Bamburgh Castle

{{Infobox military installation

|name=Bamburgh Castle

|partof=

|location=Bamburgh, Northumberland

|map_type=Northumberland

|map_alt=

|coordinates = {{Coord|55.608|-1.709|type:landmark_country:GB|display=title,inline}}

|image=Bamburgh Castle, beautiful day.jpg

|image_size=300px

|caption=Bamburgh Castle from the southwest

|condition=

|ownership=Armstrong family

|built=11th century

|open_to_public = Yes

{{Infobox historic site

| embed = yes

| designation1 = UK Grade I

| designation1_offname =

| designation1_date = 4 January 1952

| designation1_number = 1280155{{National Heritage List for England |num=1280155|access-date=17 June 2018}}

}}

Bamburgh Castle, on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland, is a Grade I listed building.{{NHLE|num=1280155|access-date=5 December 2007 }}

The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie and may have been the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia from its foundation {{Circa}} 420 to 547. In that last year, it was captured by King Ida of Bernicia. After passing between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. The Normans 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 the English 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 the Victorian era industrialist William Armstrong, who completed its restoration. The castle still belongs to the Armstrong family and is open to the public.

History

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| image2 = Aerial photo of Bamburgh Castle - geograph.org.uk - 654112.jpg

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| footer = The southwestern face of Bamburgh Castle, seen from ground level (top) and from above (bottom)

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=Medieval history=

Built on top of a black crag of volcanic dolerite, and part of the Whin Sill, the location was previously home to a fort of the indigenous Celtic Britons known as Din Guarie.{{cite web|url=http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/BritainBernaccia.htm|title=Bernaccia (Bryneich / Berneich)|publisher=The History Files|access-date=18 June 2018}} It may have been the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia, the realm of the Gododdin people,'An English empire: Bede and the early Anglo-Saxon kings' by N. J. Higham, Manchester University Press ND, 1995, {{ISBN|0-7190-4423-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7190-4423-6}} from the realm's foundation {{circa|420}} until 547, the year of the first written reference to the castle. In that year the citadel was captured by the Anglo-Saxon ruler Ida of Bernicia (Beornice) and became Ida's seat.The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, entry for 547.

The castle was briefly retaken by the Britons from his son Hussa during the war of 590 before being retaken later the same year.Hope-Taylor, pp. 292-293 Circa 600, Hussa's successor Æthelfrith passed it on to his wife Bebba, from whom the early name Bebbanburh was derived.{{cite web|url=https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/nennius-full.asp|author=Nennius |title=Historia Brittonum, 8th century|access-date=17 June 2018}}

File:Bamburgh Castle June 1973.jpg

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/north_east/bamburgh_castle.html|title=Bamburgh Castle|publisher=Castles, forts and battles|access-date=17 June 2018|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809074014/http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/north_east/bamburgh_castle.html|url-status=dead}}

Bamburgh then became the property of the reigning English monarch. Henry II probably built the keep as it was complete by 1164.{{cite web|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/bamburgh-castle-bamburgh-7364|title=Bamburgh Castle|publisher=Historic England|access-date=17 June 2018}} Following the Siege of Acre in 1191, and as a reward for his service, King Richard I appointed Sir John Forster the first Governor of Bamburgh Castle. Following the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346, King David II was held prisoner at Bamburgh Castle.

During the civil wars at the end of King John's reign, the castle was under the control of Philip of Oldcoates.{{cite ODNB|author= Todd, John M. |title=Oldcoates, Sir Philip of (d. 1220) |date= 2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/27983}} In 1464 during the Wars of the Roses, it was subject to a nine-month siege by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, the "Kingmaker", on behalf of the Yorkists which was marked by the extensive use of artillery.{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_bamburgh_1464.html|last=Rickard|first= J |year=2013|title=Siege of Bamburgh Castle, June-July 1464|publisher=History of War|access-date=17 June 2018}}

=Modern history=

{{Multiple image

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| footer = The State Rooms of Bamburgh Castle; in top-centre of middle image, The Card Players, by Theodoor Rombouts, {{Circa|1630}}

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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 the Dissolution of the Monasteries.[https://bamburghbones.org/skulldugerous-knight-sir-john-forster/ Skulldugerous John Forster]{{Cite web |url=http://www.staidan-bamburgh.co.uk/history_heritage.html |title=St Aidan Bamburgh History and Heritage |access-date=5 May 2020 |archive-date=15 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915075509/http://www.staidan-bamburgh.co.uk/history_heritage.html |url-status=dead }} The family retained ownership until Sir William Forster (d. 1700) was posthumously declared bankrupt, and his estates, including the castle, were sold to Lord Crew, Bishop of Durham (husband of Sir William's sister Dorothy) under an Act of Parliament to settle the debts in 1704.

