The Gatehouse website record for Hamsterley Castles

In the civil parish of South Bedburn. In the historic county of Durham; County Palatinate of (Modern Authority of Durham, 1974 county of County Durham).

PastScape records as "An enigmatic earthwork with dry stone walls of uncertain date.' The Castles' is a trapezoidal enclosure covering just over an acre with dry stone rubble walls averaging 16 feet thick and originally 11 feet high. There is late ridge and furrow inside the enclosure. Trenching of the site has failed to establish its function. A few Bronze Age flints, including an arrowhead have been found on the site." Keys to the Past writes "Although no firm date can be given to the site it seems likely that the structure was built sometime in C5 to C7 by a local king who still wanted Roman-style military forts but lacked the technological skills to construct a true fort." This is marked in An Histroical Atlas of County Durham as a questionable medieval tower house or small castle; no descriptive text.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ10353307

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 22237
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is D1743 '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.

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.

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