Bamburgh Castle. Photo by Andy Brown, 2003.

(NU 183351) Bamburgh Castle. (1)

(NU 18183521) St Oswald's Gate. [See attached pamphlet]. (2)

For medieval remains see illustrations. (3)

Well preserved. On the south east side are the remains of a bank which, together with the natural cliffs, appears to have formed a dry ditch between the barbican and the gatehouse. Surveyed at 1:2500. (4)

Grade I Bamburgh Castle. Largely inhabited, except for ruins. Imposing landmark on long narrow outcrop of rock above the beach. A 12th century three-storeyed keep, battlemented, with thick crude vaulting on ground floor, and cross vaults above on round arches, and an apsidal west end. Three baileys with gatehouses, Norman and medieval. Acquired by Lord Crewe in 1704 (all then in ruins) and left to charities at his death. Made habitable c.1757 by Dr Sharp (trustee), who used the buildings for schools, an infirmary, a granary and a lighthouse. The whole was drastically restored in 1890. Ruins of chapel of 12th century with apse. (5)

Excavated between 1970-1974 and in the 1960s by B K Hope-Taylor. (6)

Arm of chair in the Castle Museum, Bamburgh, incised with Anglo-Saxon motifs. Described by Hodges as a large cross-arm, but more likely to have been the arm of a chair or throne. Unfortunately the stone is not securely related to a building. The ornament contains elements of Hiberno-Saxon tradition and a pre-figuring of Viking art. Animals and interlace are represented. Probably dates to the last quarter of 8th to first quarter of 9th century. (7)

Geophysical survey has been carried out in 1997 on the lawn within the Inner Ward by P Howard of University of Durham. A number of linear features were detected and, although too faint to outline complete buildings, it seems likely that several structures are represented. The features do not align with the known medieval structural arrangement of the castle and it is suggested that they may date to the Anglo-Saxon period.
A resistivity survey was also carried out within the ruins of the Chapel of St Peter, but interpretation of identified features has been difficult. A magnetometry survey in the West Ward has shown up a number of large pit-like features thought likely to be of archaeological origin. (8)

The 2004 season of fieldwork concentrated on two areas. Firstly, the northern end of the west ward of the castle, to investigate the defences of the fortress and St Oswald's Gate. Secondly, the western part of the ward to identify the location of Hope-Taylor's excavations in the 1970s. A trench was opened at each location.
The first area revealed a probable timber structure built against the curtain wall. There was a series of floor surfaces, each associated with a small hearth. The building has been interpreted as a possible guard chamber for the gate. Beneath this late medieval structure lay 27 pits and post-holes representing a number of structures, from different phases. They may represent elements of timber ramparts, and are probably 12th century or earlier in date.
The second trench showed that Hope-Taylor's excavations comprised two open area excavations; at least some had been excavated to bedrock - an excavated depth of 4m. The Hope-Taylor archive reveals the main area of his excavation had exposed 7th to 8th century surfaces. A stone-lined water tank and conduit indicates water management at this level. (9)

In 1997 Archaeological Services University of Durham conducted a resistivity survey on the Central Lawn and St Oswald's Chapel. This was followed up in 1999 by a ground penetrating radar survey of the same sites.
The resistivity survey revealed a number of linear and rectilinear anomalies of high resistance on the Central lawn, which is suggestive of building remains. These remains are at a different alignment to the known medieval and later buildings on the site suggesting they are earlier, possibly Anglo-Saxon remains. The ground penetrating radar survey confirmed this and also revealed a possible curvilinear ditch at the east end of the lawn.
The resistivity survey of St Oswald's Chapel revealed two interesting features. The first were the remains of the medieval chancel arch which appears to show that the chancel was narrower that its current post-medieval reconstruction. The second feature was a high resistance anomaly at the west end of the chapel. The radar survey confirmed this anomaly and suggests it is a vaulted structure 0.5 metres below the present ground surface. Although it is not certain what this vaulted structure may be, one possibility it is that it is a short length of passageway. (10)

