Banbury Castle

In the civil parish of Banbury. In the historic county of Oxfordshire (Modern Authority of Oxfordshire, 1974 county of Oxfordshire).

Site of a castle, demolished in 1648 and now built over. Founded by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln. Excavation in 1973-74 uncovered three phases. Firstly a castle, built circa 1125-36, of rectangular plan; remodelled to a concentric plan in the late C13 and early C14. After the siege of 1644 bastions were added. Finds included Medieval pottery, silver pennies and a cannon. Some Iron Age and Roman pottery was found along with worked flints. (PastScape)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SP45704079

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

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 337195
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1816 '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
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern) p64-5
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p178
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p206 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p387
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p183
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Crossley, Alan (ed), 1972, VCH Oxfordshire Vol10 p39-42 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63790#s2
    Harvey, P.D.A., 1969, 'Banbury' in Lobel, M.D. (ed), Historic Towns (Lovell Johns-Cook Hammond and Kell Organization; London and Oxford)
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p28
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Potts, W., 1907, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Oxfordshire Vol2 p322
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p150-2
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p421-5
    Beesley, 1841, History of Banbury (London) p63-9, 88-9
• Journal Articles
  • 2005, South Midlands Archaeology Vol35 p64 [saxon period]
    1999, South Midlands Archaeology Vol29 p40-2
    1983, South Midlands Archaeology Vol13 p103, 114-5
    Fasham, P.J., 1983, ‘Excavations in Banbury, 1972: second and final report' Oxoniensia 48 p71–118
    Radwell, K.A., 1976, 'Excavations on the Site of Banbury Castle, 1973-4' Oxoniensia Vol41 p90-147
    1975, Medieval Archaeology Vol19 p239 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1975, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol5 p34, 42-3
    Radwell, K.A., 1974, Cake and Cokehorse Vol5 p177-81 [excavation report]
    1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol18 p196 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1974, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol4 21
    1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p163 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1973, CBA Group 9: South Midlands Archaeology newsletter Vol3 p28
    Fasham, 1973, Oxoniensia Vol38 p312-38
    1972, Oxford City and County Museum: Archaeological and historical newsletter Vol9 p2
    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
• 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] p383
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/gloceng.html#oxon6]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p370
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p39 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl02lelauoft