Carlisle City Wall (The Gatehouse Record)

Description

The remains of the City Walls begun in the 11th century, strengthened and rebuilt in succeeding centuries, are visible as follows:
(A) Extending southwards from the south west corner of the Castle curtain wall, almost to Annetwell. Grade 1.
(B) At West Walls, extending from Heads Lane northwards to the railway bridge, broken by Elim Gospel Hall and adjacent buildings. Grade 1 (Pevsner; Listed Building Report).
NY 39765594 - 39965577. The section of city wall on West Walls is scheduled.
Remains of City Walls at South West corner of the Castle. Grade I. Part of the City Walls begun in the C11, strenghtened and rebuilt in succeeding centuries, often breached or destroyed. This portion extends southwards from the South West corner of the Castle curtain wall, almost to Annetwell.
Remains of City Walls at West Walls. Grade I. Part of the City Walls begun in C11, strenghtened and rebuilt in succeeding centuries, often breached or destroyed. This portion extends from Heads Lane northwards to the railway bridge, broken by the Elim Gospel Hall and adjacent buildings (Listed Building Report).
The town defences were hardly altered after the 14th century, despite several invasion alarms. The only major construction was that of the Citadel at the south of the town in 1542 (Barley; HKW). (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1007149, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number cu337
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1197001 , 1197002 , and others
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 10650; 10651; 1087722; 1087731.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 5058; 3610.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Matthew Emmott's Castle Blog, also,
  also, also, also, also
  Old Cumbria Gazetteer
  CastlesFortsBattle.co.uk
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 44-6
  Summerson, H., 2011, 'The defences of medieval Carlisle', in M. Brennand and K. J. Stringer (eds), The making of Carlisle: from Roman to railways, 85-102 (Kendal: CWAAS extra series 35)
  Purton, P.F., 2009, A History of the Late Medieval Siege: 1200-1500 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press) p. 86 (1292 siege), 90-1 (1315 siege)
  Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 24, 65, 66, 114, 145, 197-8, 222, 224, 227, 230, 268, 278
  Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 29) p. 74-77
  Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 33
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 38
  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. 1 p. 97
  Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works, Vol. 4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p. 664-73
  Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p. 60-63
  Gosling, P.F., 1976, 'Carlisle: an archaeological survey of the historic town' in Clack, P.A.G. and Gosling, P.F. (eds) Archaeology in the North p. 165-8
  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 plan p. 61 download/view online
  Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 100-2
  Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p. 99-100
  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. 664-673
  Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal: CWAAS Extra Series 13) p. 111-5, 118-9
  Jefferson, S., 1838, History and Antiquities of Carlisle esp p. 279-82 online copy
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co) p. 237
Periodical Articles
- Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  McCarthy, M.R., 1980, 'Excavations on the city defences, Carlisle' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 80 p. 69-78 online copy
  Jones, B.C., 1976, 'The topography of Medieval Carlisle' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 76 p. 77-96 online copy
  Perriam, D.R., 1976, 'The demolition of Carlisle city walls' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 76 p. 184-98 online copy
  Charlesworth, D., 1974, 'Carlisle excavations' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 74 p. 211-2 online copy
  Hogg, R., 1962, 'Medieval Town wall, Carlisle' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 62 p. 326-7 online copy
  McKie, H.U., 1880, 'Remarks and Memoranda as to the Subsoil, Debris, and Ancient Remains discovered in cutting the Sewers in the City of Carlisle' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol. 4 p. 337-41 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Arnold, T. (ed), 1885, 'Historia regum, A. D. 616-1129' Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia (London; Rolls series 75) Vol. 2 p. 267 (1120)
  Green, J.A. (ed.), 2012, The Great Roll of the Pipe for the thirty first year of the reign of King Henry I, Michaelmas 1130 (Pipe Roll Society Publications 95)
  Rothwell, H. (ed), 1975, English Historical Documents 1189-1327 p. 610-1 no. 131 (siege of 1315)
  Bain, J., 1887 Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland (Edinburgh) Vol. 3 no. 369, 464, 524, 621 (siege of 1315) online copy
  Lanercost Chronicle s.a. 1315
  Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1898, Calendar of Close Rolls Edward II (1323-1327) Vol. 4 p. 47-8 view online copy (requires subscription but searchable) alternative online copy
  - Also see the Gatehouse murage pages for full details of murage grants, petitions and other such.
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain online copy
  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. 94
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 5 p. 52 online copy
  Celia Fiennes, 1888, Through England on a Side Saddle in the Time of William and Mary (London: Field and Tuer, The Leadenhall Press) Vision of Britain online transcription
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Jackson, D., 2009, Report on an Archaeological Field Evaluation at West Walls, Carlisle, Cumbria (CP/925/09. NPA Ltd: Nenthead, Alston, Cumbria) 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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*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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