2026 Grants – Castle Studies Trust Blog

Cockermouth Castle – origins and an early masonry castle

In the first of three posts Tom Addyman looks at what they have found in the survey survey at the inner ward of Cockermouth Castle in western Cumbria provided an important opportunity to take stock of the understanding of the masonry fabric of this understudied major northern baronial castle. This blog post looks at the origins of the defended site and the early stages of its redevelopment as a stone-built fortification and residence in the 13^th century.

For the most part Cockermouth Castle has survived as a well-preserved ruin, little changed since its partial reduction and abandonment as a principal residence following a Civil War siege and following which only two towers had been retained within the outer ward, roofed, that continued to be utilized for administrative functions. The inner ward area was never reoccupied and has only seen occasional episodes of repair, stabilization and associated landscaping; otherwise it remains intact, mostly to wall-head level.

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The castle has been variously noticed by antiquarians and early castellologists with historical and descriptive accounts by Francis Grose (1774), GT Clarke (1874 and 1884), William Jackson and Rev. Canon Francis Knowles (1880), and John Curwen (1911 and 1913). These established many of the fundamental observations about the origins, evolution and dating of the site’s various components. However since Curwen there have been no major studies of the castle. The present project permitted a detailed record and analysis leading to refinement of thinking about the complex’s structural evolution and the interpretation presented within these earlier accounts.

The sheer scale of the site dictated that the survey be focused upon the inner ward area at this stage. The details of the inner ward area at this period are illustrated on plan in (Figure 3) below.

Landform and general configuration of the inner ward

Cockermouth Castle, located within the town of Cockermouth in Cumbria, lies upon a naturally defensible high spur of land at the confluence of the River Derwent and the River Cocker. The inner ward occupies the western extremity of the spur promontory, defined by the steep bluff above the Derwent to the north and by the steeply falling ground to the south and south-west (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Engraved view looking eastwards across the River Derwent at Cockermouth. Samuel Buck, 1739

The inner ward’s existing curtain defines a roughly triangular area that measures 49.0m east-west by 48.5m to external wall faces, described by Curwen (1911, 127) as ‘a spherical triangle of about 42 yards each way’ (Figure 2). The exterior perimeter curtain walls to the north and south-west converge at a slightly projecting D-shaped tower at the western salient, rounded to the exterior (west tower). To the eastward (landward) side inner ward area is now defined by the substantial east range of later 14^th century date that includes the existing inner gatehouse, lodgings to either side, and the kitchen tower to the north. Today this landward side is approached across the site of a later ditch, itself now mostly infilled. The inner ward courtyard is a triangular enclosure that is now open to the north and south-west curtain walls but had formerly been mostly occupied by ranges built against these curtains including a hall and chamber range to the north side. Of 14^th century date, these structures must certainly have occupied the site of predecessors.

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Figure 2 General plan of the castle within its immediate setting; north to top (after Curwen 1911, 134)

Historical background

Loosely under Scottish control at the time of the Conquest, the Cockermouth area came fully under Norman rule after William II’s capture of Carlisle in 1092, and from 1098 was controlled on his behalf by Ranulf Meschin (d.1129), later earl of Chester. He, or his brother William le Meschin, between them the founders of the castles at Egremont and Appleby, probably built the first one at Cockermouth. By complicated descent, the castle passed in 1215 to William de Forz (or de Fortibus) II, 3rd earl of Aumale (d.1241), whose Norman lands were lost in 1204 but was now a major landholder in the north of England. Renewed Scottish incursions from 1216 may have led him to improve its defenses.

An early earthwork castle

Other than Cockermouth Castle’s general promontory landform and the known existence of the inner and outer ditches that sever it from the eastern, landward approach there is little observable or recorded physical evidence for what had likely been an original earthwork fortification. One exception may be the notable level difference, of about 2m, between the inner and outer wards that may indicate the former presence of a raised earthwork such as a motte or ringwork, as variously suggested (e.g. Curwen 1913, 127), that was subsequently levelled down.

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The precise position of the inner defensive ditch that had defended this early fortification’s eastern approach has long been deduced as having underlain the existing east range of the later 14^th century. Direct evidence for its more precise position comes in the form of a relieving arch present within the south curtain, see below.

The existing inner ward area and upstanding structures that today define its three sides seem likely to have evolved from a predecessor configuration that was probably initially composed of earthwork and timber and, perhaps later, partly of masonry.

Events of 1221

In 1221, in consequence of rebellion by William de Forz II, Henry III commanded the sheriff of Westmorland that ‘without any delay he should summon the earls, barons, knights, and freeholders of his bailiwick, and that they should hasten to Cockermouth to besiege the castle there, and when they had taken the same, should destroy it, to its very foundations’ (Curwen, 1911, 130-1). It is not recorded to what extent the order may have been carried out. However the limited physical evidence of the earliest iteration of the castle, primarily reused masonry (see below), seems to agree with the suggestion of a complete demolition.

Recycled materials and evidence for pre-existing structures

At points within the inner ward the incorporation of recycled stonework from pre-existing structures is evident. Some of this material seems to be Roman, such as rough-hewn blocks with cross-hatched tooling (Plate 1).

Plate 1 Detail of recycled dressed stone, Roman; within the lower interior east wall of the gatehouse. Copyright Addyman Archaeology

However the early curtain wall to the south-west incorporates multiple recycled stones in its lower parts in the area adjacent to the west tower, visible at the interior wall-face (Plate 2). Many of these are neatly dressed, cubical blocks, of which a number display diagonal tooling and others the common moulded detail of a narrow sunken angle roll formed to a keeled profile of a type that saw currency from the mid-late 12th century. Clearly these stones derive from a well-built source building of some architectural refinement. Such evidence would not be inconsistent with the existence of a masonry structure within the pre-existing castle complex that may have been dismantled as part of Henry III’s 1221 command to demolish the castle.

