Cirencester Castle

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Other/Unknown), and also as a Certain Masonry Castle

There are no visible remains

NameCirencester Castle
Alternative Names
Historic CountryGloucestershire
Modern AuthorityGloucestershire
1974 AuthorityGloucestershire
Civil ParishCirencester

Cirencester Castle stood in the area bounded by Castle Street, Park Lane and Black Jack Street. It received a square keep in 1107, but was destroyed by Stephen in 1142. Park Lane, formerly known as Law-ditch, occupies the site of the castle moat. (PastScape ref. Baddesley)

king Stephen came suddenly with a large force to Cirencester, and "the keepers of the castle having secretly escaped in differenct directions, he found it empty; whereupon he gave it to the flames, and razed to the ground the rampart and the outworks" (ignibus depascendum commissit vallóque et propugnaculis usque ad imum diruto. – Gesta Stephani, 958.) No other contemporary chronicler mentions this fact, and in these two short sentences is comprised the whole authentic history of Cirencester Castle. (Fuller)

Gatehouse Comments

Where does PastScape get the evidence for a square keep being built in 1107? They cite Baddeley (1924) but his other writings don't mention this and he describes the castle as short lived burned down in 1142. This is not impossible but no other author mentions it. The historical evidence for a castle appears to be solely the Gesta Stephani and that seems to suggest a timber castle only. Fuller's research is relatively early but seems a thorough examination of historical sources and he makes no mention of such. Is this actual an error for the King's tower at Gloucester mentioned in a document of 1105?

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSP021019
Latitude51.7166404724121
Longitude-1.97054994106293
Eastings402130
Northings201990
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Gloucestershire and Bristol (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 19
  • Coulson, Charles, 1994, 'The Castles of the Anarchy' in King, Edmund (ed.), The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign (Oxford University Press) p. 71
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 184
  • McWhirr, A. (ed), 1976, Archaeology and History of Cirencester p. 101
  • Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 144
  • Baddeley, W. St Clair, 1924, History of Cirenchester (Cirencester Newspaper Company) p. 99, 104-5, 150
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol. 2 (London) p. 466-9 online copy

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. 188, 190
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906 The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 3 p. 101-2 online copy

Journals

  • Walker, D., 1991, 'Gloucestershire Castles' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol. 109 p. 15 online copy
  • Rawes, B., 1977, 'A Check List of Castles and other Fortified Sites of Medieval Date in Gloucestershire' Glevensis Vol. 11 p. 39-41 online copy
  • Fuller, Rev. E. A., 1890-91, 'Cirencester Castle' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol. 15 p. 103-119 online copy

Primary Sources

  • Sewell, R.C. (ed), 1846, Gesta Stephani, Regis Anglorum et Ducis Normannorum p. 88 online copy (The newer edition and translation by Potter, K.R. (ed), 1976 (2edn), Gesta Stephani (Oxford University Press) should be consulted for serious study. See also Speight, S., 2000, 'Castle Warfare in the Gesta Stephani' , Château Gaillard Vol. 19 [see online transcription > http://web.archive.org/web/20101229213751/http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/speight.htm])