Lumley Castle

Has been described as a Certain Masonry Castle

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameLumley Castle
Alternative NamesLomley
Historic CountryDurham
Modern AuthorityDurham
1974 AuthorityCounty Durham
Civil ParishLittle Lumley

Large castle and 3 ranges around service court; now an hotel. Licences to crenellate 1382 and 1392; altered c.1570-80, and 1721 by Sir John Vanbrugh. Early C18 service court. Dressed and ashlar sandstone, pantiled roofs and stone chimneys. Quadrangular plan: 4 ranges round courtyard with 4 angle towers; 3 ranges round service court on north. Hall in west range. Interior. Vaulted medieval ground floor with pointed doorways and jewel stairs in towers. Hall in west range retains 3 doorways behind screen and has c.1570 classical stone fireplace. 2-storey kitchen with 3 fireplaces in north-west tower. (Listed Building Report - medieval parts only)

Late 14th century crenellated fortified house quadrangular in plan comprising four three-storey ranges arranged round a courtyard with four four-storey angle towers. Licences to crenellate took place in 1382 and 1392. A chapel documented in 1432 was situated in the northeast tower. Alterations to the house were made circa 1580 and 1721. It is constructed of dressed and ashlar sandstone with pantiled roofs. Additions to the house were made in the 20th century, and it is now used as a hotel. The site has been interpreted as a possible site of a Roman signal station due to the presence of Roman masonry. (PastScape summary)

The strong parallels between the design of Lumley Castle and the design of Raby Bolton and Brancepeth Castles suggests that they were all designed by a single architect, probably John Lewyn. (PastScape ref. Hislop, 1996)

Gatehouse Comments

Sir Ralph Lumley obtained licences from Bishop Skirlaw in 1389 and from Richard II in 1392 to crenellate and rebuild his castle at Lumley. In plan, the castle is a quadrangle enclosing a square courtyard with a large tower at each corner. These towers are rectangular with their greatest length east and west. Access to the courtyard is gained by a vaulted passage on the east side. Externally, the outline of the original buildings has changed little, although many of the windows have been replaced by some of C16 and C18 date. The east range of buildings contains the remains of an earlier Manor House. Licence for a chapel was granted in 1432.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNZ287510
Latitude54.8534317016602
Longitude-1.55324995517731
Eastings428780
Northings551050
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

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Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

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Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

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Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

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Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

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Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

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Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

View full Sized Image
Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Photo by Philip Davis. All Rights Reserved

() above

Latitude 54° 51' 11.86" Longitude -1° 33' 13.16"

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Books

  • Brears, Peter, 2011, 'The Administrative Role of Gatehouses in Fourteenth-Century North-Country Castles' in Airs, M. and Barnwell, P.S. (eds), The Medieval Great House (Donington: Shaun Tyas) p. 200-213
  • Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 (Yale University Press) p. 329, 331-2, 439
  • Geldard, Ed, 2009, Northumberland Strongholds (London: Frances Lincoln) p. 110
  • Hislop, M., 2007, John Lewyn of Durham: a medieval mason in practice (Oxford: John and Erica Hedges: British Archaeological Reports British Series 438) p. 32-34, 61-63
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles and Tower Houses of County Durham (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 42-5
  • Cooper, Nicholas, 1999, Houses of the Gentry, 1480-1680 (Yale University Press) p. 320
  • Jackson, M.J., 1996, Castles of Durham and Cleveland (Carlisle) p. 42-4
  • Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales Vol. 1 Northern England (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p. 117-21, 159
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 30-1
  • Corfe, Tom (ed), 1992, 'The Visible Middle Ages' in An Historical Atlas of County Durham p. 28-9
  • Jackson-Stops, G. (ed), 1985, The Treasure Houses of Great Britain p. 60-2, 81, 297, 346
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 136
  • Pevsner, N., 1983 (Revised by Williamson, Elizabeth), Buildings of England: Durham (London, Penguin) p. 357-62
  • Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p. 258
  • Hugill, Robert, 1979, The Castles and Towers of the County of Durham (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p. 68-75
  • Tipping, H.A., 1928, English Homes, period 4 Vol. 2 (London) p. 291-4
  • Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol. 1 (London) p. 247-57
  • 1919, Antiquities of Sunderland Vol. 18 p. 1-10
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Leighton, 1910, in Memories of Old Durham (London) p. 207-8 (slight)
  • Welford, R. (ed), 1905, Records of the Committees for Compounding, etc., with delinquent royalists in Durham and Northumberland, 1643-60 (Surtees Society 111) p. 262-4 online copy
  • Milner, E. and Benham, E., 1904, Records of the Lumleys of Lumley Castle
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 346-8 online copy
  • Whellan, F., 1894 (2edn), History, Topography and Directory of the County of Durham p. 825
  • Howitt, W., c1850 (new edn 1896), Visits to Remarkable Places p. 275-83
  • Boyle, J.R., 1892, Comprehensive Guide to the County of Durham: its Castles, Churches, and Manor-Houses (London) p. 425-37
  • Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol. 3 (London) p. 304-10 online copy
  • Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 206-7, 420 online copy
  • Parsons, W. and White, W., 1828, History and Directory of Durham and Northumberland Vol. 2 p. 151-2
  • Surtees, R., 1816-40 (1972 Reprint), The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham (London) Vol. 2 p. 153-4 (King writes unimportant) online transcription
  • Brayley, E. and Britton, J., 1803, Beauties of England and Wales; Durham Vol. 5 p. 189-91
  • Hutchinson, Wm, 1788, The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham Vol. 2 p. 505-17 online copy
  • Buck, Samuel and Nathaniel, 1774, Buck's Antiquities (London) Vol. 1 p. 86

Antiquarian

  • Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 152, 156
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 74 online copy

Journals

  • 2012-13, 'Castle Studies Group Conference 2012 report' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol. 26 p. 119-133
  • Hislop, M. 1996, 'Lumley Castle, its Antecedents and its Architect' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser5) Vol. 24 p. 83-98
  • Selkirk, R., 1987 Feb, Popular Archaeology p. 31
  • Webb, G.F., 1955, 'Lumley Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 111 p. 212-3
  • Tipping, H.A., 1910, Country Life Vol. 27 p. 896-905 (Reprinted in English Homes)
  • Hunter-Blair, C., 1910, 'The Armorials of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser3) Vol. 6 p. 120, 179-81 online copy
  • 1905-6, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (ser3) Vol. 2 p. 134-5
  • Dodd, J., 1866, 'Lumley Castle' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol. 22 p. 45-6 (slight) online copy

Primary Sources

  • 1872 The Thirty-third Annual Report of Deputy Keeper of the Public Record
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) (lists sources for 1272-1422) p. 188