Structure Name: Barnard Castle

Description:
 

The consolidated ruins of a 12th century castle on a cliff above the River Tees. The Great Hall and Great Chamber are particularly well preserved.
 

Extant: Yes

Legal Status: Listed Building Grade I, Scheduled Ancient Monument

Location: Barnard Castle, DURHAM

Eastings: 404935m (view map)

Northings: 516515m (view map)

Position Accuracy: 100m

Positional Confidence: Absolute Certainty

Structure Types Identified: CASTLE

Historical Background
 

'The stone-built castle was built on the site of an earlier defended position. It was little used after the fourteenth century, and then largely stripped in the seventeenth century to provide building materials for the repair of Raby Castle as a stately home.'
[Stafford Linsley's annotation]
 

Chronology:

• 1095   Period of construction, post 1095, in which Guy de Baliol constructed an earthwork castle within the area later occupied by the Inner Ward
      Entities Involved:
            de Baliol, Guy: Built the original castle on the site of Barnard Castle.
• 1095 - 1125   Period of construction at some point within which Guy de Baliol constructed a stone gatehouse.
      Entities Involved:
            de Baliol, Guy: Stone gatehouse by Sir Guy de Baliol.
• 1125 - 1185   Period of construction in which Guy's nephew , Bernard de Baliol (d.1154), and his son (Bernard II) constructed various elements of the larger stone castle.
      Entities Involved:
            de Baliol, Bernard: Various elements of the stone castle constructed.
            de Baliol, Bernard: Various elements of the stone castle constructed.
• 1125 - 1140   Period of construction including the building of: the Inner Ward, the Headlam Tower (to replace Guy's stone gatehouse) and a 2-storey keep..
• 1140 - 1170   Period of construction including the building of: the curtain wall and gates to the other wards, Constable Tower, principal gatehouse (now lost), ranges around the courtyard of the Town Ward and the Church of St Margare.
• 1170 - 1185   Period of construction including the building of: the new stone Hall, the Great Chamber, the Prison and the Postern Towers.
• 13TH CENTURY AD   Period of construction at some point within which the Round Tower was built.
• 14TH CENTURY AD   Period of construction within which the Beauchamp Earls of Warwick improved the defences of the Inner and Middle Wards and made domestic improvements including rebuilding the Great Hall.
      Entities Involved:
            Beuchamp Earls of Warwick: Barnard Castle defences improved. Great Hall rebuilt.
• 1471 - 1485   Period of construction within which Richard Duke of Gloucester made further minor improvements.
      Entities Involved:
            Duke of Gloucester: Minor improvements.
• 1625   Sir Henry Vane acquired the castle and began robbing it for the rebuilding of Raby Castle.
      Entities Involved:
            Sir Henry Vane: Barnard Castle robbed out to rebuild Raby Castle.

References:

• Durham County Council SMR
• Images of England
• Keys To The Past
• Pevsner, N. and Williamson, E. (1985) The Buildings of England: County Durham. 2nd ed., London, Yale University Press, pp.85-87

The information displayed in this page has been derived from authoritative sources, including any referenced above. Although substantial efforts were made to verify this information, the SINE project cannot guarantee its correctness or completeness.

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