Bristol Castle

In the civil parish of Bristol. In the historic county of Gloucestershire (Modern Authority of Bristol; City of, 1974 county of Avon).

Ringwork castle was established here before 1088 by Geoffrey, Bishop of Coutances which was replaced by a motte demolished c.1140 and a keep constructed which was built of Caen stone. Rebuilt in C13 but fallen into decay by 1486. The site was refortified in the civil war and demolished soon afterwards. It was once one of the foremost Royal castles in England. A few fragments are all that remain of Robert, Earl of Gloucester's Keep. The foundation walls of the Keep are reputed to have been 25ft thick.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 379093; 379027)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST59227315

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 1009209
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.about-bristol.co.uk/old-02.asp
    http://www.bristolcastle.freewire.co.uk/
    http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Bristol/castle.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/bristol.html
• Books
  • Fleming, P., 2004, Bristol Castle: a political history (Bristol)
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Gloucestershire and Bristol (Malvern) p18-19
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p79
    Leech, R.H., 1989, ‘Aspects of the medieval defences of Bristol: the town wall, the castle barbican and the Jewry' in Bowden, M., Mackay, D. and Topping, P. (eds), From Cornwall to Caithness: some aspects of British field Archaeology. Papers presented to Norman V Quinnell (Oxford: British Archaeological Reports British Series 209) p235-50
    Leech, R.H., 1989, ‘Aspects of the medieval defences of Bristol: the town wall, the castle barbican and the Jewry' in Bowden, M. and Sharp, M. (ed), 1982, Accounts of the constables of Bristol Castle in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries (Bristol: Bristol Record Society 34)
    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) Vol1 p181
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p194-5
    Gomme, A., Jenner, M. and Little, B.., 1979, Bristol, An Architectural History (Bristol)
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Ponsford, M.W., 1971, Bristol Castle: a short summary of the recent excavations (Bristol: City Museum)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p577-82
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p52
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p110-2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p47-51
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p544-5
    Seyer, 1821, Memoirs History and Topography of Bristol (Bristol) Vol1 p370-96
• Journal Articles
  • Manco, Jean, 2005 March, 'The Impregnable City' Bristol Magazine http://www.buildinghistory.org/bristol/castle.htm (Bristol in The Anarchy)
    Howes, Russell, 2002, 'The Medieval Sieges of Gloucester, 1263-65 (Barons' War)' Glevensis Vol35 p21
    Walker, D., 1991, 'Gloucestershire Castles' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol109 p5-23 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v109/bg109005.pdf
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p311, 314
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1981, ‘Medieval Britain in 1980' Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p205 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1977, ‘Medieval Britain in 1976' Medieval Archaeology Vol21 p242 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1976, ‘Medieval Britain in 1975' Medieval Archaeology Vol20 p187 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    1971, Medieval Archaeology Vol15 p146-7 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1970, Medieval Archaeology Vol14 p156, 176 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    [Ponsford], 1969, Medieval Archaeology Vol13 p255-8 [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
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Marshall, 1951, Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol70 p5-30 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v070/bg070005.pdf
    Pritchard, 1929, Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol51 p231-4 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v051/bg051225.pdf
    Maclean, J., 1890-91, 'Notes on Some of the Constables of Bristol Castle and Town' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol15 p187-9 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v015/bg015187.pdf
    Swayne, S.H., 1879-80, ' On the Recent Discovery of Remains of the Foundations of the Keep of Bristol Castle and of the Ancient Wells adjacent, with Notes of the Contents of one of the Wells.' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol4 p329-332 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v004/bg004329.pdf
    Nicholls, J.F., 1878-79, 'Bristol Castle' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol3 p185-192 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v003/bg003185.pdf
    Pritchard, J.E., Proceedings of Clifton Antiquarian Club Vol4 p17-19
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle; Laud Chronicle AD1088; Laud AD1126 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
    Sewell, R.C. (ed), 1846, Gesta Stephani, Regis Anglorum et Ducis Normannorum p42 http://books.google.com/books?id=MK8KAAAAYAAJ
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1266-1272) p59 [An order to use the town's murage to repair the castle]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p218-20
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#somerset26]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p178-9, 188, 193-4
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p87 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft
    Harvey, J., 1969, William of Worcester Itinerarii p399-406