Tamworth Castle

In the civil parish of Tamworth. In the historic county of Warwickshire (Modern Authority of Staffordshire, 1974 county of Staffordshire).

C11 Motte and bailey built in Saxon Burg; received Shell Keep with small square tower beside entrance in late C12. This, altered by later work, and wing wall with notable herringbone work, are main survivors, though foundations of interesting C13 bailey gatehouse are on view.
Note Medieval Tamworth had the Staffs-Warks boundry run through the middle of it. It is thought that this was because the Saxon town when founded was intended to be supported by its own hinterland of Tamworthshire but that as there were insufficent resources to do so so it was divided between Staffs. and Warks. for support. Tamworth castle was only put in Staffordshire in 1881 (although even in 1859 Parker was locating it in Staffs.). This is why the castle is so often listed as being in Staffordshire (see http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/STS/Tamworth/index.html )

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 386500)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK206037

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 1025070
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00002; 00003; 00005; 13975 '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.tamworthcastle.freeserve.co.uk/
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/tamworth/tamworth.php
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_midlands/139/tamworthcastle.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/tamworth.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p50-4
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p230
    Salter, Mike, 1993, Midlands Castles (Birmingham) p74-7
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p292-4
    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) Vol2 p451 [Staffordshire]
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p304
    Pevsner, N., 1974, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire (London, Penguin) p277-8
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p319
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p51-3
    Mitchell, H.C., 1936, Tamworth Tower and Town (Tamworth) esp p29-50 [largely reprinted in guidebook]
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p218-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Lynam, C., 1908, in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol1 p355-6 [plan]
    Andrews, 1908, in Dryden, Memories of Old Warwickshire (London) p240
    Norris, H., 1899, Tamworth Castle: its foundation, its history, and its lords (of little value)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p402-4
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p481-8
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p531-4
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p235
    Palmer, C.F., 1845, The History of the Town and Castle of Tamworth
    Shaw, Stebbing, 1798, The History and Antiquities of Staffordshire (J.Nichols abd Son) [Republished 1976 by EP Publishing] Vol1 p40, 415-20
    1784, The Antiquarian Repertory (London) Vol4 p283-4 and plate
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p304
• Journal Articles
  • McNeill, T.E., 1987-8, 'Excavations at Tamworth Castle, 1972 and 1974' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol29 p1-54
    Meeson, R.A., 1983, ‘The timber frame of the hall at Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire, and its context' Archaeological Journal Vol140 p329–40
    Meeson, R.A., 1978-9, 'Tenth Tamworth excavation report, 1977: the Norman bailey defences of the castle' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol20 p15-28
    (McNeill), 1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p163 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Sheridan, 1972-3, Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol14 p38-44
    McNeill, T., 1972, CBA Group 8 Vol15 p27-8
    Palliser, D.M., 1972, 'Staffordshire Castles: A Provisional List' Staffordshire Archaeology Vol1 p5-8
    Cantor, Leonard, 1966, 'The Medieval Castles of Staffordshire' North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies Vol6
    Radford, C.A.R., 1964 'Tamworth Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol120 p296-7
    (Wainwright), 1961, Medieval Archaeology Vol5 p319 [slight] [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
    1933, Archaeological Journal Vol90 p372-4
    Palmer, 1878, Birmingham and Midland Institute Archaeology Section p54-65
    Clark, G.T., 1867, The Builder Vol25 p405-6 [reprinted in MMA]
    1813, Gentleman's Magazine pt1 p592-3 http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027527368
• Guidebooks
  • Ballard, Esme, 1987, Tamworth Castle Museum (Tamworth: Tamworth Borough Council)
    Wood, Henry, 1954, Guide to Tamworth Castle Museum (Tamworth Corporation)
    Mitchell, H.C., 1937, A Short History of Tamworth Castle (Tamworth)
    Morton, W., Guide to Tamworth Castle
• 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] p434-5
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/warkseng.html#staf3]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p441, 443
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p105 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl02lelauoft