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Plate 2 South-west curtain, lower walling section employing re-cycled building material; blocks detailed with a keeled angle roll are indicated. Copyright Addyman Archaeology

Masonry castle of the early-mid 13th century

The earliest in situ masonry that is recognizable on site comprises components of the inner ward’s perimeter, where stratigraphic evidence defined by the present survey is broadly in accord with accounts by previous commentators. In terms of dating, G.T. Clark (1884, 415) noted, ‘The foundations of the western tower, and of the greater part of its contiguous curtains, so far as they contain the upper ward, are probably Norman, and may be the work of William de Meschines, in the reign of Henry I’. However, subsequent writers assign these components to the early-mid 13th century and propose the new masonry construction to have taken place in the context of a comprehensive dismantling of existing fabric in 1221. Curwen (1911, 132) suggests this work was carried out under William de Fortibus III (succ.1241, d.1259) …

… to isolate the site effectually, William excavated a very wide ditch, connecting the cliff of the Derwent with the sloping bank of the Cocker. Within this area the castle formed a spherical triangle of about 42 yards each way, with its angles capped by circular bastion towers. The basement of the present west tower is of this period; so also is some 14 feet high of the present south curtain and the lower portion of the north curtain. The footings of the eastern curtain also remain, but the most interesting point to note is the one door jamb, which still remains erect, sufficient to reveal to us where the gatehouse of this early castle stood …. An outer bailey existed surrounded by a timber palisade.

The present study broadly confirms this assessment with the exception of the door jamb which it is now suggested may be a secondary insertion of the later 14^th century. If that is the case then the location and configuration of the 13^th century entrance to the inner ward remains an open question.

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Curtain walls

As recognized by Curwen and others these works include the lower walling sections incorporated within the existing inner ward’s curtain walling to the north and south-west; this is of somewhat mixed rubble build and contains few features other than remains of three pilaster buttresses rising from plinths to the south-west exterior and possible evidence for others to the north curtain’s exterior.

The inner, courtyard-facing side of the existing east range incorporates walling that had probably been of similar character but has now been much reduced and had seen secondary re-facing in most areas. Better evidence for the form of this east curtain survives as a silhouette of the wall preserved in section on the north side of the bell tower, including its wall walk and parapet (Plate 5, below).

West tower

Much of the lower stage and parts of the exterior skin of the west tower at first floor level is of demonstrably early fabric, faced externally with well-cut dressings that rise from a plinth. The interior is rounded and features three embrasures of which two still preserve plunging loops with lower fish-tail termini.

Plate 3: Interior of west tower – lower stage looking south-west Copyright Addyman Archaeology

Plate 4: Exterior of west tower – detail of early loop. Copyright Addyman Archaeology

Bell tower

The other major survival from this period is the bell tower, which stands almost to its full height. This is located at a key point of the defensive perimeter of the inner ward, at its south-east angle, the point of junction with the exterior scarp and the defensive ditch immediately to the east. The tower is also faced with well-cut squared dressings, its walling rising from what seems to have been a massively constructed basal batter (Plate 5 – D).

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Plate 5 North side of the bell tower showing evidence for the original east curtain wall where it had converged (A), and associated features – (B) wall walk, (C) parapet, (D) silhouette of possible batter to tower base, (E) jamb of entrance – possibly secondary. Copyright Addyman Archaeology

Of solid construction below, the tower’s upper stage features a chamber with entrances accessible from the south-west and east curtain wall-walks. The tower top seems to have been remodelled and its original configuration lost. The chamber’s entrances are of distinctive character, with relieving arches over, not inconsistent with an earlier 13^th century date, Plate 6.

Plate 6 Bell tower – detail of entrance to north side of upper stage. Copyright Addyman Archaeology

The contrast between the constructional character of the principal features of the walled circuit, the bell tower and west tower, faced with cut stone, and that of the rubble masonry employed for the general construction of the curtain walling is marked.

A further wall section of similar rubble character forms a continuation of the south curtain that extends eastwards from the side of the bell tower and seems to have closed off the south end of the early ditch before continuing beyond it as part of a curtain circuit that had enclosed the outer ward. Within the outer ward area excavations in the early 20^th century revealed what was interpreted as a footing for a circular tower at the south-east angle of the outer ward’s circuit, an apparent predecessor to the existing flag tower, of later 14^th century date.

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The lower part of the curtain wall section adjacent to the bell tower preserves a broad relieving arch, rubble-built of large blocks, Plate 7. It appears to have been intended to provide structural support where the curtain crossed the area of the defensive ditch. In apparent corroboration of this interpretation there is a discernible sag in the coursing of the masonry below the arch. An opening at higher level within this curtain section seems to be coeval with it and may have functioned as a postern, perhaps accessed internally by means of a gantry arrangement; externally the scarp slope rises to the level of the entrance.

Plate 7 Section of south-west curtain as seen within the south lodging block; relieving arch indicated. Copyright Addyman Archaeology

Figure 3 Plan of the inner ward area showing locations of surviving features of earlier date discussed in the text, highlighted in red (Addyman Archaeology 2026)

Conclusion

Though now reduced to large fragments of its curtain wall and two towers enough still survives to demonstrate the masonry castle of the early-mid 13^th century to have been a substantial construction whose circuit had encompassed the footprint of the existing inner and outer wards and whose defensive arrangement provided the underlying structure that governed the character of the castle’s subsequent development in the 14^th century. There is little physical indication within the standing fabric for the interior structures at this period although significant evidence may survive below ground. It also remains an open question as to nature of the early access arrangements to each of the wards.

The following blog will examine the redevelopment of the castle in the mid part of the 14^th century under the de Lucy family.

Tom Addyman, drawing upon historical research by Edward Impey

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References

Clark GT 1874 ‘Cockermouth Castle’ in The Builder, Vol. 32, 944-7

Clark GT 1884 Medieval Military Architecture in England, 2 vols., London, vol. 1, 409-18

Curwen JF 1911 ‘Cockermouth Castle’, TCWAAS, 11, 129-158

Curwen JF 1913 Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland and Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands : CWAAS Extra Series 13, 127-33

Grose F 1775 (new edition of 1756 original), Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol. 1, 49-51

Knowles Rev Canon and Jackson W 1880 ‘A Descriptive Account of Cockermouth Castle’ in TCWAAS Vol. 4, 130-38

Ellesmere Castle: geophysics points the way for future investigation

Local volunteers Gary Bick and Nick Cull along with Heneb archaeologist Chris Matthews look at the new survey work funded by the Castle Studies Trust that has helped clarify the buried archaeology of Ellesmere Castle, including the likely extent of its bailey.

