Amberley Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Aumberle; Amberle; Amburley

In the civil parish of Amberley. In the historic county of Sussex (Modern Authority of West Sussex, 1974 county of West Sussex).

Manor house of the Bishops of Chichester, still retained in the South-East corner of the present castle, dates to circa 1140. This building was altered in 1200 and 1330. Bishop William Rede gained a licence to crenellate in 1377 (10th December), and built the present castle between 1377-1382. Re-licensed with other manors of the see of Chichester in 1447. The castle is a quadrilateral plan. The curtain wall is surrounded by a dry moat which always lacked a drawbridge. The ruins of the free-standing Great Hall occupy the eastern half of the site, and are mainly late C14. Bishop Sherbburn was the last Bishop to occupy the castle as a residence, it being leased thereafter. The upper walls have been restored and recrenellated since the 1643 slighting.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ02731322

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 393214
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

• Web site links
  • http://www.amberleycastle.co.uk/history_past.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/197/amberleycastle.htm
    http://www.allcastles.com/amberley.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/amberley.html
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p297-300, 439
    Arscott, D., 2003, Amberley Castle 1103-2003: A Celebration of 900 Years (Dovecote Press)
    Jones, R., 2003, 'Hastings to Herstmonceux: the castles of Sussex' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p171-8
    Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern) p15-16
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p168, 172
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p243-4
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p22
    Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p12-19
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p469
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p178
    Nairn, Ian and Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1965, The buildings of England: Sussex (Harmondsworth) p81
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Morewood, Caroline C., 1910, 'Introductory Chapter' in Rait, R.S. (ed), English Episcopal Palaces (Province of Canterbury) (London; Constable & Co) p22-23 http://www.archive.org/details/engepiscopalaces00raituoft
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p60-1
    Elwes, Dudley George Cary, 1876, A history of the Castles, Mansions, and Manors of Western Sussex (London: Longmans) p7-10
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p311, 418
    Dallaway, James, 1832 [2edn], A History of the Western Division of the County of Sussex Vol2 pt1 p228-9
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p285
• Journal Articles
  • Gravett, K., 1985, ‘Amberley Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol142 p60–1
    Peckham, W.D., 1935, Archaeological Journal Vol92 p409
    Peckham, W.D., 1928, ' Amberley Castle' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol69 p226-227
    Peckham, W.D., 1923, ' Amberley Castle Measurements' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol64 p128-133
    Bridgeman, Charles G.O., 1922, ' Amberley Castle Measurements' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol63 p231-234
    Peckham, W.D., 1921, 'The Architectural History of Amberley Castle' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol62 p21-63
    Clarkson, Rev G., 1865, 'Notes on Amberley, its Castle, Church etc' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol17 p185-239
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1377-81) p76
    Calendar of Charter Rolls Vol6 p94-5
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/barkseng.html#sussex5]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]