Brownsea Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Branksea; Poole; Brensey

In the civil parish of Studland. In the historic county of Dorset (Modern Authority of Dorset, 1974 county of Dorset).

Blockhouse of 1545-47 incorporated into later house. Walls of original blockhouse survive on ground floor, some with a slight batter, now plastered - no old features visible.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SZ03058764

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 457504
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 6 019 003 '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.nationaltrust.org.uk/places/brownsea/
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/brownsea.html
• Books
  • Harrington, Peter, 2007, The Castles of Henry VIII (Oxford: Osprey) p8, 33, 56, 57
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p14
    Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p50-2
    Saunders, Andrew, 1997, Channel Defences (London; Batsford/English Heritage) p49, 50, 118
    Wilton, Phil,1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p69 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p126
    Morley, B.M., 1976, Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence (London) p32-3
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works Vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) p465-72
    Pevsner, N. and Newman J., 1972, Buildings of England: Dorset (London) p117-8
    RCHME, 1970, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol2: south-east (HMSO) p279-81 plates 158-60
    Short, 1963, A Short History of Brownsea Island (National Trust)
    O’Neil, B.H.St.J., 1960, Castles and Cannon: A Study of Early Artillery Fortifications in England (Oxford: Claredon Press) p53 plate 14
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    van Raalte, 1906, Brownsea Island (London) p19-68 [history]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p239-40
    Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol1 p648-51
    Sydenham, 1839, History Town and Country of Poole (Poole) p387-94
• Journal Articles
  • Lutyens, 1921, Country Life Vol49 p430-6 [not very helpful]
    van Raalte, C., 1905, 'Brownsea Island' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol26 p187-94 [history only] http://www.archive.org/details/proceedings26dorsuoft/
• Guidebooks
  • Brownsea Island Guide Book (National Trust)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#dorset4]