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Figure 1: Aerial plan of Ellesmere Castle overlaid with the results of the geophysical survey results. Copyright Heneb

Local Beginnings

Ellesmere is a small market town in Northeast Shropshire, close to the England: Wales border, well known for its meres and the Llangollen Canal which passes by the town. Disappointingly, Ellesmere Castle does not figure significantly in any publicity or description of the town, not least because there are no physical remains other than a large motte, now used as a bowling green, and earthworks defining the bailey.

The Castle was probably built towards the end of the 11^th Century and played a part in the Marcher disputes between England and Wales. Most notable among its “owners” was Llewelyn, Prince of Gwynedd who had been given the castle by King John as a wedding gift when he married John’s daughter Joan. The castle appears to have fallen into disuse by the late 15^th Century , Leland recording that there “used to be a Castle” at Ellesmere, in the mid 16^th Century.

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The castle site presumably lay deserted for a couple of hundred years until the late 17^th/early 18^th Century when a bowling green was created on the motte. Crown bowls have been played there ever since, making it almost certainly unique as the oldest crown green bowls in the country played on a circular motte.

Figure 2: View of Ellesmere Castle from the east, showing motte, bailey and earthworks. Copyright Joe Bickerton Photographs

And so it was in the summer of 2023 that Gary Bick and Nick Cull, Ellesmere residents, were playing bowls at the castle site and started a conversation as to why no significant efforts had ever been made to look for evidence about the configuration and construction of the castle. That led to the involvement of, and valuable advice from, Dr Nigel Baker via the Shropshire Archaeological and History Society, and Christopher Jobson, local historian. Wider conversations about funding and next steps then led to a stroke of huge good fortune with a ground penetrating radar survey of the motte donated by Adam Cook of Subsurface Measurement Technology in 2024.

The results of that survey which strongly suggested masonry remains under the motte only served to kindle a greater interest and led to an application for a grant from the Castle Studies Trust.

In May 2026, Heneb: The Trust for Welsh Archaeology carried out a programme of non-invasive geophysical investigation at Ellesmere Castle in Shropshire, led by Chris Matthews, Senior Project Archaeologist. Funded by the Castle Studies Trust and undertaken on behalf of Ellesmere Bowling Club and Shropshire Council, the work aimed to improve understanding of a scheduled motte-and-bailey castle and build on Adam Cook’s ground penetrating radar survey of the motte.

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The Expert View

Ellesmere Castle was once an important medieval stronghold within the shifting political landscape of the Welsh Marches. Very little is known of the earliest phases of the site; however, documentary sources indicate that at least parts of the castle had developed beyond an original earth-and-timber phase into a stone-built fortification, comparable with other nearby marcher sites such as Knockin, Whittington and Oswestry. Today, however, no masonry is visible above ground. This does not appear to have resulted from Civil War destruction, as is often the case elsewhere; instead, later accounts suggest that much of the castle had already been dismantled by the 16th century. The new surveys therefore offered an opportunity to assess whether buried remains of the castle still survive.

The investigation combined several complementary techniques. High-resolution magnetic gradiometry was used across the accessible parts of the motte, bailey and surrounding open ground, while targeted electrical resistivity survey helped test areas where stonework or rubble might survive. The new results were also considered alongside the earlier ground penetrating radar data, LiDAR modelling and historic aerial photography.

Each method responds to different buried conditions. Magnetic survey can pick up ditches, burning, ferrous material and disturbed deposits, while resistivity can be useful for identifying concentrations of stone, with areas that retain moisture often producing contrasting low-resistance responses. Together, these techniques provide a broad picture of what may survive below the present ground surface, while also identifying the questions that only future targeted excavation can resolve.

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Perhaps the clearest geophysical evidence came from the motte itself. Here, the combined survey results point to a substantial rectilinear feature beneath the bowling green visible in all three datasets, probably representing surviving masonry associated with the castle’s keep. The earlier ground penetrating radar data suggest remains beginning at around 1.1m below the surface, with internal voids and associated demolition deposits also indicated (Fig. 1). The GPR also appears to preserve evidence for the probable original outline of the motte summit, adding weight to the interpretation that the establishment of the bowling green significantly reworked the mound by enlarging its usable surface.

Another supporting aspect of this was noted in the GPR interpretation, which in an archaeological context would typically look to higher-frequency data for more detailed responses at shallower depths. At Ellesmere, however, it was the lower-frequency data that produced the most informative results. One possible explanation is that clay capping associated with the later reworking of the mound for the bowling green limited the effectiveness of the radar at shallower depths, meaning that the deeper-penetrating data provided the clearer picture.

Another strong anomaly may represent a well, shown as a consistent void in the GPR, while further responses on the south-eastern side of the motte could reflect shallower structural remains or spreads of rubble. Taken together, the evidence implies strong potential for significant buried archaeology despite the later landscaping, but point to logistical challenges in exposing the remains due to the deep overburden.

Figure 3: Low frequency time slices of Ellesmere’s motte from the GPR survey by Adam Cooke (2024). Copyright Adam Cook, Subsurface Measurement Technology Ltd

The resistivity survey also identified a substantial anomaly within the currently scheduled bailey, which may represent a buried structure or area of consolidated masonry. Its alignment appears broadly comparable with the principal feature identified on the motte, raising the possibility that it formed part of the castle’s wider built complex, perhaps associated with a forebuilding. This interpretation remains provisional, however, requiring further assessment before its character can be understood with confidence. Additional GPR survey of the scheduled bailey is planned in the near future and should help test whether the resistivity response reflects surviving archaeology, later disturbance or a combination of both.

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One of the most significant results of the project has been to refine the likely extent of the castle bailey. Previous interpretations have noted that the scheduled bailey east and south-east of the motte appears relatively small for a castle of this scale. The new analysis of LiDAR and historic aerial photography now supports a stronger case for a more extensive outer bailey extending south across Sandy Lane.

