Bramber Castle (The Gatehouse Record)

Description

The remains of earthworks and standing ruins of Bramber castle which was occupied almost continuously from circa 1075 to about 1450 by the descendants of the founder, William de Braose. Excavations carried out in 1966-7 indicate how the castle evolved from a 'motte and bailey' type fortification, founded circa 1075, to an 'enclosure' type in the 12th century, with a stone keep, gatehouse and curtain wall. Subsequent alterations and rebuilding were carried out in the 14th century, however large scale subsidence saw the ruin of the castle during the 16th century.
The castle was established as a defensive and administrative centre for the newly established Rape of Bramber (administrative area). The motte was raised nine metres above the level of the mound using marl quarried from an encircling ditch 15-17 metres wide and up to four metres deep. The whole mound, 170 metres north-south by 85 metres east-west, was enclosed within a wall or palisade, and a stone gatehouse guarded the only entrance on the south side. The motte was abandoned in the 12th century and a stone tower keep of three storeys was built over the gatehouse, and the motte ditch was backfilled. An outer ditch, in places 25 metres deep, below the hill top was dug around the hill and on its outer edge a bank was constructed to further strengthen the defences. Around the mound the wall was renewed or replaced in stone and still survives to a height of some three metres on the west side.
The motte and fragments of standing stonework, possibly that of the keep, were mapped from aerial photographs as part of the English Heritage South Downs National Mapping Programme. All that remains of the castle now is the mound on which the castle stood and fragments of masonry of the surrounding wall. (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1012174, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number 12859
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1286805
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 396239.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) MWS3519.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- English Heritage
  History of Sussex
  CastlesFortsBattle.co.uk
  CastleUK.net
  Charles Taylor's ecastles
  YouTube video
  Sussex Castles
  The Round Mounds Project
Books
- Michael G Shapland, 2017, 'Anglo-Saxon towers of lordship and the origins of the castle in England' in Dawn M Hadley and Christopher Dyer, The Archaeology of the 11th Century Continuities and Transformations (Routledge) p. 104-119
  Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 (Yale University Press) passim
  Elliot, Julia (ed), 2005, Heritage Unlocked; Guide to free sites in London and the South East (London: English Heritage) p. 60-1
  Brown, Philip, 2003, Two Norman Castles: Bramber and Hastings (Icon Press)
  Jones, R., 2003, 'Hastings to Herstmonceux: the castles of Sussex' in Rudling, D. (ed) The archaeology of Sussex to AD2000 (Great Dunham: Heritage Marketing and Publications) p. 171-8
  Salter, Mike, 2000, The Castles of Sussex (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 28-31
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 247
  Brown, R.Allen, 1989, Castles from the Air (Cambridge University Press) p. 57-8
  Guy, John, 1984, Castles in Sussex (Phillimore) p. 40-3
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 470
  Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p. 193-4
  Hudson T.P. (ed), 1980, 'Castle' in VCH Sussex Bramber Rape (southern part), (Oxford: OUP for the Institute of Historical Research) Vol. 6 Part 1 p. 204–6
  Drewett P.L. (ed), 1978, Archaeology in Sussex to AD 1500 (CBA Research Report 29) p. 71, 77, 89-90 online copy
  Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 115
  Sorrell, Alan, 1973, British Castles (London: Batsford) p.14-15
  Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol. 2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p. 575
  Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p. 109-110 online copy
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p. 432-3 online copy
  Clinch, G., 1905, 'Ancient Earthworks' in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Sussex Vol. 1 p. 474-5 online copy
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 1 p. 66-8 online copy
  Clark, G.T., 1884, Mediaeval Military Architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 264-73 online copy
  Erredge, H., 1882, The History of Bramber Castle (Brighton)
  Elwes, Dudley George Cary, 1876, A history of the Castles, Mansions, and Manors of Western Sussex (London: Longmans) p. 45-9 online copy
  Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol. 1 (London) p. 363-4 online copy
  Dallaway, James, 1832 (2edn), A History of the Western Division of the County of Sussex Vol. 2 Part 2 p. 172-3
  Grose, Francis, 1785 (new edn orig 1756), Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol. 5 p. 137-40 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Derek Renn, 2016, 'A return to the burh-geat' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol. 30 p. 167
  Woodburn, Bill and Guy, Neil, 2005-6, 'Sedgewick Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol 19 p. 79-82
  Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' The English Historical Review Vol. 106 p. 371-392 view online copy (subscription required)
  Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol. 32 p. 278 download copy
  Holden, E.W., 1985, 'Bramber Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 142 p. 27
  Barton, K.J. and Holden, E.W., 1978, 'Excavations at Bramber Castle, Sussex, 1966-7' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 134 p. 11-79
  Barton, K.J. and Holden, E.W., 1977, 'Five castle excavations: reports on the Institute's research project into the origins of the castle in England. Excavations at Bramber Castle, Sussex, 1966-67' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 134 p. 11-79
  1968, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 12 p. 178 online copy
  (Barton and Holden), 1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol. 11 p. 285-6 online copy
  Selkirk, 1967 Nov, Current Archaeology Vol. 5 p. 131-2
  Barton and Holden, 1966, Sussex notes and queries Vol. 16 p. 256-8
  Brown, R. Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' The English Historical Review Vol. 74 p. 249-280 (Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 90-121) view online copy (subscription required)
  Duke, Frank and Curwen, E Cecil, 1927, 'Recent Finds at Bramber Castle.' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol. 68 p. 241-244
  Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol. 19 p. 209-245, 417-455 esp. 216-7 online copy
  Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 46 p. 197-217 esp. 212 online copy
  Clark, G.T., 1876, The Builder Vol. 34 p. 555-7 (reprinted in MMA)
  Bloxham, M.W., 1864, 'Notes on Places visited at the Annual Meeting, 14th August 1863, The Churches.' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol. 16 p. 233-246
  Grantham, Rev D., 1852, 'Historic Notices of Bramber Castle and of the Family of De Braose' Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol. 5 p. 147-154 (history only)
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- 1086, Domesday Book online copy
  Round, J.H. (ed), 1899, Calendar of Document preserved in France (HMSO) Vol. 1 p. 396 no. 1112; p. 405 no. 1130 online copy
  Pipe Rolls 1208-15 (see Pipe Roll Society for published references)
  Hardy, T.D. (ed), 1833, Rotuli litterarum clausarum in turri Londinensi asservati (Record Commission) Vol. 1 p. 142 online copy
  Stubbs, W. (ed), 1880, The Minor Works comprising the Gesta regum with its continuation, the Actus pontificum, and the Mappa mundi, by Gervase, the Monk of Canterbury (London: Longman Rolls Series 73) Vol. 2 p. 419 online copy
  Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) (lists sources for 1272-1422) p. 448-9
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.
- Shapland, Michael, 2012, Buildings of Secular and Religious Lordship: Anglo-Saxon Tower-nave Churches (PhD Thesis University College London) esp. chapter 7 online via UCL Discovery
  Harris, R.B., August 2004, Bramber Historic Character Assessment Report: Sussex Extensive Urban Survey Download 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.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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