The location of Hope-Taylor's trenches, excavated in the 1960s, has come to light in the archive of his material released by the RCAHMS in 2006. One trial trench in the west ward had been identified by the Bamburgh Research Project, but four others had been unknown. The Bamburgh Research Project began to re-excavate the trenches in 2006, and included the trench from which an Anglo-Saxon pattern-welded sword and an axe had been found. An early report of the original excavation in the Durham Gazette mentioned nine feet of archaeological layers from modern topsoil to prehistoric. The re-excavated trench was 3m deep down to glacial boulder clay. Excavation of undisturbed baulks provided an independent dated sequence of finds. High medieval midden deposits were identified as well as a 'Viking Age' deposit and a number of postholes with original tags to locate Roman finds. The earliest deposits revealed a well-constructed cobble surface through which a series of postholes had been cut, indicating the presence of buildings. The only finds in these deposits were Neolithic flints.
In 2007 another trench was re-examined (Hope-Taylor's cutting E) which revealed a well-constructed stone surface, probably part of a yard in front of medieval buildings seen in Bamburgh Research Project's trench 1. Structures associated with St Oswald's Gate were also revealed. (11)

Re-evaluation of the feature recorded by Brian Hope-Taylor as a gin gang has been carried out as part of the Bamburgh Research Project. This feature was revealed during the 2006 excavation season. The mortar feature was found to be oval in plan and beween 2.0m and 2.4m in diameter. One quadrant of the feature had been excavated by Hope-Taylor during the 1970s. This was within a bowl-shaped cut that survived to a depth of 0.44m at the centre, with the prints of animals recorded in originally soft mortar levels around the feature.
This mortar mixer is similar to others of early medieval date at Northampton, Wearmouth, Oxfordshire and Berkshire of high status religious or secular buildings.. In particular those within Northumbria of Monkwearmouth and Dunbar are of particular note as similarly high status buildings and indicates that there may have been some secular appropriation of the use of mortar and masonry building techniques from the religious communities of the area. (12)

In 2004, two trenches were excavated within the chapel in the Inner Ward to investigate anomalies from geophysical surveys in 1997 and 1999. A probable midden layer was found with animal bone and barley grains (one dated cal AD130-AD390 (SUERC-11528)) and single sherd of late first century pottery. Early medieval flagstones, walls and an oval pit were revealed. The sequence of layers was cut by the construction trench of the southern chancel arch base of the medieval chapel. The exposed medieval chapel walls appeared to have two distinct construction phases. Post-medieval features included a probable antiquarian 'wall-chasing' trench. No evidence of a collapsed crypt, or comparable structure, was discerned during the excavation of Trench 6 and the GPR anomaly that hinted at such a possibility cannot be accounted for with certainty.
Excavation in 2008 along the north side of the chapel revealed vestigial traces of aground surfaces of potentially Romano-British date. The earliest stratigraphic feature encountered was an early medieval wall beneath the Norman phase of the Inner Ward curtain wall, and another buried within the later medieval chapel wall foundation (possibly of the building seen in the 2004 excavations). A substantial masonry structure was found beneath the north side of the chancel on a different alignment. Medieval features dominated the excavation with elements of the medieval chapel and one substantial structural element which predates the chapel. A partial human burial was also discovered (dated cal. AD1031-AD1186 (SUERC-57020)). A number of features post-dating the chapel were also encountered of post-medieval and uncertain date.
Excavations on the Inner Ward lawn in 2010 by Channel 4's Time Team revealed five potential rock-cut features, including a rock-cut post-hole. (13)

Limited excavations in the castle grounds between 1971-4 suggest that the area has been in continuous occupation since the late pre-Roman Iron Age. (14a)

History of the castle. (14b)

Built on the site of a Northumbrian defended site in 1095. Keep mentioned in 1164, building work done 1220-37. Beseiged unsuccessfully by the Scots in 1138,1328 and 1333. Taken by Yorkists in 1462 (twice) and by French and Scots on behalf of the Lancastrians in 1463. Finally captured by the Yorkists using guns in 1464. In bad repair by the 16th century. Modern alterations. (14c)

The monument is also visible as extant buildings, upstanding structures and earthworks on air photographs mapped as part of the North East Coast Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey. It is still extant and in very good conditions on the latest 2005 NMRC oblique photography. (14d-e)

Bamburgh, formerly the citadel of the Kings of Bernicia, became a royal fortress in 1095 when captured from the Earl of Northumberland. Except for a short period when it was in the possession of the Earl of Huntingdon, King David of Scotland's son, it remained an important royal fortress until the unification of the English and Scottish Crowns. During the struggle bewtween Henry III and Simon de Montfort, it was the only royal castle to remain consistently loyal to the King. (14f)