Figure 4: RAF Aerial photograph 1946, Historic England Archive

The possible southern bailey is visible as a raised triangular plateau in the LiDAR data, and its outline appears to correspond with earthworks visible on 1940s aerial photography before later housing development (Fig 3). Although parts of this area have since been affected by terracing, quarrying and modern construction, the alignment of the plateau with the existing earthworks suggests that elements of the larger bailey circuit may still survive. This would place the bailey in close relationship with Sandy Lane, a prominent historic routeway that once connected Ellesmere to the town of Shrewsbury.

This is an important shift in how the monument can be understood. Rather than treating the present scheduled bailey as the whole of the enclosure, the survey establishes a clearer working hypothesis that the medieval castle may have occupied a broader area, with the southern ground forming part of a more substantial bailey deliberately placed over a significant routeway. This gives future research a much firmer starting point.

Figure 5: Provisional interpretation of anomalies from the geophysical survey copyright Heneb

What happens next?

The results represent the beginning of a new phase of investigation rather than the final word. Geophysics has shown where significant buried features are likely to survive and has helped refine the questions that now need to be tested. In particular, further work could investigate the substantial structural anomalies on the motte and within the bailey, examine the possible well, and test the proposed southern extension of the bailey.

Any future intrusive investigation would need to be carefully targeted and agreed with Historic England, given the site’s status as a scheduled monument, and the Ellesmere Bowling Club as the green is in regular use throughout the season and quality ground reinstatement would be crucial. The value of the present work is that such investigations can now be planned from a stronger evidence base, focusing on the features most likely to answer key questions about the castle’s form, development and survival.

The survey has demonstrated that Ellesmere Castle retains considerable archaeological potential. It provides a carefully evidenced starting point for the next stage of research into one of Shropshire’s lesser-known but historically significant medieval castles.

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You can read the full report here: Geophysical Survey of Ellesmere Castle, Shropshire | Castle Studies Trust

Rediscovering Newcastle Castle: publishing 30 years of historic excavations

Don O’Meara, President of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne John Nolan, archaeologist Richard Pears, buildings historian, project leads for the publication of the decades of excavations that took place around the major urban fortress of Newcastle.

Many towns and cities in England derive their name from fortified positions. However, perhaps none so prominently as when the pre-Conquest settlement of Monkchester was fortified with a royal castle, and became thereafter Novum Castrum super Tynam. Newcastle is fortunate in the survival of its 12^th century stone keep against the forces of siege, neglect and demolition, which denuded so many other castles and fortifications across the country, including that which befell our homonymous distant relative under-Lyme.

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Newcastle Keep, copyright Don O’Meara

The keep at Newcastle also has a special place in the history of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, the oldest such provincial society. For over 200 years the image of the keep has appeared on the book plate of our journal (Archaeologia Aeliana), reminding members of our role in preserving it from destruction at the hands of 19th century development (particularly railway construction), as well as our role renovating and managing the building until 2013.

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The royal castle from which Newcastle derives its name was founded by Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, in 1080 as a statement of Norman control in a region coveted by the kings of Scotland and with a history of independent-minded local rulers. In the late 1160s and early 1170’s the earth and timber castle was refortified in stone, which included the keep which stands today and which, in the eyes of many Novocastrians, is ‘The Castle’.

Newcastle Castle from the air, copyright Newcastle City Council

The site is the most archaeologically investigated ‘urban’ castle in North East England, albeit excavations, begun in 1960 and for many years led by Barbara Harbottle, have principally focused on the defensive circuit. Excavations showed how an apparently linear development model can be an oversimplification, highlighted gaps in the understanding of the castle as a whole and revealed problems of correlating archaeological evidence with medieval documentary records. The excavations were also significant in charting the evolution of archaeological practice from essentially amateur archaeological techniques in the 1960s to more modern, scientific investigation. Analysis of the finds offers to reveal new insights into the material culture of the castle’s occupants. Despite the importance of investigations at this site, there has been no published report on the medieval excavations since 1981. This project aims to complete this.

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Between 1981 and 1992 further excavations on the castle site revealed more evidence for the evolution of the castle and aspects of its associated infrastructure. It has been a long running ambition of this Society to see these works brought to publication and to wider academic attention. In 2024 the principal excavator of the site in the 1990s John Nolan, buildings archaeologist and historian Richard Pears, and I in my capacity as editor of Archaeologia Aeliana sought to rectify this situation.

This project involves a synthesis of 30 years of excavations and a reassessment of their results, a new building analysis and interpretation of the site, and the compilation and editing of these results into a single text. With gratefully received funds from Newcastle City Council, the Castle Studies Trust, and the Castle Studies Group we are now progressing with the preparation of a special edition of Archaeologia Aeliana which will achieve the aim of disseminating these important results.

Though there are still funds required that would allow for a full open-access publication, we aim to publish this special edition monograph in early 2027.

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Reimagining Fyvie Castle

Alice Connelly of the National Trust for Scotland takes a look at The Re-imagining of Fyvie Castle project.

Rising above the rolling landscape of Aberdeenshire, Fyvie Castle is the quintessential Scottish fairytale castle. Its pink harled walls, ornate towers and landscaped grounds draw thousands of visitors from the nearby A96 each year, inviting them to explore centuries of Scottish history hidden behind its striking exterior.

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Inside, visitors are guided through the castle’s richly furnished rooms by a dedicated team of volunteers, hearing stories of royal visits, political intrigue, battles, folklore and ghostly legends. Yet the magnificent castle we know today emerged from much humbler beginnings.

Fyvie Castle today, copyright National Trust for Scotland

Fyvie began as a timber stronghold built on a natural defensive platform, protected by the River Ythan and surrounding bogland. Over time, the site evolved dramatically: timber was replaced with stone and successive generations expanded and remodelled the building. What began as a laird’s fortified residence gradually transformed into a royal stronghold and, eventually, the lavish country estate seen today.

Fyvie also occupies an important place within the cultural traditions of north-east Scotland. The castle and village are woven into Scots song and folklore through tunes such as The Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie and Mill o’ Tifty’s Annie. The latter tells the tragic story of Bonnie Annie and Andrew Lammie, the trumpeter to Lord Fyvie. The grave of Annie Smith, the woman thought to be Bonnie Annie, can still be visited in Fyvie cemetery today, while a carved stone trumpeter stands among the twenty-four decorative figures that crown the castle roofline, a reminder of how deeply history, music and storytelling are embedded within the site.

