Banbury Castle

Description

Site of a castle, demolished in 1648 and now built over. Founded by Bishop Alexander of Lincoln. Excavation in 1973-74 uncovered three phases. Firstly a castle, built circa 1125-36, of rectangular plan; remodelled to a concentric plan in the late C13 and early C14. After the siege of 1644 bastions were added. Finds included Medieval pottery, silver pennies and a cannon. Some Iron Age and Roman pottery was found along with worked flints. (PastScape)

•Built by Alexander Bishop of Lincoln, who died in 1148. It stood on the north side of the Market Place and was destroyed after the Civil War in the C17th. It was surrounded by an inner and an outer moat, nothing of which remains today although the castle mound is still apparent (mound found to be later than castle date) (OS record card; Potts, 1958)
•Site partially excavated by P Fasham for a period of one month in April 1972. A quantity of medieval pottery (C12th calcite gritted ware) and coins were retrieved
•A watching brief on the castle site during building operations (SW corner of outer defences) did not reveal any further medieval finds (Chambers, 1983)
•Excavation in 1972 on the site of the inner bailey revealed a sequence of features starting in the C11th and continuing until the C17th. The castle was completely rebuilt and re-designed in the C13th after which six periods of building activity were identified (Fasham, 1983; Rodwell, 1976)
•Excavations in 1973-4 north of the Market Place revealed 3 main periods of the castle's development. A buried soil survived across almost the entire site under the earliest phases. Finds did not suggest pre-castle occupation on the site (Rodwell, 1976)
•No evidence of buildings in trench from Bridge Street to Castle Street. Entrance to wharf 20 yards from Factory Street found a black layer with skeleton on top. Near Bridge Street there were pits containing cow bones - possible slaughter house
•P Fasham of OCCM excavated at several sites: (a) between Castle Street and Castle Gardens car park (SP 5475 4079). Late Saxon material was found. C12th stone buildings in Central Ward were demolished and buried by gravel c.1300. Above this were 5 phases of stone and timber buildings (b) Factory Street (SP 4572 4069) part of a C12th earthen bank (?the barbican) was found and (c) Castle Street (SP 4565 4077) 3 large ditches, varying from 8-15m in width and all at least 4m deep were observed
•OAU excavated SW 1/3 of castle; 2 main periods of development revealed. Castle was built on land in open country in C12th; it was of stone, rectangular and well-preserved with garderobe within. Parts of 2 defensive ditches, curtain wall and main gate were excavated
Revealed in sewer trench in Castle Street in 1972 were three large ditches, varying in width between 8m and 15m and all at least 4m deep from present ground surface, belonging to the W defences of the castle. The nature of the machine excavations did not allow for their satisfactory recording (CBA nl. 3, 1973)
•Structures within the outer bailey were examined in 1973 and both inner and outer defensive ditches were located, both of which were about 17m wide and conformed to the concentric plan suggested by the street pattern and an estate map of 1685. The site did not appear to have been intensively occupied before construction of the castle. A buried soil containing sporadic RB sherds and worked flints was the earliest layer encountered. In the outer bailey a rectangular stone building 6m wide and 4m long was discovered but no dating evidence (CBA nl. 4, 1974) (Oxfordshire HER)

Comments

Rodwell's 1976 paper probably gives the best overview of the castle's history and form although Fasham's 1983 paper adds some detail.