Tamworth town defences (The Gatehouse Record)

Description

No remains of Mediaeval defences of Tamworth. Apparently continued to use the defensive line of the Saxon burh before going out of use at some time between the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV. Broad ditch with a bank topped by a wall. (PastScape)

The town defences of Tamworth have been variously known as the Walfurlong, 'Offa's Dyke' and the King's Ditches. Excavation has determined that the broad ditch, and bank topped by a wall were built on the line of the Saxon burh, and went out of us between the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV. (PastScape–ref. Gould, 1967)

At Tamworth the earliest defences were of relatively slight construction and may have marked the boundary of the Mercian royal palace rather than of any specifically urban development (Gould, 1967-8, 18; 1968-9, 33-8). It is in any case not yet possible to show the Anglo-Saxon date of the internal street pattern, let alone to assign it to a pre-Æthelflædan date, or to demonstrate that it formed a planned system comparable to that of the Wessex burhs. (Martin Biddle in Bond, 1975)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1006088, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number st195
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 1074559.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 01153; 00190; 01316.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- York Digital Library - Philip Rahtz's photographs
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 138
  Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 56, 59, 266
  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
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 453
  Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) The plans and topography of medieval towns in England and Wales (CBA Research Report 14) p. 57-71 download/view online
  Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 122
  Lynam, Charles, 1908, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol. 1 p. 355 online copy
  Doubleday, H.A. and Page, Wm (eds), 1904, VCH Warwickshire Vol. 1 p. 397-8 online copy
  Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p. 34 online copy
  Clark, G.T., 1884, Mediaeval Military Architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol. 2 p. 481-2 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  Sheridan, K., 1974-5, 'Ninth report of excavations at Tamworth, Staffs, 1972: a section through the defences at Bell Inn Corner' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 16 p. 54-7
  (Wainwright), 1974, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 18 p. 184 download copy
  Sheridan, K., 1972-3, 'Seventh report of excavations at Tamworth, Staffs: a section through the northern defences excavated by Dr F T Wainwright in 1960' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 14 p. 38-44
  Sheridan, K., 1972-3, 'Sixth report of excavations at Tamworth, Staffs: a section through the Saxon and medieval defences, Albert Road' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 14
  (Sheriden),1972, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 16 p. 161 download copy
  Radford, C.A.R., 1970, 'The later pre-Conquest boroughs and their defences' Medieval Archaeology Vol. 14 p. 91-4 download copy
  (Gould), 1969, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 13 p. 239-40 online copy
  Gould, J., 1968-9, 'Third report on excavations at Tamworth, Staffs., 1968 - the western entrance to the Saxon borough' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 10 p. 32-42
  (Gould), 1968, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 12 p. 160, 185 download copy
  Gould, J., 1967, 'First report of the excavations at Tamworth (1967) - The Saxon defences' Transactions of the South Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society Vol. 9 p. 17-29
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk West Midlands Register 2016 (London: Historic England) p. 37 online copy
  Historic England, 2015, Heritage at Risk West Midlands Register 2015 (London: Historic England) p. 37 online copy
  English Heritage, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 West Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 37 online copy
  English Heritage, 2013, Heritage at Risk Register 2013 West Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 37 online copy
  English Heritage, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 West Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 49 online copy
  English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 West Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 48 online copy
  English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 West Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 49 online copy
  English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 West Midlands (London: English Heritage) p. 57 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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