| Bamburgh Castle | |
|---|---|
| Bamburgh,Northumberland | |
 Bamburgh Castle from the southwest | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Armstrong family |
| Open to the public | Yes |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
| Designated | 4 January 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1280155[1] |
| Location | |
  Bamburgh Castle | |
| Coordinates | 55°36′29″N1°42′32″W / 55.608°N 1.709°W /55.608; -1.709 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 11th century |
Bamburgh Castle, on the northeast coast ofEngland, by the village ofBamburgh inNorthumberland, is a Grade Ilisted building.[2]
The site was originally the location of aCeltic Brittonic fort known asDin Guarie and may have been the capital of the kingdom ofBernicia from its foundationc. 420 to 547. In that last year, it was captured by King Ida of Bernicia. After passing between the Britons and theAnglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. TheNormans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. After a revolt in 1095 supported by the castle's owner, it became the property of theEnglish monarch.
In the 17th century, financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating, but it was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by theVictorian era industrialistWilliam Armstrong, who completed its restoration. The castle is open to the public and owned by Francis Watson-Armstrong who is the son of the3rd Baron Armstrong.[3][4]
Built on top of a blackcrag ofvolcanicdolerite, and part of theWhin Sill, the location was previously home to a fort of the indigenousCeltic Britons known asDin Guarie.[5] It may have been the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia, the realm of theGododdin people,[6] from the realm's foundationc. 420 until 547, the year of the first written reference to the castle. In that year thecitadel was captured by the Anglo-Saxon rulerIda of Bernicia (Beornice) and became Ida's seat.[7]
The castle was briefly retaken by the Britons from his sonHussa during the war of 590 before being retaken later the same year.[8] Circa 600, Hussa's successorÆthelfrith passed it on to his wife Bebba, from whom the early nameBebbanburh was derived.[9]
The Normans built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one.William II unsuccessfully besieged it in 1095 during a revolt supported by its owner,Robert de Mowbray,Earl of Northumbria. After Robert was captured, his wife continued the defence until coerced to surrender by the king's threat to blind her husband.[10]
Bamburgh then became the property of the reigning English monarch.Henry II probably built thekeep as it was complete by 1164.[11] Following theSiege of Acre in 1191, and as a reward for his service, KingRichard I appointed Sir John Forster the first Governor of Bamburgh Castle. Following the defeat of the Scots at theBattle of Neville's Cross in 1346, KingDavid II was held prisoner at Bamburgh Castle.[10]
During the civil wars at the end of KingJohn's reign, the castle was under the control ofPhilip of Oldcoates.[12] In 1464 during theWars of the Roses, it was subject to a nine-monthsiege byRichard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, the "Kingmaker", on behalf of theYorkists which was marked by the extensive use of artillery.[13]
The Forster family of Northumberland continued to provide the Crown with successive governors of the castle until the Crown granted ownership (or a lease according to some sources) of the church and the castle to another Sir John Forster in the mid-1500s, after theDissolution of the Monasteries.[14][15] The family retained ownership until Sir William Forster (died 1700) was posthumously declared bankrupt, and his estates, including the castle, were sold toLord Crew, Bishop of Durham (husband of Sir William's sister Dorothy) under an Act of Parliament to settle the debts in 1704.[11]
Crewe placed the castle in the hands of a board of trustees chaired byThomas Sharp, theArchdeacon of Northumberland. Following the death of Thomas Sharp, leadership of the board of trustees passed toJohn Sharp (Thomas Sharp's son, also Archdeacon of Northumberland) who refurbished the castle keep and court rooms[16] and established a hospital on the site.[17] In 1894, the castle was bought by the Victorianindustrialist William Armstrong, who completed the restoration.[18]
During theSecond World War,pillboxes were established in the sand dunes to protect the castle and surrounding area from German invasion[19] and, in 1944, a Royal Navycorvette was namedHMSBamborough Castle after the castle.[20] The castle still remains in the ownership of the Armstrong family.[18]
After the War, the castle became a Grade I Listed property. The description included this comment about the status of the building in 1952 and its history:[21]
Castle, divided into apartments. C12; ruinous when acquired by Lord Crewe in 1704 and made habitable after his death by Dr. Sharpe ... Acquired by Lord Armstrong, who had extensive restoration and rebuilding of high quality by C. J. Ferguson, 1894–1904. Squared sandstone andashlar.
About 9 miles (14 km) to the south on a point of coastal land is the ancient fortress ofDunstanburgh Castle and about 5 miles (8 km) to the north isLindisfarne Castle onHoly Island. Inland about 16 miles (26 km) to the south isAlnwick Castle, the home of the Duke of Northumberland.[22]
Air quality levels at Bamburgh Castle are excellent due to the absence of industrial sources in the region. Sound levels near the north–south road passing by Bamburgh Castle are in the range of 59 to 63dBA in the daytime (Northumberland Sound Mapping Study, Northumberland, England, June 2003). Nearby are breeding colonies of Arctic and common terns on the innerFarne Islands, and ofAtlantic puffin,European shag andrazorbill onStaple Island.[23]
Archaeological excavations were started in the 1960s byBrian Hope-Taylor, who discovered the gold plaque known as the Bamburgh Beast as well as theBamburgh Sword.[24] Since 1996, the Bamburgh Research Project has been investigating the archaeology and history of the Castle and Bamburgh area. The project has concentrated on the fortress site and the early medieval burial ground at the Bowl Hole, located in sand dunes to the south of the castle, evidence of which had first been revealed in a storm of 1817.[25][26]
During excavations at the Bowl Hole between 1998 and 2007, the remains of 120 individuals from the 7th and 8th century were discovered in that graveyard.[26] The research project was led byProfessor Charlotte Roberts ofDurham University, and found remains of individuals who had originated from Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and North Africa.[26]
Finally, in 2016, they were moved into the crypt ofSt Aidan's Church, Bamburgh; the crypt can be viewed by visitors through a small gate.[27]
The castle's laundry rooms feature the Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum, with exhibits about Victorian industrialist William Armstrong andArmstrong Whitworth, the manufacturing company he founded. Displays include engines, artillery and weaponry, and aviation artefacts from two world wars.[28]
Bamburgh Castle was acivil parish, in 1951 the parish had a population of 18.[29] Bamburgh Castle was formerly atownship in Bambrough parish,[30] from 1866 Bamburgh Castle was a civil parish in its own right until it was abolished on 1 April 1955 and merged with Bamburgh.[31]
The castle features in the balladThe Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh written in circa 1270.[32] Late medieval British authorThomas Malory identified Bamburgh Castle withJoyous Gard, the mythical castle home ofSir Launcelot inArthurian legend.[33]
In literature, Bamburgh, under its Saxon name Bebbanburg, is the home of Uhtred Uhtredson, the main character inBernard Cornwell'sThe Saxon Stories. It features either as a significant location or as the inspiration for the protagonist in all books in the series, starting withThe Last Kingdom, and the sequelsThe Pale Horseman,The Lords of the North,Sword Song,The Burning Land,Death of Kings,The Pagan Lord,The Empty Throne,Warriors of the Storm,The Flame Bearer,War of the Wolf,Sword of Kings andWar Lord.[34]
The castle and also the village provide the setting for thecrime novelBamburgh written byLJ Ross.[35]
In addition to appearances as itself, for example in the tv showMost Haunted in 2006,[36] and the 2018 racing gameForza Horizon 4,[37] Bamburgh Castle has been used as a filming location for a number of television and film projects:
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