Bewcastle Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Bueth; Belcastell; Beucastle; Boa; Bothe; Bowe; Booth Caster

In the civil parish of Bewcastle. In the historic county of Cumberland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Castle original built after 1092 annexation of Cumberland from Scotland within old Roman Fort, Destroyed 1173. Rebuilt 1361-1371 as small courtyard castle. PastScape records ‘The castle is traditionally thought to have been constructed between 1296-1307. It was strategically situated within the north-east corner of the Roman fort; lengths of the fort's north and east ditches were widened and deepened and cross ditches cut so as to form a moat. A shell keep was built, inside it other buildings were constructed around a courtyard; a gatehouse was added in C15. It decayed and was rebuilt during the C15 and C16 and was taken down in 1641. Only the south and east walls now survive.’
The ruinous castle came into royal hands from Richard III, who had acquired the castle in 1478. it was brought up to defensive readiness and garrisoned. By 1527 it was again ruinous, and although repaired to some degree in 1533, only ditching work and the construction of a barbican were attempted. By 1565 the barmkin wall was entirely ruinous, and no further expenditure was authorised. (HKW)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY56567468

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 12974
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 2811 '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.visitcumbria.com/car/bewcas.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/bewcastle.html
    http://www.pbase.com/tomstorey/image/62913462
• Books
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p46-7
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p19
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p35
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p63-4
    Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p31-3 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p82
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p188
    Hudleston, C.Roy and Boumphrey, R.S., 1978, Cumberland Families and Heraldry p45,328,330-1
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p38-40
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) p233-4,403
    Pevsner, N., 1967, The Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth, Penguin) p69 [slight]
    Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles [1970 Reprint by Frank Graham] p46-7
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p138-41, 497-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p296-7
    Taylor, M.W., 1892, Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland and Cumberland (CWAAS extra series Vol8) p346-9 http://www.archive.org/stream/oldmanorialhall00taylgoog#page/n506/mode/2up
    Lysons, Daniel and Samuel, 1816, 'Antiquities: Castles' Magna Britannia Vol4: Cumberland p. ccii-ccvi http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50673
• Journal Articles
  • Sainsbury, I.S. and Welfare, H.G., 1990, ‘The Roman Fort at Bewcastle: An Analytical Field Survey’ Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol90 p139-46
    31/5/1968, Cumberland News
    1929, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol29 p63-8
    Curwen, J.F., 1922, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol22 p186-97
    Graham, 1911, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol11 p244-50
    Nanson, 1876-7, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol3 p229-31
• 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] p147
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cumbeng.html#cumb26]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p97