Cockermouth Castle

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

Stone built enclosure castle of c1225, further strengthened in the mid to late C14; ruinous in C16. Beseiged unsuccessfully by Royalists in the Civil War. Rebuilt in C19. Most authorities have assumed that the recorded timber precussor castle, of c1150, to this castle was at this site but see Cockermouth Tute Hill (NY124307) (qv) which may be the actual precussor.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 71651; 71652; 71653)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY12233085

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 9485
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 3035 '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/cm/castle.htm
    http://www.stevebulman.f9.co.uk/cumbria/cockermouth.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/cockermouth.html
• Books
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p90-1
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p40-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p39-40
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p82-6
    Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p46-8 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p84
    Bradbury, J.B., 1981, History of Cockermouth p38-61
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p211
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p69-73
    Sanders, I.J., 1960, English Baronies. A study of their origin and descent 1086-1327 p134-5
    Pevsner, N., 1967, The Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (London, Penguin) p107-8
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p127-33
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p304-8
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p409-18 [reprint of 1874 article]
    Wyndham, c1850, Sketches of Cockermouth Castle
    1847, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Cumberland (Mannix and Whellan)
    Lysons, D. and S., 1816, Magna Britannia Vol4 Cumberland p. cciii-ccvi [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=404]
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p38
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol1 p45-8 http://books.google.com/books?id=D01LAAAAMAAJ
• Journal Articles
  • 1974, Country Life Vol156 p146-9, 210-3
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    1929, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol29 p69-80
    Curwen, J.F., 1911, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol11 p129-58
    Jackson, 1878-9, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol4 p109-38
    Clark, 1874, The Builder Vol32 p944-7
    Rev. Dr. Bruce, 1866-76, Archaeologia Aeliana Vol7 p80
    1-7-1830, The Citizen Vol25 p755-7
    1797, Gentleman's Magazine Vol67 pt1 p9 http://books.google.com/books?vid=uom39015018405236
• 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] p152-3
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cumbeng.html#cumb7]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p93, 97, 338