidence of modern restoration and coping. First murage granted 1261, though proabably had earth and timber defences from early C10. Murage granted again through first half of C14. Best surviving bastion Grade 1 listed, other surviving bastions and a C14 postern gate Grade 2 listed. C9 Danish earthwork defences do not seem to have survived or to have been reused for medieval wall.
A.D. 922. This year, betwixt gang-days and midsummer, went King Edward with his army to Stamford, and ordered the town to be fortified on the south side of the river. (ASC)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 193888)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF025069

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 347829; 904687; 904693; 904700; 904684; 904578; 506192; 506144; 508515
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 30628 and others '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.

• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p24, 45, 60, 68, 88-9, 93, 190, 267
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of the East Midlands (Malvern) p63
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p145
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p266
    Mahany, C., Burchard, A. and Simpson, G., 1982, Excavation in Stamford, Lincolnshire 1963-1969 (London: Society for Medieval Archaeology Monograph 9)
    RCHME, 1977, ‘Castle’ and ‘Town walls' in An Inventory of Historical Monuments: the Town of Stamford (HMSO) p3-5, plate 57
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p67
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p122
    Allen, T., 1934, History of the county of Lincolnshire Vol2 p319
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p216
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p231
• Journal Articles
  • Mahany, C., 1978, 'Stamford Castle and Town' South Lincolnshire Archaeology Vol2 p1-32 whole issue
    Phillips, C.W., 1933, The Archaeological Journal Vol90 p381
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle A.D. 922 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/lincseng.html#lincs8]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p300