Rochester Castle

In the civil parish of Rochester. In the historic county of Kent (Modern Authority of Medway, 1974 county of Kent).

Rochester Castle dominates the point where Watling Street crosses the River Medway. The western curtain wall overlies an earlier Roman wall, making it likely that the area of the castle was once within the Roman town of Durobreve. The earliest references to the castle are in the Domesday Book and the first fortification of the site in stone is generally accredited to Bishop Gundulf after the siege of 1088. The wording of the agreement for work to be carried out also implies that an earlier castle, not built of stone, originally occupied the site. In 1127 Henry I gave permission to Archbishop William to construct a fort or tower (Municio wel turris) [This has been considered by some to be a licence to crenellate]. The four-storeyed stone keep, one of the largest in England, is 21m square with walls up to 3.5m thick and 34.5m high to the top of the parapet. This was damaged in siege of 1215 and repaired 1221. Damaged following siege of 1264 not repair until 1367. Castle abandoned in C15.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 172927)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ74136856

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 416269
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is TQ 76 NW 93 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.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Rochester-Castle.html
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/rochester/rochester.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/178/rochestercastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.211
    http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/C/castle/roc_main.html
    http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/castles/page2.html
    http://www.itraveluk.co.uk/content/177.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/rochester.html
    http://www.medway.gov.uk/rochestercastle
• Books
  • Humphrys, J., 2007, Enemies at the gate: English castles under siege from the 12th century to the Civil War (Swindon; English Heritage) [1215 siege]
    Worssam, B.C. with an appendix by Ashbee, J., 2006, 'The building stones of Rochester Castle and Cathedral' in Ayers, T. and Tatton-Brown, T. (eds), Medieval art, architecture and archaeology at Rochester (Leeds: British Archaeological Association and Maney Publishing) p238-49
    Ashbee, J., 2006, 'The medieval buildings and topography of Rochester Castle' in Ayers, T. and Tatton-Brown, T. (eds), Medieval art, architecture and archaeology at Rochester (Leeds: British Archaeological Association and Maney Publishing) p250-64
    Goodall, J.A.A., 2006, 'The great tower of Rochester Castle' in Ayers, T. and Tatton-Brown, T. (eds), Medieval art, architecture and archaeology at Rochester (Leeds: British Archaeological Association and Maney Publishing) p265-99
    Tatton-Brown, T., 2006, 'The topography and buildings of medieval Rochester' in Ayers, T. and Tatton-Brown, T. (eds), Medieval art, architecture and archaeology at Rochester (Leeds: British Archaeological Association and Maney Publishing) p22-37
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Kent (Malvern) p60-5
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p1246 [plan]
    Rowlands, I.W., 1989, ‘King John, Stephen Langton and Rochester Castle, 1213–15' in Harper-Bill, C., Holdsworth, C.J. and Nelson, J.L. (eds), Studies in medieval history presented to R. Allen Brown (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p267–79
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p232-3
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p286-8
    Guy, John, 1980, Kent Castles (Meresborough Books)
    Smithers, David Waldron, 1980, Castles in Kent (Chatham)
    Newman, John, 1976, The buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald (Harmondsworth) p490-1
    Brown, R.Allen, 1976 (3edn), English castles (Batsford) p15, 40-2, 45-6, 72, 99
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p806-14
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p81-2
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p10,18
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p195-201
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p98-113
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Chalkley Gould and Downham, 1908, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Kent Vol1 p419-20
    Sands, Harold, 1907, 'Some Kentish Castles' in Ditchfield and Clinch, Memorials of Old Kent (London) p23-7
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p32-4
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p405-23
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p286-90
    Britton, John, 1835, The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain (London) Vol4 p129-31
    Hasted, Edward, 1798 (2edn), A History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent Vol4 p45- http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53798
    King, Edward, 1782, Observations on Antient Castles (London) p5-27
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p138-9
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol3 p94-107
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, Charles, 2007-8, 'On Crenellating, in Kent and Beyond - A Retrospection' The Castle Studies Group Journal Vol21 p189-201 esp p193
    Renn, Derek, 2004, ‘Refortification at Rochester in the 1220s: a Public/Private Partnership?' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol124 p343-364
    Ward, A., 1998, 'The castles of Kent no3: Rochester Castle' Kent Archaeological Society Newsletter Vol40 p1-3
    Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p104n50
    Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p310
    Wilcox, R.P., 1982, Timber and iron reinforcement in early buildings (Society of Antiquaries of London occasional papers Vol2) p15, 17, 33-4
    Harrison, A.C., 1981, ‘Rochester 1974-75' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol97 p95-136
    Coulson, C., 1979, 'Structural Symbolism in Medieval Castle Architecture' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol132 p83
    Flight, C. and Harrison, A.C., 1978, ‘Rochester Castle, 1976' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol94 p27-60 and plates following
    Winter, J.N. Guy, 1972-3, Cantium p78-85
    (Rigold), 1966, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p191 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    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
    1926, Archaeological Journal Vol83 p314-5
    Livett , Rev. Grevile M., 1905, ‘The Reparation of Rochester Castle' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol27 p177-192
    Payne, George, 1895, ‘Mediaeval Rochester' Archaeologia Cantiana Vol21 p21-3
    Arnold, 1889, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol18 p196-9
    Clark, G.T., 1875, 'Rochester Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol32 p204-28 [reprinted in MMA]
    Hartshorne, C.H., 1863, 'Rochester Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol20 p205-23 [history only]
    Larking, 1859, Archaeologia Cantiana Vol2 p11-32 [history only]
    Beattie, W., 1854, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol9 p215-30 [history]
    Duesbury, 1854, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol9 p339-48
    Denne, S., 1782, 'Observations on Rochester Castle, by the Rev. Mr. Samuel Denne. In a letter to Mr. Gough' Archaeologia Vol6 p381-91
    King, Edward, 1776, 'Observations on antient castles' Archaeologia Vol4 p367-89 [reprinted in Antient Castles]
• Guidebooks
  • Brown, R. Allen, 1999, Rochester Castle Handbook (London: English Heritage)
    Port, Graham, 1987. Rochester Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Brown, R. Allen, 1986 [2edn], Rochester Castle, Kent (London: English Heritage)
    Brown, R. Allen, 1969, Rochester Castle (HMSO)
    Taylor, 1951, Rochester Castle (Rochester)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum Vol2 p203
    The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Laud Chronicle AD1088 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p274-6
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities24.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/kenteng.html#kent15]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p250
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol4 p45 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl04lelauoft