Crewe placed the castle in the hands of a board of trustees chaired by Thomas Sharp, the Archdeacon of Northumberland. Following the death of Thomas Sharp, leadership of the board of trustees passed to John Sharp (Thomas Sharp's son) who refurbished the castle keep and court rooms{{cite web|url=http://www.lordcrewescharity.org.uk/history/dr-sharps-bamburgh-charities|title=The Bamburgh Charities|publisher=Lord Crewe's Charities|access-date=17 June 2018}} and established a hospital on the site.{{cite web|url=https://www.historytoday.com/alun-withey/hidden-hospital-bamburgh-castle-infirmary-and-dispensary|title=The Hidden Hospital: Bamburgh Castle Infirmary and Dispensary|date=11 August 2015|publisher=History Today|access-date=17 June 2018}} In 1894, the castle was bought by the Victorian industrialist William Armstrong, who completed the restoration.{{cite web|url=https://williamarmstrong.info/bamburgh-castle|title=Bamburgh Castle|publisher=William Armstrong|access-date=17 June 2018}}

During the Second World War, pillboxes were established in the sand dunes to protect the castle and surrounding area from German invasion{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/tidal-surge-uncovers-wartime-structure-6396587|title=Tidal surge uncovers wartime structure at Bamburgh beach|date=11 December 2013|publisher=Evening Chronicle|access-date=18 June 2018}} and, in 1944, a Royal Navy corvette was named HMS Bamborough Castle after the castle.{{cite web|url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-20Cor-Castle-BamboroughCastle.htm|title=HMS Bamburgh Castle|publisher=Naval History|access-date=17 June 2018}} The castle still remains in the ownership of the Armstrong family.

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:[https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1280155 BAMBURGH CASTLE]

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 and ashlar.

=Location=

File:Bamborough 1825 plan.png

About {{convert|9|mi|0}} to the south on a point of coastal land is the ancient fortress of Dunstanburgh Castle and about {{convert|5|mi|0}} to the north is Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island. Inland about 16 miles (26 km) to the south is Alnwick Castle, the home of the Duke of Northumberland.{{NHLE |num=1371308 |desc=Alnwick Castle |access-date=29 November 2007}}

=Environmental factors=

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 63 dBA in the daytime (Northumberland Sound Mapping Study, Northumberland, England, June 2003). Nearby are breeding colonies of Arctic and common terns on the inner Farne Islands, and of Atlantic puffin, European shag and razorbill on Staple Island.{{cite web|url=http://www.farne-islands.com/trips/stapleisland.htm|title=Staple Island|publisher=Farne Islands|access-date=17 June 2018}}

=Archaeology at Bamburgh=

Archaeological excavations were started in the 1960s by Brian Hope-Taylor, who discovered the gold plaque known as the Bamburgh Beast as well as the Bamburgh Sword.{{cite news|title=Rare sword had 7th Century bling|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/5097510.stm|access-date=22 September 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=20 June 2006}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://bamburghresearchproject.co.uk/ |title=Welcome|publisher=Bamburgh Research Project|access-date=17 June 2018}}{{Cite web |last=Henderson |first=Tony |date=2022-05-19 |title=Bamburgh Bones project casts a light on village's rich history |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/bamburgh-bones-project-casts-light-23999902 |access-date=2022-06-12 |website=ChronicleLive |language=en}}

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. The research project was led by Professor Charlotte Roberts of Durham University, and found remains of individuals who had originated from Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and North Africa.

Finally, in 2016, they were moved into the crypt of St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh; the crypt can be viewed by visitors through a small gate.{{cite web|url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/29-november/news/uk/bamburgh-crypt-project-celebrates-area-s-heritage |title= Bamburgh crypt project celebrates area's heritage|date=29 November 2019|publisher=Church Times|access-date=5 May 2020}}

=Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum=

The castle's laundry rooms feature the Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum, with exhibits about Victorian industrialist William Armstrong and Armstrong Whitworth, the manufacturing company he founded. Displays include engines, artillery and weaponry, and aviation artefacts from two world wars.{{cite web|url=http://www.bamburghcastle.com/castle/armstrong-aviation-museum|title=Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum|publisher=Bamburgh Castle|access-date=17 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325145628/https://www.bamburghcastle.com/castle/armstrong-aviation-museum|archive-date=25 March 2019|url-status=dead}}

Civil parish

Bamburgh Castle was a civil parish, in 1951 the parish had a population of 18.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10300010/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Bamburgh Castle Tn/CP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=15 January 2022}} Bamburgh Castle was formerly a township in Bambrough parish,{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/place/8698|title=History of Bamburgh, in Berwick upon Tweed and Northumberland|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=15 January 2022}} from 1866 Bamburgh Castle was a civil parish in its own right until it was abolished on 1 April 1955 and merged with Bamburgh.{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10300010|title=Relationships and changes Bamburgh Castle Tn/CP through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=15 January 2022}}

In popular culture

File:Bamborough Castle from the Northeast, with Holy Island in the Distance, Northumberland MET DP805117.jpg (1827; Metropolitan Museum of Art).]]