Fyvie Castle today, copyright National Trust for Scotland

Recently, Fyvie featured in the National Lottery Heritage Fund supported television programme Great British Castle Rescue, presented by Rick Edwards. The programme explored both the architectural significance of the castle and the challenges involved in conserving such a complex historic building for future generations.

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At the heart of this work is the Fyvie Reimagined project. The project aims not only to conserve and repair the fabric of the castle, but also to deepen public understanding of how Fyvie developed over time. Fyvie remains a focal point for the local community and an Aberdeenshire landmark; cherished by regular visitors who walk the grounds throughout the seasons, as well as those travelling from much further afield to experience one of Scotland’s great historic houses.

As part of this wider effort, the Castles Studies Trust has funded a new series of interpretation drawings designed to help visitors visualise key moments in the castle’s development. While the standing building tells a remarkable story, understanding how Fyvie changed across seven centuries can be difficult when viewing the castle only in its present form. The illustrations aim to bridge that gap, allowing visitors to imagine Fyvie at different stages in its history and better understand how architecture, landscape and daily life evolved together over time.

Initial image of Fyvie as an enclosure castle in 1398 by Jan Dunbar, copyright Jan Dunbar

Several key periods in the castle’s development were selected for reconstruction, charting Fyvie’s transformation.

The early palisaded, motte and bailey type structure, 1211
Enclosure castle in stone, 1398
Full courtyard palace, 1596
North and East wings, with formal gardens in ruins and general dilapidation of main blocks, 1734
South and West Ranges restored, altered roofline with new tower and formal parkland setting, 1784
Castle as we know it today, with Leith Tower as fresh addition, connection of Butlers apartment by new kitchens, 1980

Each drawing will capture not simply the appearance of the castle, but also something of the activity and atmosphere surrounding it.

Importance was also placed on depicting construction work and scaffolding within one of the earlier scenes. Too often, castles are presented as finished monuments rather than places shaped by generations of labour, craftsmanship and continual rebuilding. Showing the physical process of construction helps highlight the immense skill and effort required to create buildings like Fyvie, while also drawing attention to the ongoing conservation work needed to preserve them today.

The illustrations therefore serve several purposes at once. They help visitors engage more deeply with the castle’s long history, provide an accessible way of communicating archaeological and architectural research, and reinforce the importance of protecting Scotland’s built heritage for future generations. By visualising change over time, the drawings encourage people to see Fyvie not as a static monument, but as a living site that has continually evolved across centuries of Scottish history.

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Tree-ring dating of previously unidentified Elizabethan roofs at Sudeley Castle

Dr Andy Moir of Gloucestershire Historic Buildings Group takes a look at the results from their attempts to date the outer ward of Sudeley Castle

Tree-ring dating at Sudeley Castle has established that the outer courtyard roofs were constructed over three years between 1569 and 1572. This result overturns the previous history which indicated that the castle roofs were destroyed during the Civil war and identifies that the roofs were likely built by Edmund Brydges (the 2nd Lord Chandos).

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Sudeley Castle Outer Courtyard looking north, copyright Dr Andy Moir

Sudeley Castle has Saxon origins, but its history really developed from 1441 with Ralph Boteler (Baron Sudeley and Lord Chamberlain of the King’s Household) who set about developing a castle to reflect his new-found status. In later Tudor times, Thomas Seymour was granted the castle by Henry VIII and after marrying the king’s widow, Katherine Parr he set about refurbishment of the Sudeley Estate. Katherine became pregnant at a relatively late age and unfortunately died a few days after childbirth. Following her death and Seymour’s arrest for treason following his desperate attempt to grab power at the expense of his brother Edward Seymour, the castle was then gifted to John Brydges, the Constable of the Tower of London. This gift by Queen Mary I was followed with the title of Lord Chandos being granted to the family. John’s successor, Edmund Brydges seems to have been further developing the castle, enhancing the work of Boteler and Seymour and the family contributed to Winchcombe with the building of Almshouses by Edmund’s wife Dorothy. The Brydges family maintained the castle throughout the rest of the Tudor times and supported the Royalist cause following the start of the Civil War.

Besieging Sudeley Castle in 1643, during the Civil War

Sudeley had been used as the base by both Prince Rupert and Charles I from where they had launched attacks on Cirencester and preparations had been made to attack Gloucester. Following these failed attempts, Parliamentary troops had successfully besieged the castle on two occasions, bombarding the castle with cannon and after the second siege, the order was given for a systematic slighting (made un-inhabitable). Roofs were taken off and many walls were razed to the ground. Details of the destruction became clear when Lady Jane Brydges widow of George Chandos tried to sue for recompense. This was shown by depositions in the archives taken from five craftsmen stating that the castle had been fully destroyed and this had been signed off by two judges from Gloucester, Edward Slaughter and Robert Megge, but as the dendrochronology report went onto show, the slighting was not as comprehensive as claimed and roofs to the East, West and part of the North range of the outer courtyard were still intact.

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It had previously been thought that the castle had been left in ruins for the next 180 years, and few of the original structures at Sudeley Castle were thought to have survived before extensive restoration in the 19th century funded by the Dent brothers and their heir John Coucher Dent and his wife Emma.

In 2025 castle archivist Derek Maddock invited the Gloucestershire Building Recording Group (GBRG) to survey the outer courtyard roofs. Unexpectedly, the survey identified that east, west and north range roofs of the outer courtyard contained mainly oak timbers that were likely to be Elizabethan. As this finding completely changed understanding of the castle’s history, a project to precisely tree-ring date the roofs was conceived. This project was supported by the Castle’s owner, Lady Ashcombe, and funded by the Castle Studies Trust (www.castlestudistrust.org).

Dr Andy Moir of GHBG taking one of the 30 core samples from the roof.

