Dunstanburgh Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dunstanborough; Dunstaburge

In the civil parish of Craster. In the historic county of Northumberland (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

C14 castle situated on a coastal headland in Northumberland. The castle was built for Thomas, second Earl of Lancaster with the first phase of construction taking place between 1313-1325 (licence granted in 1315). The gatehouse was remodelled as the castle's keep in the late 1380's with a new gatehouse built. This remodelling was undertaken by Henry of Holme for John of Gaunt. The site of the castle encloses an area of 11 acres. Thomas of Lancaster's Gatehouse is situated at the south west corner backed by a small inner ward. John of Gaunt's Gatehouse is situated on the west curtain immediately beyond the inner ward, approached by a barbican with a mantlet wall running to an outer gate adjoining Lancaster's Gatehouse. Constable's Tower, the residence of the castle's commanding officer, lies midway along the south curtain. Behind the tower are a complex of buildings for his own use and that of his staff. At the south east corner is Egyncleugh Tower, an important tower which commanded the 'clough' under its east wall. Lilburn Tower stands at the north end of the west curtain. This was a watchtower and a residence for soldiers, with a postern at its foot. The castle was built from sandstone with a whinstone rubble core, except for limestone in the east curtain. Earl Thomas, who seems to have built the castle as a refuge rather than a residence, was executed in 1322 and the fortress passed into Royal hands. John of Gaunt as lieutenant of the Marches towards Scotland ordered the late C14 alterations. Before the alterations were complete the castle withstood a Scottish attack in 1384. Held for the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses, Dunstanburgh fell to the Earl of Warwick after a siege. In the Second World War a pillbox and foxhole was built and a corps of the Royal Armoured Corps who were installed amongst the ruins. Finds of Romano-British pottery indicates earlier occupation of the headland. (PastScape)
This was probably the site of an Iron Age promontory fort and the southern curtain wall runs along the line, and reuses, an ancient ditch and bank. There were extensive freshwater meres and short, linking, canal to the east of the castle which were never deep but would have increased the visual effect of the castle and its approaches. As well as the earthworks associated with these medieval freshwater features there is extensive ridge and furrow, which predates the castle, a WW2 anti tank ditch and pock marks from a mine field and to the south vague remnants of a medieval dock used by the castle in the pebble filled beach called nova scotia. The extensive waterworks and the association with John of Gaunt has lead to the castle being called the 'Kenilworth of the North'. Thomas of Lancaster had extensive estates through England but Embleton, the manor in which the castle is located, was his only coastal estate. The castle may well have been built as a place of retreat during troubled political times but one from which it was possibly to escape by sea if need. Unfortunately, for Thomas, he was taken prisoner on his way north, following the battle of Boroughbridge, before he could get to his new stronghold., and then executed. (derived from Oswald, 2009)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 236942)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU25742177

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 8243
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is N5872 '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.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=179
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/dunstanburgh/dunstanburgh.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/75/dunstanburghcastle.htm
    http://accessibility.english-heritage.org.uk/default.asp?wci=Node&wce=8075
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N5872
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.125
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=89
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.001002003005002002001
    http://www.pbase.com/tomstorey/dunst_castle
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/dunstanborough.html
    http://www.northofthetyne.co.uk/Dunstanburgh.html
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p125-7
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p44-7
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p182-3
    Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlise) p54-6 [plan]
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p257-9
    Rowland, T.H., 1987 [reprint1994], Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p9, 10, 26, 29
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (New York) Vol2 p332
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works, Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p179,181
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p223-5
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p135-41
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p94-5
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p642-3
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p90-3
    Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p358-63
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p384-6
    Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p451-3
    Bateson, Edward (ed), 1895, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol2 p196-216
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p14, 167-94
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p369-71
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p407
    White, W., 1859, Northumberland and the Border p229-32
    Hartshorne, C.H., 1858, Feudal and Military Antiquities of Northumberland and the Scottish Borders (London: Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute at Newcastle) Vol2 p59-64
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p219
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p83-7
• Journal Articles
  • King, Andy, 2007, 'Fortress and fashion statements: gentry castles in fourteenth-century Northumberland' Journal of Medieval History Vol33 p382-3 [brief comment about barbican]
    Ashbe, Jeremy, 2006, 'Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, and the Great Gatehouse of Dunstanburgh Castle' English Heritage Historical Review Vol1 p28-35
    Oswald, A. and Ashbee, J., 2006, 'Dunstanburgh Castle - Northumberland's own Camelot?' Research News Vol5 p40-43 [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/RN4_web_version_tagged.pdf]
    English Heritage, 2004, 'Survey unlocks Dunstanburgh's ancient and modern secrets' CSG Newsletter Vol6 Issue1 p5
    King, Andy, 2001, 'Lordship, Castles and Locality: Thomas of Lancaster, Dunstanburgh Castle and the Lancastrian Affinity in Northumberland, 1296-1322' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol29 p223-34
    Hislop, Malcolm, 1995, 'John of Gaunt's Building Works at Dunstanburgh Castle' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol23 p139-144
    St Joseph, J.K., 1950, 'Castles of Northumberalnd from the air' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol28 p12-13
    Simpson, W.D., 1949, ' Further note on Dunstanburgh Castle' Archaeologia Aeliana Vol27 p1-28
    Simpson, W.D., 1938, ' Dunstanburgh Castle' Archaeologia Aeliana Vol16 p31-48
    1936, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol13 p279-92
    Hunter-Blair, 1925, Archaeological Journal Vol82 p250-1
    Compton, C.H., 1903, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol9 p111-6 [history]
    1897, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol8 p113-4
    Bates, C.J., 1885-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Vol2 p73-83
    Tate, 1869-72, History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club Vol6 p85-94 plates iii-v
• Guidebooks
  • Ashbee, J. and Oswald, A., 2007, Dunstanburgh Castle (London: English Heritage)
    1994, Dunstanburgh Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Hunter Blair, C.H., 1988. Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland (London: English Heritage)
    Hunter Blair, C.H. and Honeyman, H.L., 1986, Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland (London: English Heritage)
    Hunter Blair, C.H. and Honeyman, H.L., 1982 [3edn], Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland (HMSO)
    Hunter Blair, C.H. and Honeyman, H.L., 1982, Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland (HMSO)
    Hunter Blair, C.H. and Honeyman, H.L., 1955, Dunstanburgh Castle (London)
    Hunter Blair, C.H. and Honeyman, H.L., 1936, Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • 1584 Commissioners Report [http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/numblis9.html]
    1415 list of Northumberland Castles [http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/numblis2.html]
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1313-17) p344
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p356-7
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/nhumbeng.html#nhumb23]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p343
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p64 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Oswald, Al, 16 May 2009, 'Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland - Stronghold or symbol' Castles, Landscapes and Lordship: Aspects of Castle Studies (Royal Archaeological Institute/Yorkshire Archaeological Society Medieval Section Conference at York)