=Selected literary appearances=

The castle features in the ballad The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh written in circa 1270.{{cite web |url=http://www.englandinparticular.info/landlines/l-bamburgh.html |title=BBC Radio 4 Land Lines - Bamburgh |last1=Westwood |first1=Jennifer |website=www.englandinparticular |publisher=BBC |access-date=15 February 2016 }} Late medieval British author Thomas Malory identified Bamburgh Castle with Joyous Gard, the mythical castle home of Sir Launcelot in Arthurian legend.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vjEyDwAAQBAJ&q=Joyous+Gard+Bamburgh&pg=PA536|title=The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Concise Volume A - Third Edition|first= Joseph |last=Black|page=536|publisher=Broadview|year=2016|isbn=978-1554813124}}

In literature, Bamburgh, under its Saxon name Bebbanburg, is the home of Uhtred Uhtredson, the main character in Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories. It features either as a significant location or as the inspiration for the protagonist in all books in the series, starting with The Last Kingdom, and the sequels The 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 and War Lord.{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/cornwells-incredible-link-with-bamburgh-4598527|title=Cornwell's incredible link with Bamburgh|date=4 October 2005|publisher=The Journal|access-date=17 June 2018|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618053858/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/cornwells-incredible-link-with-bamburgh-4598527|url-status=dead}}

The castle and also the village provide the setting for the crime novel Bamburgh written by LJ Ross.{{Cite web |title=LJ Ross's website |url=https://ljrossauthor.com/book/bamburgh/ |access-date=January 15, 2023 |website= }}

=Selected media appearances=

In addition to appearances as itself, for example in the tv show Most Haunted in 2006,{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4707694/|title=Bamburgh Castle|publisher=IMDB|access-date=20 September 2024}} and the 2018 racing game Forza Horizon 4,{{Cite web |last=Meechan |first=Simon |date=2018-09-21 |title=Watch this gamer race through Bamburgh Castle on Forza Horizon 4 |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/forza-horizon-northumberland-bamburgh-lake-15183774 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Chronicle Live |language=en}} Bamburgh Castle has been used as a filming location for a number of television and film projects:

1927: Huntingtower{{cite web|url=https://www.bamburghcastle.com/filming-photoshoots/ |title= Filming & photoshoots |publisher= Bamburgh Castle|access-date=7 June 2024}}
1949: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court{{cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/off-piste/off-piste-a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-alans-court/416704.article|title=A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|publisher=Times Higher Education|access-date=17 June 2018|date=6 July 2011}}
1964: Becket{{cite web|url=http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/becket-bamburgh|title=Becket at Bamburgh (1963)|publisher=Yorkshire Film Archive|access-date=17 June 2018|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927002218/http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/becket-bamburgh|url-status=dead}}
1971: The Devils{{cite web|url=http://movie-locations.com/movies/d/Devils.php|title=The Devils|publisher=Movie Locations|access-date=17 June 2018}}
1971: Macbeth{{cite web|url=http://movie-locations.com/movies/m/Macbeth-1971.php|title=Macbeth|publisher=Movie Locations|access-date=17 June 2018}}
1971: Mary, Queen of Scots{{cite web|url=https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/Mary-Queen-Of-Scots.php|title=Mary Queen of Scots|publisher=Movie Locations|access-date=17 June 2018}}
1982: Ivanhoe{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/a-castle-fit-for-a-celluloid-queen-1180487.html|title=A castle fit for a celluloid Queen|work=The Independent|date=25 October 1998|access-date=17 June 2018}}
1984–86: Robin of Sherwood{{cite web|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/newcastles-castle-keep-pay-tribute-11842939|title=Newcastle's Castle Keep to pay tribute to 1980s Robin of Sherwood TV series|date=5 September 2016|publisher=The Chronicle|access-date=17 June 2018}}
1998: Elizabeth
2011: Channel 4's Time Team dig at Bamburgh Castle{{cite journal|title=Excavations at Bamburgh: New Revelations in Light of Recent Investigations at the Core of the Castle Complex|journal=Archaeological Journal |volume=174|pages=146–210 |year=2017|doi=10.1080/00665983.2016.1229941|last1 = Kirton|first1 = Joanne|last2=Young |first2=Graeme |s2cid=132920199 }}
2015: Macbeth (film){{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/hollywood-stars-filming-macbeth-bamburgh-6751904|title=Hollywood stars filming Macbeth at Bamburgh Castle|publisher=The Journal|date=27 February 2014|access-date=17 June 2018|archive-date=18 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618053908/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/hollywood-stars-filming-macbeth-bamburgh-6751904|url-status=dead}}
2018: The Last Kingdom (TV series){{Cite web|title=Filming & photoshoots|url=https://www.bamburghcastle.com/filming-photoshoots/|access-date=2020-12-30|website=Bamburgh Castle|language=en}}
2023: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny {{Cite web|title=Indiana Jones to shoot at 'Britain's most haunted castle'|website=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/indiana-jones-to-shoot-at-britain-s-most-haunted-castle/ar-AAKEL4y}}

Gallery

File:17 Bamburgh Castle (4).jpg|

File:Bamburgh Castle - 27217397836.jpg|

File:Bamburgh Castle - geograph.org.uk - 2060766.jpg|

File:Cannons at Bamburgh Castle - geograph.org.uk - 4087388.jpg|

References

Sources

{{cite book|last=Hope-Taylor|first=Brian|title=Yeavering: an Anglo-British centre of early Northumbria|year=1977|publisher=Stationery Office Books|isbn=978-0116705525}}