The 2026 project saw 30 pencil-like core samples drilled from the castle roofs. Tree-ring series from twenty of these timbers matched together to form a 159-year mean chronology that was dated to span 1413 to 1571. The oldest tree used in construction of the roof started growing in 1413 and the trees were all felled between the spring of 1569 and the winter of 1571/2. As it was common medieval practice to convert the tree into timbers before they seasoned, construction of the east, north and west range roofs of the outer courtyard likely occurred between 1569 and 1572. To give some idea of the scale of the construction, the west, north and east range roofs are around 36m, 38m and 46m in length, respectively. Yet still the carpenters of the day likely managed to complete this huge construction over just three years. This result therefore overturns the previous history which indicated that the castle roofs were destroyed during the Civil war and identifies that the roofs were likely built by Edmund Brydges (the 2nd Lord Chandos). A fantastic development in the history of Sudeley Castle.

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Cockermouth Castle Building Survey Diary – Update 2

Project Lead Tom Addyman gives an update on how the survey of Cockermouth Castle’s inner ward is progressing following the team’s second visit in April

The survey team returned to Cockermouth in mid-April to carry out the follow-on stage of the analytical survey of the inner ward. The processed base photogrammetric data from the first survey visit was marked up with analytical data such as construction breaks and other interpretative information. The opportunity was taken to extend survey coverage to other areas such as the mural chambers within the gatehouse and to re-survey parts of the exterior that had been better revealed following continuing trimming of obscuring ivy.

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A general review was made of the complexities of the fabric, paying particular attention to structural discontinuities and changes in masonry coursing, character, stone type and alignment. The site assessment particularly benefited from the expert insights of Dr Edward Impey and Prof Richard Oram. Significant progress was made on understanding the evolutionary history of the inner ward buildings:

Interior of the south curtain wall showing relieving arch – possibly bridging unstable ground relating to a pre-existing defensive ditch Copyright Tom Addyman

Evidence supporting the idea that the gatehouse range occupied the site of a pre-existing ditch in the form of a broad structural relieving arch within the south curtain
Confirmation that the eastern gatehouse range incorporated the part-built remains of a predecessor of likely mid-late 14th century date that featured evidence for an intended 3-chamber rib-vaulted lower storey. Construction resumed to a somewhat modified design within a decade or two.

Interior of the gatehouse looking east to the pend copyright Tom Addyman

The architectural peculiarities of the gatehouse itself were better understood, including the possibility of a draw-bridge pit within the pend, details of the pend’s octopartite vault that was found to feature decorative collars and bosses at its main junctions, and the relationship of the large vestibule chamber within to the lodging ranges to either side to which direct access was provided.
The narrow Bell Tower, located at the south-east angle of the inner ward, was concluded to be of early date, possibly of the early 13th century
The south curtain was found to incorporate many finely-worked, diagonally-tooled blocks of a predecessor building, with a number of examples displaying a narrow sunken roll of keeled profile, perhaps c.1200. These provide the earliest date for the construction of the curtain – perhaps in the early-mid 13th century.
The south curtain also provided evidence for a former range of two stories with lean-to roof built against it – joist sockets and corbels, an inserted fireplace at first floor level, and indications of cross–walls. The structure had likely been narrow and at the upper level may have provided gallery-like access between the private apartments of the hall range and the lodging block.

Interior of the lodging block to the south side of the gatehouse, looking east – showing the outline of the intended vaulted cellar. Copyright Tom Addyman

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The work was coordinated with the Cockermouth Castle volunteer archive group, overseen by Alison McCann, Consultant Archivist to the Leconfield Estates. Review of archival materials relating to the castle identified a number of significant items such as estate drawings for the various castle buildings, inventories relating to the later 17th century occupation of the site, and a number of early views including some depicting the excavation of the infilled cellarage of the inner ward in the mid-19th century. Tom Addyman presented the ongoing work of the CST-funded survey to the archive group who were very positive in their response.

In May, the upgraded photogrammetric record is being digitised to form a line drawing set that will then be enhanced with analytical and phasing data.

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You can read the first update here: Cockermouth Castle – Building Survey Diary Stage 1 – Update – Castle Studies Trust Blog

Investigating the Twelfth-Century Entranceway of Durham Castle

Dr Andrew Ferrara of Durham University, and project co-lead for investigating the Romanesque entrance looks at what they are doing and also hoping to learn from this detailed study of this spectacular doorway.

Durham Castle is one of the most prominent and renowned twelfth-century episcopal castles in Britain, sitting in the wider Durham UNESCO World Heritage site along with the cathedral. Construction is recorded as beginning in 1072, and the site has been in continuous occupation ever since. It operated as one of the bishop’s principal residences, right up until the nineteenth century when it was given to Durham University. As such, the complex has undergone multiple changes and alterations through the centuries, including significant interior and exterior works in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with many of the medieval structures enclosed or adjusted by later development. Amongst the most significant building phases was the work undertaken during the episcopate of Bishop Hugh de Le Puiset (1153-95) and one of the most dynamic features from that period is the grand archway entrance inserted into the south façade of the castle’s North Range. Despite its longevity and pedigree, the castle has received surprisingly limited investigation or scholarly attention over the past century.

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The current project, made possible through generous funding by the Castle Studies Trust, and led by Dr Andrew Ferrara and Professor Giles Gasper, is undertaking non-destructive photogrammetry of the Le Puiset archway. This methodology will result in a highly-detailed 3D model of the structure, ideal for detailed remote study. The same 3D data can then be used to generate orthographic projections, functioning as highly accurate blueprints of the arch. In addition, targeted high-resolution photography of details and additional 3D laser scans of the capitals will be undertaken. These combined methods will result in the most detailed and state-of-the-art records of this part of the castle for wider research and dissemination.

Durham Castle: Door scanning in action, copyright Dr Andrew Ferrara

This research focus has emerged from a renewed interest in the castle complex, catalysed by recent conservation and refurbishment works around the site which have revealed previously unknown architectural features. While the archway is exceptionally elaborate, it has never been subject to in-depth examination and set within the wider context of both Romanesque sculpture and the understanding of Durham Castle. The detailed modelling will allow for a thorough inspection of the features to be undertaken, in particular of diagnostic sculpture elements, enabling thorough comparison with other contemporary architectural outputs across the region and country. It is hoped that this will help tighten the chronology of the archway and set it in the context of other building projects undertaken by Bishop Le Puiset and other elite patrons. This will then further help inform understanding of the movement and concurrent projects of different master masons, and the sharing of architectural templates between secular and ecclesiastical sites and patrons in that milieu.

