Durham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dunelm

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

Early motte and bailey castle. Chapel of 1080 survives. Parts of Constables Hall of 1170, much altered Great Hall of 1300 and other fragments of medieval masonry also survive in much altered and continously reused building which still follows ground plan of the original castle. Palace of the Prince Bishops of County Durham. World Heritage Site.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NZ27394235

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 1131200 and others
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is D1201; D1202; D1203; D1212; D6582 '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.dur.ac.uk/~dla0www/c_tour/castle.html
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Durham.htm
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=D1201
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/88/durhamcastle.htm
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=410
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/durham.html
• Books
  • Brickstock, R., 2007, Durham Castle: fortress, palace, college (Jeremy Mills Publishing)
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern) p26-32
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p9, 14-20, 44, 65, 68, 84, 116, 132, 157, 159-60, 174
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p51-4, 76-81
    Jackson, M.J., 1996, Castles of Durham and Cleveland (Carlise) p28-30 [plan]
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p27-9 [plan]
    Leyland, M., 1994, 'The origins and development of Durham castle' in Rollason, D., Harvey, M., and Prestwich, M. (eds), Anglo-Norman Durham 1093-1193 (Woodbridge) p407-24
    Thompson, M.W., 1994, 'The place of Durham among Norman episopal palaces and castles' n Rollason, D., Harvey, M., and Prestwich, M. (eds), Anglo-Norman Durham 1093-1193 (Woodbridge)
    Roberts, Martin, 1994, English Heritage book of Durham (London: English Heritage)
    Corfe, Tom (ed), 1992, 'The Visible Middle Ages' in An Historical Atlas of County Durhan p28-9
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p118-20, 139
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    Clack, P., 1985, The Book of Durham City p50-65
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p135
    Pevsner, Nikolaus (revised by Elizabeth Williamson), 1983, Buildings of England: County Durham (Harmondsworth) p212-8
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p226
    Hugill, Robert, 1979, The Castles and Towers of the County of Durham (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p45-54
    Clipson, J., 1977, ‘Durham city: Back Silver Street' Archaeological Excavations 1976 (HMSO) p116
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p167, 179-80
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p643
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p56-8
    Page, Wm (ed), 1928, VCH Durham Vol3 (London) p64-91 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42607
    Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol1 (London) p55-66
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p146-9
    Hamilton Thompson, A., 1912, Military Architecture in England during the Middle Ages (London) p198-201
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p93-5
    Tait, R.S., 1911, Episcopal Palaces, Province of York p101-200
    Gould, Chalkley, 1905, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Durham Vol1 p354
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p341-2
    Boyle, J.R., 1892, Comprehensive Guide to the County of Durham: its Castles, Churches, and Manor-Houses (London) p140-89
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 32-5
    Brayley, E. and Britton, J., 1803, Beauties of England and Wales; Durham Vol5 p60-62
    Hutchinson, Wm, 1785-94, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol3 p358-69
    Hutchinson, Wm, 1785-94, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol2 p279-80, 283-8
    Grose, Francis, 1787, The Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol2 p99-101
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p82
• Journal Articles
  • Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
    Binney, M., 1989, ‘Durham Castle' Country Life 183.39 p134-9
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p308
    Clack, P.A.G., 1980, ‘Rescue excavations in Co Durham, 1976-1978: 3. An excavation at Queen’s Court, 2 North Bailey, Durham city’ n ser, 5 p56-70
    Clipson, J., 1980, ‘Back Silver Street, Durham, 1975-56 excavations' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser5] Vol8 p109-26
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1979, ‘Medieval Britain in 1978' Medieval Archaeology Vol23 p260 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Johnson, M., 1978, ‘The great north gate of Durham Castle' Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland [new ser] Vol4 p105-18
    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
    Simpson, Grace and Hatley, V., 1953, 'An Excavation Below Bishop Tunstal's Chapel, Durham Castle' Antiquaries Journal Vol33 p56-64 [minor excavation]
    Whiting, C.E., 1933, Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol10 p123-131
    Greenwell, 1934, Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland Vol7 p56-91 [early history]
    Jones, 1925, Archaeological Journal Vol82 p226-7
    Sedding, 1920, The Builder Vol119 p311-14
    Hodges, 1908, Archaeological Journal Vol65 p327-8
    Tipping, 1908, Country Life Vol23 p126-35
    1890, The Monthly Chronicle; North Country Lore and Legend p166-70
    Clark, G.T., 1881, 'The castle and keep of Durham' Archaeological Journal Vol38 p418-21 [reprint in MMA]
    Longstaffe, 1879, History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club Vol9 p73-9
    Ornsby, 1866, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol22 p46-63
    1863, Gentleman's Magazine Vol15 pt2 p58-9 http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015030568854
    Gee, H., Proceedings of the Society of Antiquarians [ser2] Vol20 p17-18
    Gee, H., Transactions of the Durham and Northumberland Archaeological Society
• Guidebooks
  • Bythell, D. and Leyland, Martin, 1992, Durham Castle, University College, Durham (Durham: University College)
    Bythell, D., 1985, Durham Castle, University College, Durham (Durham: University College)
    Bythell, D., 1974, Durham Castle (Jarrold)
    Anon, n.d., Durham Castle, University College, Durham (Durham: University College)
    Surtees, 1928, History of Durham Castle
• 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 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p188
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities10.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/durhameng.html#durham9]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p150, 156
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p73 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01lelauoft