Morpeth Castle (Copyright © Don Brownlow)

Morpeth Castle (Remains of) [NZ 20008547]. (1)

14th century castle where gatehouse and ruined curtain walls still remain. (2)

The present Castle at Morpeth was built 1342-1349 (3), the gateway, tower has no portcullis groove, the top is embattled, having corner turrets, the outer walls are shattered and there are no traces of internal buildings. Castle was besieged in 1644 and probably never restored. (4)

Erected 1342-1359 by William de Greystock. (5)

[Examination of Greystock pedigree (6) show 1342-1359 to be the correct dates of W de Greystock's span]. (6)

Morpeth Castle is still known as such. (7)

[Centred NZ 20028549] Morpeth Castle is situated in a commanding position on top of a hill.
The remains consist of the gatehouse and stretches of curtain wall which probably formed a western bailey or court.
The gatehouse at NZ 20018552 is a rectangular building with a central passage running east-west. Extensive renovation has left few traces of antiquity, but those remaining include the arches and segmental vaulting of the passage, two doorways in the passage, and small windows on all sides except the south. The larger windows and the battlements are modern. The gatehouse is in an excellent state of repair and is in use as a private residence.
The remaining stretches of curtain wall (as shown on plan) have an average thickness of 1m and rise to a maximum height of 3m. They originally consisted of dressed stone facings with a rubble core, but most of the facing has been robbed, leaving the core standing.
On the inside face of the north wall near its western end are the remains of a fireplace and other building traces. These remains possibly indicate the existence of a corner tower.
At NZ 20098551 is a stretch of wall 13m long, 4.5m high and 1.2m thick, with two buttresses on the east side. In this wall are the remains of a window and doorway, possibly later insertions. There was insufficient evidence to determine if the fragment was part of the curtain wall of an eastern bailey, or was the remains of an unidentified building. The window and door contained no dateable features.
All the walls are in a poor state of repair. See overleaf for plan of remains. (8)

Published survey 1/2500 revised (earthworks). (9)

Morpeth Castle, Grade I.
14th century mostly. A gate-house keep in good preservation and remains of a curtain wall. The earlier motte-band-bailey castle or 'Haw Hill' or 'Old Mote' is entirely earthwork and therefore not listed. (10)

Remains of Norman motte and bailey with 15th century gate tower. Described as 'a ruinous hole, not tenable by nature, far less by art' in 1644. Yet it held for three weeks with 200 men against 2,500 men under the Marquis of Montrose. (11)

Morpeth Castle, Grade I. Castle gatehouse, stables and curtain wall. Probably founded 13th century, some curtain walling may be 13th century. Gateway 14th century, restored 17th century, and 1857-8 for Earl of Carlisle. Gatehouse: three storeys, Tudor carriage arch. Small 14th century window to left. Restored loop-light to right. 19th century two-light windows on first and second floors. 19th century parapet and corner turrets. 19th century stables to rear. Tudor-Gothic style. Curtain wall patched and rebuilt in many different periods. (12)

Gatehouse converted to holiday home by Landmark Trust in Summer 1991. (13)

The gatehouse and curtain wall are the only remaining parts of the castle. It was restored 1858-60 by the Earl of Carlisle, and was occupied until at least the 1960s after which it was left uninhabited and virtually gutted by vandals. Between 1989-1990 the gatehouse was repaired and remodelled internally by the Landmark Trust. Archaeological recording was carried out during these operations. [Detailed description of internal and external elevations].
Most of the fabric of the gatehouse would seem to belong to a single medieval build, Architectural features correlate with the usual 14th century date ascribed to the building. The recent removal of plaster has shed some light on the post-medieval history of the building. Documentary references indicate the gatehouse had been demolished by the end of the medieval period. Some reconstruction seems to have occurred in the late 17th or 18th century when converted on to a dwelling.
It is suggested that the gatehouse was not built to enhance the military strength of the castle, but possibly as a courtroom. (14)

(15)(16)(17)

A rectified photographic record (at 1:50) was made of the surviving fabric of the castle walls in 2001. An account of documentary sources was also made in order to attempt to reconstruct the form of the castle defences and surrounding buildings before the destruction of the siege of May and June 1644. The extent to which the fabric of the Civil War period survives in the curtain wall remains undecided, although the balance of the evidence suggests that all the infill to the breaches in the west wall is early modern in date. Examination of the fabric of the north-east 'outer curtain' wall suggests that the castle may not, in fact, have had a masonry outer curtain at all and that this masonry is the 'great barn' mentioned in the account of the Civil War siege. (18)(19)

additional bibliography about siege. (20)

The broad shape and form of this monument is visible on air photos and lidar imagery. (21)

(NZ 2000 8552) Morpeth Castle (NR) (Remains of) (NAT) (22a)

NZ 200 855. Morpeth Castle. Scheduled No ND/653. (22b)

The gatehouse is now owned by The Landmark Trust. (22c)

Listed by Cathcart King. (22d)

History of the castle. (22e)