The project will also examine how the archway would have operated with the wider complex, to enable or restrict access and movement between the courtyard and internal spaces. This is crucial for better understanding the layout of the castle site in the late twelfth century, and how it would have looked and operated as the bishop’s See seat and one of the core centres of his palatine administration. The project will also explore the Durham archway within the context of ceremonial and embellished entranceways at contemporary castle structures like Newcastle, helping to understand where Le Puiset’s sponsored work sits within the wider corpus of elite buildings across the region.

All of this should result in a better comprehension of the layout and operation of the Durham castle in the late-twelfth century, and also of how this archway feature compares with other contemporary and preceding royal and local castle sites.

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Ruthin Castle: conserving and learning more about an Edwardian Castle

Fiona Gale of the Ruthin Castle Conservation Trust looks at what they are hoping to find out with the engineering survey being co-funded by the Castle Studies Trust about the Great Gatehouse of Ruthin Castle, North Wales.

Ruthin Castle is situated in North East Wales, it relates to the English conquest of the Welsh carried out by Edward I. In 1277, after conquering Wales and building an iron ring of castles around the north coast, Edward 1 gave the area in which Ruthin Castle now sits to Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother of Llewelyn the Last. He may have begun some building in Ruthin, but the castle building really took off when the area was given to Reginald de Grey in 1282 following the defeat of Dafydd’s uprising. It is recorded that Edward visited the site of the castle with his ‘architect’ Master James of St George in the autumn of 1282 and there was some limited expenditure recorded by the Crown.

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The curtain walls of Ruthin Castle have the shape of a large pentagon, with upper and lower wards separated by a deep ditch which lies immediately behind the postern gate. The de Greys remained in control of the site throughout the medieval period, despite an attack from Owain Glyndwr in 1400. Little documentary evidence survives but there is a plan and bird’s eye view from the very early 17^th century, by Randle Holme, which shows a number of internal buildings including a great hall, well and chapel. By the early 17^th century, however, the castle was in crown hands and recorded as being in a ruinous state ‘except for the Great Gatehouse’ and at this stage it was bought by the Middletons of Chirk Castle. It played its last military role in the Civil war period when it was held by the Royalists but taken by the Parliamentarians following a siege.

Ruthin Castle in the 1970s

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Nothing was done to the site until the early 19^th century and until then it most probably acted as a good source of building stone for the town of Ruthin. However, in the 1820s the site was inherited by Harriet Middleton, and she built a large mansion house within one corner of the medieval remains. Thirty years later her nephew extended the mansion house and developed a grand garden. The remains of the medieval castle became part of the picturesque grounds of the house and much of the vegetation, particularly ivy and some trees, most probably relate to this time when the romantic picturesque ruins fitted with how a garden should be. The mansion house is now a private hotel with the building listed as Grade 2*, the medieval castle remains are a scheduled ancient monument and the gardens and grounds are on the Gardens Register.

Ruthin Great Gatehouse south tower copyright Fiona Gale

Despite this neglect of the medieval remains over many centuries, there is a large amount of the fabric surviving, although there have been some alterations and additions as part of the garden development. Levels within the interior of the curtain walls have been raised by as much as three metres. Around three quarters of the curtain wall survives, with both the postern gate and Great Gatehouse still recognizable. The Great Gatehouse, a key feature of the castle, still acts as the main entranceway into the castle gardens. It was partly rebuilt in the Victorian period, but understanding the extent of this and the extent of medieval remains is extremely important. Ruthin Castle, although one of the important castles build as part of Edward I’s campaign to quell the Welsh, has had very little antiquarian study and little research undertaken. It is hoped that a programme of work, of which this structural examination of the lower areas of the Great Gatehouse funded by the Castle Studies Trust is a part, will begin to add knowledge. A review of the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) in 2021 identified the Great Gatehouse, and particularly features within it, as in imminent danger of collapse.

Ruthin Castle Conservation Trust was established in 2016 and members comprise former Cadw inspector, local historians, construction and planning specialists, and representatives of local organisations. Representatives of the owners also sit on the Trust, demonstrating their support.

In 2021, the Trust was successful in an application to Cadw for funding to undertake conservation work on the Great Gatehouse of the castle, to address serious issues which had been identified within the CMP. Despite extra funding from Cadw the funds available were only enough to conserve the upper levels of the Gatehouse. The structure proved much more complicated than expected with surviving medieval masonry at ground level, which was completely unexpected, Victorian rebuild of external walls and a subsequent brick ‘house’ inserted into the structure. The area which was not reconsolidated with funding from Cadw was the lower, predominantly medieval area of the Great Gatehouse.

Ruthin Castle Great Gatehouse lower level interior, copyright Fiona Gale

Thanks to grant aid from the Castle Studies Trust, which is matching a contribution from the Cambrian Archaeological Association, the Trust will employ an expert structural engineer to look at the underground, medieval, areas of the Great Gatehouse, and develop a plan of work to address issues of collapse and water ingress. This work is scheduled to take place in mid-April 2026.

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Armed with this information, the aim is to apply for further funding to address the serious conservation issues remaining. Concurrently the Trust is seeking funds to work with an experienced legal firm to develop a formal, legally binding, agreement between the Trust and the private owners which we hope will open up the possibility to apply for larger sums from the likes of Cadw and National Lottery Heritage Fund to then undertake the pressing conservation issues in the Gatehouse and throughout the extensive medieval remains. The information the structural engineer will provide will be key in moving towards this stage.

The funding from the Castle Studies Trust will help the Trust both gain further information about the condition of a part of Ruthin Castle and will act as a catalyst for funding in the future. The medieval ruins of Ruthin Castle form part of the gardens of the private hotel but are open to the public to explore, and the Trust would be keen to offer a tour of the remains to members of the Castle Studies Group.

