Buckingham Town Defences

Has been described as a Questionable Urban Defence

There are no visible remains

NameBuckingham Town Defences
Alternative NamesBourton
Historic CountryBuckinghamshire
Modern AuthorityBuckinghamshire
1974 AuthorityBuckinghamshire
Civil ParishBuckingham

No signs of town fortifications built 914, which may have had some C11 use. Bond puts the defences in his 'of no post-Conquest significance' list.

"A.D. 918... After this, in the same year, before Martinmas, went King Edward to Buckingham with his army, and sat there four weeks, during which he built the two forts on either side of the water, ere he departed thence."

Gatehouse Comments

Fort is the given translation of burh in the Everyman Press edition of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle but possibly more accurate than town defence. One of these two forts or burhs is likely to have been the base for Buckingham Castle at the given map reference. However, securing the town would not be too difficult since the river provides a natural defence on three sides and a ditch and rampart a little to the north of the church would secure the forth side.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSP694337
Latitude51.9979515075684
Longitude-0.989679992198944
Eastings469460
Northings233730
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 157 (mention)
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 57, 258
  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of The Thames Valley and The Chilterns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 34 (mention)
  • Hill, David and Rumble, Alexander R. (eds), 1996, The defence of Wessex: the Burghal Hidage and Anglo-Saxon fortifications
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 118
  • Page, Wm (ed), 1925, VCH Buckinghamshire Vol. 3 p. 471-89 online transcription

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Bailey, Keith, 1994, 'The Hidation of Buckinghamshire Part II' Records of Buckinghamshire Vol. 34 p. 87-96
  • Baines, Arnold, 1985, 'Development of the borough of Buckingham, 914-1086' Records of Buckinghamshire Vol. 27 p. 53-64
  • Baines, Arnold, 1984, 'The Danish Wars and the Establishment of the borough and county of Buckingham' Records of Buckinghamshire Vol. 26 p. 11-27

Primary Sources

  • Ingram, James, (ed) 1912, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (Everyman Press, London) AD918 view online transcription (Ingram's translation and notes date from 1823. More recent translations of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles should be consulted for serious study)

Other

  • Jonathan Parkhouse & Rebecca Roseff (BCMAS), 1995, An Archaeological Study of Mount Pleasant, Buckingham