Bishop Auckland Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Akeland; Aukland

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

Bishop Auckland was the site of one of the homes of the Bishops of Durham. It may have first been used as early as 1016, but it was certainly used by the time of Bishop Pudsey in C12 when a hall was built by him. It was later turned into a chapel. Further building was carried out by Bishop Bek between 1283 and 1311- he probably rebuilt the part of the castle containing the existing chapel or added the upper chapel. He also erected a 'great chamber'. More building took place in C14. Many alterations were also made by Bishop Ruthall in the early C16. After the English Civil War the castle was sold to Sir Arthur Haselrigg, who pulled down the chapel and built a mansion house, which itself was pulled down in the late C17

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ21213023

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape Defra ELS number; 24221 County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number; D1386 et al

• Web site links
  • http://www.auckland-castle.co.uk/
    http://www.aboutbritain.com/AucklandCastle.htm
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=D1386
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=2661
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/aukland.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern) p15-17
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p5, 55-6, 65, 116, 156, 158, 175
    Jackson, M.J., 1996, Castles of Durham and Cleveland (Carlise) p11-3 [plan]
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p51-4
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p25
    Corfe, Tom (ed), 1992, 'The Visible Middle Ages' in An Historical Atlas of County Durhan p28-9
    Fernie, E. and Crossley, P. (eds), 1990, Medieval Architecture and its Intellectual Context p81-90
    James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p52, 100-1, 174
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p134
    Pevsner, N., 1983 (2edn), The Buildings of England: Durham (London, Penguin) p101-6
    Hugill, Robert, 1979, The Castles and Towers of the County of Durham (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p22-28
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Tait, R.S., 1911, Episcopal Palaces, Province of York p201-34
    Leighton, 1910, in Memories of Old Durham (London) p200-3
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol2 p334-5
    Whellan, F., 1894 (2edn), History, Topography and Directory of the County of Durham p327
    Boyle,J.R., 1892, Comprehensive Guide to the County of Durham: its Castles, Churches, and Manor-Houses (London) p482-97
    Sykes, J., 1866, Local Records of Northumberland and Durham Vol2 p373
    Raine, J. 1852. Brief Historical Account of the Episcopal Castle of Auckland (Durham)
    Brayley, E. and Britton, J., 1803, Beauties of England and Wales; Durham Vol5 p219-21
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p80
• Journal Articles
  • Cunningham J.,1990, Medieval Architecture and Its Intellectual Context: Auckland Castle: Some Recent Discoveries(London) p81-90
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p317
    1972, Country Life Vol151 p198-202, 266-70, 334-7
    1971, Publication of the Surtees Society Vol183 p3, 10-14, 87-8
    Charlton, J., 1954 'Auckland Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol111
    Hodgson J.F.,1898, 'The Chapel of Auckland Castle' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser2] Vol19 p89-92
    Hodgson J.F.,1896, Archaeologia Aeliana [ser2] Vol18 p113-240
    Gibson, S. 1868. 'Auckland Castle' Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Vol1 p28-46
    1862, Gentlemans Magazine Vol13 pt2 p588-93
• Guidebooks
  • Moule, Bishop, 1918, Auckland Castle (Durham]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/durhameng.html#durham7]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p147-8, 156
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p48, 128