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Cockermouth Castle – Building Survey Diary Stage 1 – Update

Following his and his team’s first visit to survey the inner ward of Cockermouth Castle Tom Addyman looks at what they have found so far.

The initial stages of survey were carried out at Cockermouth Castle, within the inner ward area. Adverse weather held off until gales forced an early retreat on the third day. In spite of that excellent survey coverage was achieved, principally establishing a survey control and data capture for photogrammetry. Great assistance was given by the estate in reduction of obscuring vegetation that revealing a number of areas that were long-obscured, and through the provision of high-level access. The initial survey stage also included a general photographic record and preliminary fabric analysis such as the image below of the hall range frontage – sketch plan.

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Cockermouth Castle high level access, inner ward gatehouse, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Cockermouth Castle hall range frontage – sketch plan, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Initial processing of the imagery worked well leading, as intended, to the generation of dimensionally accurate projections to be used as a basis for a survey drawing set. In purely visual terms some striking individual images emerged, such as a vertical projection of the vaulted ceiling structure of the cellarage beneath the kitchen tower and elevation views within the kitchen interior.

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Cockermouth Castle vertical projection showing vaulting configuration of lower level of the kitchen tower, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Cockermouth Castle north interior of the kitchen tower showing remains of former gallery arrangements, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Better access to the fabric allowed better understanding of the evidence for the evolving hall range arrangements (hall entrance and junction with the kitchen range and general view of hall range, north wall. Examination of the surviving footings of the hall range’s courtyard frontage led to a preliminary reconstruction of its former appearance (image – preliminary sketch reconstruction of hall range frontage).

Cockermouth Castle great hall entrance and junction with the kitchen range, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Cockermouth Castle general view of hall range, north wall, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Cockermouth Castle preliminary sketch reconstruction of hall range frontage, copyright Addyman Archaeology

Once image processing is complete a follow on survey trip will involve detailed marking up of the imagery with phasing data and other analytical information. There will also be a review of early records of the castle with the estate archivist and volunteer team.

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Finding Flemingstown Kilkenny

Project lead Dr David Stone of the Discovery Programme Centre in Ireland explains their plans for geophysical survey at Kilkenny.

Archaeologists from the Discovery Programme Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland, Dr David Stone, Dr Susan Curran and Cian Hogan, together with Cóilín Ó Drisceoil of the National Monuments Service, are beginning a new project to explore the grounds of Kilkenny Castle in search of the lost Flemingstown. This is one of the most intriguing missing parts of the castle’s medieval history, a former settlement associated with the castle, documented in historical sources, but whose location has since been lost as no traces of it remain visible on the ground. With the generous support of the Castle Studies Trust, work will begin in the last week of March on a new survey of the parkland east of Kilkenny Castle known as the Dukesmeadow.

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Kilkenny Castle, copyright The Discovery Programme Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland

Kilkenny Castle (Figure 1) is one of the great fortresses of medieval Ireland. Built by William Marshal between approximately 1207 and 1213, it still dominates the modern city’s skyline and remains one of the county’s best known historic sites. The standing remains at Kilkenny Castle, however, tell only part of the story. Research over the last decade has shown that the medieval castle complex once extended far beyond the surviving Inner Ward into what is now open public parkland. A geophysical survey in 2010, followed by excavation in 2019, confirmed the position of the great gatehouse and revealed that the castle’s original layout was far more complex than had long been assumed. That earlier work also identified a dense area of subsurface archaeology, including defensive features, routeways and elements of a designed landscape in the outer park. The new project will target the one major area of the castle landscape that remains unexplored, the Dukesmeadow (Figure 2 & 3), which is also the most likely location of Flemingstown.

Figure 2: Dukesmeadow, Kilkenny, copyright The Discovery Programme Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland

Flemingstown appears to have been a purpose-built settlement connected to the castle and associated with Flemish settlers. It was probably established in the early thirteenth century to house Flemish weavers, millers and other artisans, either drawn from Pembrokeshire or from Flanders itself. The settlement is first recorded in 1339 as Villa Flemang. By 1413 it seems to have been largely deserted after its inhabitants were moved to Danesfort by the earl of Ormond. Even so, later writers still described traces of an extensive former settlement surviving near the castle, including the mid seventeenth century Bishop of Ossory, David Rothe. LiDAR evidence also suggests that traces of this settlement may survive in the lower parkland in the form of earthworks, possible plot boundaries, enclosures and a hollow way.

Figure 3: Dukesmeadow, Kilkenny, copyright The Discovery Programme Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland

This makes the project significant not only for Kilkenny, but for castle studies more generally. Castles were not simply defensive structures or elite residences. They were also centres of economic activity, planning, movement and display. Flemingstown offers a chance to examine Kilkenny Castle as the centre of a broader lived-in landscape, and to investigate the role of an immigrant artisan community within that setting. It may be the only attested example in Ireland of a purpose-built colonial castle settlement established specifically for an immigrant artisan community. If that can be demonstrated more clearly on the ground, it will give the site importance well beyond Kilkenny itself.

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The team will use magnetic gradiometry across the Dukesmeadow, supported by targeted earth resistance survey on selected features. The aim is to detect buried boundaries, routeways, possible plot divisions, structures, pits or industrial features, and perhaps elements of an enclosing circuit. In practical terms, success would mean producing the first clear interpretative map of Flemingstown’s extent and internal organisation, while also clarifying how it related to the Outer Ward, surrounding meadows and approach routes into the castle complex. Just as importantly, the survey should identify the best targets for future research.

This project is therefore about recovering a missing part of Kilkenny Castle’s story. By identifying what survives beneath the parkland, the survey will provide the foundation for future research. It will also help bring back into view a forgotten community that once stood at the edge of one of medieval Ireland’s most important centres of power. For visitors to Kilkenny Castle, that promises a richer and more complete picture of the monument, not just the great fortress that still stands, but the wider lived in landscape that made it work.

The project team would like to thank the donors and patrons of the Castle Studies Trust for their generous award, which has made this project possible. We would also like to thank The Discovery Programme’s CEO Dr John O’Keeffe, Projects Manager Clare Lancaster, the National Monuments Service, and the Office of Public Works, especially Albert Jordon and Colm Mangan, for their assistance with this project.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.

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