Bristol Town Wall

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

C14 St John's Gate only substantial remain of Town wall, originally of earth and timber was replaced by stone from C11. The outer wall was constructed during the late C12, the southern extension during C13. Murage granted almost continuously from 1232 until end of C15, Although some of this in the 1260's was ordered to be spent on repairs of the castle.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 379019; 379875; 380175)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST58757315

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 1005392
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-03.asp
    http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Leisure-Culture/Local-History-Heritage/archaeology/bristol-in-the-middle-ages.en
    http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/asset/?asset_id=16166011 [has excellent plan of medieval Bristol on p24]
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p24, 34, 93-4, 97, 131-2, 139, 167, 171, 173-5, 177, 209, 212, 215, 230, 233, 235, 255, 278-9
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Gloucestershire and Bristol (Malvern) p19
    BaRAS, 2000, Archaeological Excavation of a Medieval Watergate, Temple Quay (Bristol: City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Report No677)
    Neale, F. (ed), 2000, William Worcestre, The Topography of Medieval Bristol (Bristol: Bristol Record Society Publications Vol51)
    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
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    Ralph, E., 1986, 'Bristol circa 1480' in Skelton, R.A. and Harvey, P.D.A. (eds), Local Maps and Plans from Medieval England (Oxford: Clarendon Press) p309-16
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p185
    Williams, B., 1981, Excavations in the medieval suburb of Redcliffe, Bristol, 1980 (Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery)
    Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B., 1979, Bristol, An Architectural History (Bristol)
    Price, R., 1979, ‘Excavation at the town wall, Bristol, 1974' in N Thomas (ed), Rescue Archaeology in the Bristol Area: 1, City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery p15-27
    Lobel, M.D. and Carus-Wilson, E.M., 1975, 'Bristol' in Lobel, M.D. (ed) The Atlas of Historic Towns Vol2 (London: Scolar Press/Historic Towns Trust) p1-27
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p61
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p191
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1958, The buildings of England North Somerset and Bristol (Harmondsworth)
    Whittard, W.F., 1955, Bristol and the Adjoining Counties fig. 23
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p219-20
    Seyer, 1821, Memoirs History and Topography of Bristol (Bristol) Vol1 p263-74, Vol2 p49-54
• Journal Articles
  • Burchill, R., 1996, 'Excavations on the Marsh Wall, King Street, Bristol' Bristol and Avon Archaeology Vol14 p11-16
    Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p230 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Jones, R., 1987, 'Bristol, Newgate' in Iles, R. and Kidd, A., ‘Avon Archaeology 1986 and 1987' Bristol and Avon Archaeology Vol6 p49
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1985, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1984' Medieval Archaeology Vol29 p162 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1984, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1983' Medieval Archaeology Vol28 p207 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1983, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1982' Medieval Archaeology Vol27 p164-5 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1979, CBA: Archaeology in Britain p41-2
    Jackson, R.G., 1972, CBA Group 12: Newsletter Vol7 p53
    1969, Medieval Archaeology Vol13 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Hebditch, M., 1968, 'Excavations on the medieval defences, Portwall Lane, Bristol, 1965' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol87 p131-143 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v087/bg087131.pdf
    [Hebditch], 1966, Medieval Archaeology Vol10 p198 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Barton, K.J., 1964, 'The excavation of a medieval bastion at St Nicholas's Almshouses, King Street, Bristol' Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p184-212 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1961, Medieval Archaeology Vol5 p322 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Rahtz, P.A., 1960, 'Excavation by the Town Wall, Baldwin Street, Bristol, 1957' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol79 p221-250 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v079/bg079221.pdf
    Wilson, D.M. and Hurst, J.G., 1958, 'Medieval Britain in 1957' Medieval Archaeology Vol2 p197 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Marshall, K., 1951, 'Excavations in the City of Bristol, 1948-51' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol70 p5-50 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v070/bg070005.pdf
    Pritchard, J.E., 1926, 'Old Plans and Views of Bristol' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol48 p325-353 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v048/bg048325.pdf
    Pritchard, 1901, Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol24 p274-6 http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v024/bg024274.pdf
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • CPR (1225-1232) p483; (1232-47) p36; p47; p210; p250; p430; (1247-1258) p399; p570; (1258-1266) p179; (1266-1272) p19; (1292-1301) p325; (1317-1321) p578; (1330-1334) p64; (1334-1338) p7; p568; (1338-1340) p527; (1343-1345) p241; (1345-1348) p285; (1350-1354) p350; (1358-1361) p357; (1367-1370) p436; (1374-1377) p430; (1377-1381) p32; (1385-1389) p235; (1396-1399) p21; (1408-1413) p449; (1413-1416) p171; (1429-1436) p183; CPR (1441-1446) p416 [murage grants]
• 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) p177-8, 188
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p86-7 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft