| Year | Day/Month | Title |
| William the Conqueror (1066 - 1087) |
|
1067 | |  Construction of Wallingford Castle
|
| | A castle at Wallingford was built in this year. It would have been a motte and bailey type castle. |
|
| | Construction of Winchester Castle
|
| | Construction of a wooden castle was begun at Winchester. |
|
| | Chepstow Castle begun
|
| | Construction of Chepstow Castle is begun. |
| |
|
|
1068 | | Construction of Nottingham Castle
|
| | William and the Normans started construction of the castle at Nottingham. This would have been a wooden building. It was built on the high ground above the town using the step slope down to the river Leen as a defence. |
|
| | Construction of Lincoln Castle
|
| | William the Conqueror ordered that building work on a castle at Lincoln was to be started. |
|
| | Warwick Castle built on William's orders
|
| | William the Conqueror ordered the building of Warwick Castle. |
|
| Spring | Construction begins on Exeter Castle
|
| | Following the rebellion in the West William orders the construction of a castle at Exeter. |
| |
|
|
1070 | | Castle at Old Sarum
|
| | Using the prehistoric hill fort's defensive position to good use, the Normans built a new castle on the Old Sarum site. William the Conqueror paid off his soldiers here in this year. |
|
| | Building work at Chepstow
|
| | William Fitz Osbern built the hall at Chepstow Castle. |
|
| | Castles at Chester and Stafford begun
|
| | William continues his castle building spree at both Chester and Stafford. |
| |
|
|
1071 | | Richmond Castle construction
|
| | The construction of Richmond Castle began around this time by Alan Rufus, the cousin of the Duke of Brittany. |
|
| | Ely castle ordered
|
| | William orders a castle to be built at Ely. |
| |
|
|
1072 | | At Durham, another castle is ordered
|
| | William orders the castle as Durham to be built. |
| |
|
|
1075 | | Construction of Windsor Castle
|
| | Construction of Windsor castle started by William the Conqueror. |
| |
|
|
1078 | | Work starts on the White Tower
|
| | Gundulf began work on the White Tower, the Tower of London. |
| |
|
|
1080 | | Construction of Lewes Castles
|
| | Work on a castle at Lewes began in 1080 and lasted possibly to around 1100. |
|
| | Colchester castle begun
|
| | To defend the estuaries of Essex against attacks from the Danes William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a new castle at Colchester. |
| |
|
|
1081 | | Cardiff Castle construction
|
| | William the Conqueror may have ordered the creation of a castle at Cardiff during his tour of Southern Wales. The first castle on the site would have been a motte and bailey type and it was built on the site of existing Roman fortifications. |
| |
|
| William Rufus (1087 - 1100) |
|
1090 | | Construction of Pembroke Castle
|
| | A motte and bailey castle was built at Pembroke by Arnulf of Montgomery. |
|
| | Construction of Caernavon Castle
|
| | The first castle to be built at Caernarvon was constructed by Hugh of Avranches in about 1090. He built a wooden motte and bailey castle. |
|
| | Lancaster Keep
|
| | Construction of keep at Lancaster Castle by Roger of Poitou. |
| |
|
|
1091 | | Colchester Castle passes to Eudo
|
| | Once the threat from invasion had reduced, the castle was passed into the control of Eudo de Rie, who held the position of high steward. |
| |
|
|
1096 | | Building work on Alnwick castle begins
|
| | Building work on Alnwick castle began. |
| |
|
| Henry I (1100 - 1135) |
|
1100 | | Construction of Carew Castle
|
| | Gerard of Windsor built a motte and bailey castle on the Daugleddau creek in south Wales around this time. The land on which the castle was built was given to Gerard when he married Princess Nest. |
| |
|
|
1106 | | Construction of Kidwelly Castle
|
| | Roger, bishop of Salisbury, is granted land in south Wales and started construction of a wooden castle on the banks of the river Gwendraeth. |
| |
|
|
1110 | | Construction of Aberystwyth Castle
|
| | An improved castle was built by the Norman Gilbert de Clare at Aberystwyth replacing an earlier fort. |
|
| | Windsor Castle becomes a royal residence
|
| | Henry I had improvements made to Windsor Castle, including a chapel, so that he could use the castle as his formal residence. |
| |
|
|
1117 | | Berkeley castle construction
|
| | Roger de Berkeley began the construction of Berkeley Castle in 1117 and it was completed by his son, also called Roger, by 1153. |
| |
|
|
1120 | | Construction of Sherborne Castle
|
| | Built by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury. |
|
| | Kenilworth Castle formed
|
| | Henry I gave a portion of the Stoneleigh estate to Geoffrey de Clinton his chamberlain. de Clinton built a motte and bailey on the land and formed a lake to provide better defences. |
| |
|
|
1126 | | Construction of Rochester Castle
|
| | The tower-keep at Rochester was built soon after 1126 by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the permission of Henry I. |
| |
|
|
1129 | | Arundel Castle building work
|
| | New construction work was done at Arundel between 1129 and 1130. |
| |
|
| Stephen (1135 - 1154) |
|
1136 | | Construction of a castle at Scarborough
|
| | William le Gros built a castle on the headland at Scarborough. |
|
| | Castle at Banbury is built
|
| | The Bishop of Lincoln built a castle at Banbury. |
| |
|
|
1138 | | Exeter castle building work
|
| | Work on the curtain wall at Exeter castle progressed from 1169 and 1177. |
| |
|
|
1140 | | Castle Rising Construction
|
| | The Norman Lord William D'Albini built a new stone keep at Castle Rising. |
|
| | Castle at Sherriff Hutton
|
| | A castle at Sherriff Hutton may have belonged to Bertram de Bulmer . |
|
| | Construction of Hedingham Castle
|
| | Built by the de Vere family, land owners in Essex. |
|
| | Construction of Framlingham Castle
|
| | A motte with a wooden tower was probably the first type of castle built by the Normans on the site. Hugh Bigod owned Framlingham at the time. |
| |
|
|
1144 | | Construction of Faringdon Castle
|
| | Built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. The castle soon came under siege by King Stephen who after four days took the castle and destroyed it. |
| |
|
|
1145 | | Construction of Brightwell Castle
|
| | Built by King Stephen (or the Earl of Chester). The castle had a moat and was situated on the site of current manor house. |
| |
|
|
1152 | | Henry captures Malmesbury
|
| | Prince Henry captured the town of Malmesbury and its castle. |
| |
|
|
1153 | | Nottingham Castle attacked
|
| | Henry attacked Nottingham where a fire resulted in damage to the town. |
| |
|
| Henry II (1154 - 1189) |
|
1155 | | Farnham Castle demolished
|
| | Orders were given to destroy the central tower at Farnham Castle. The castle belonged to Henry, Bishop of Winchester who was the brother of King Stephen. |
| |
|
|
1157 | | Basingwerk Castle is built
|
| | Henry II builds a castle at Basingwerk. |
| |
|
|
1166 | | Building of Orford Castle
|
| | Henry II, had the castle at Orford, in Norfolk built between 1166 and 1172, to counter the threats of Hugh Bigod and to confront his castle fortress at Framlingham. |
| |
|
|
1167 | | Construction of Wallingford Castle
|
| | Robert D'Oyley of Liseux built the castle at a strategic site of Wallingford where it was possible to cross the river Thames. Originally the castle would have been a motte and bailey type castle. |
| |
|
|
1168 | | Reconstruction of Dover Castle
|
| | Henry II began the reconstruction of Dover Castle. The work would continue for twenty years and at the end of it, a brand new keep had been built, along with the outer walls of the inner bailey and sections of the outer wall. |
| |
|
|
1170 | | Construction of Middleham Castle
|
| | Middleham Castle in Yorkshire could have been built at this time. |
| |
|
|
1173 | | Remodelling of Windsor Castle
|
| | Henry II carried out major rebuilding work at Windsor Castle, including raising the height of the keep and improved the walls around the bailey. He added towers to the walls and built himself a house, the basement of which survives. |
|
| | Wallingford Castle repairs
|
| | Repairs to the castle at Wallingford. |
| |
|
|
1174 | | Construction of Bolebec Castle
|
| | Bolebec Castle near Whitchurch was built around this time by Hugh de Bolebec. |
| |
|
|
1176 | | Peveril Castle Keep
|
| | A square central keep was constructed at Peveril castle which was under the control of Henry II. |
|
| | Construction work at Arundel
|
| | More improvements were made to Arundel Castle between 1176 and 1188. |
| |
|
|
1180 | | Construction of Conisbrough Castle
|
| | Built by Hamelin Plantagenet, Henry II's brother. |
|
| | Kenilworth Castle keep
|
| | The massive keep at Kenilworth was under construction during this period. |
| |
|
| Richard I (1189 - 1199) |
|
1189 | | Building work commences at the Tower
|
| | While Richard I was away on Crusade, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and and Chancellor ordered the enlargement of the bailey surrounding the keep Tower in London. A new ditch and bank were constructed with a new section of curtain wall. |
| |
|
|
1190 | | Construction on Skenfrith Castle
|
| | Built by Hubert de Burgh this castle is one of the three he owned in the Welsh Marches. White Castle, and Grosmont Castle being the other two. |
| |
|
|
1194 | | Siege of Nottingham Castle
|
| | The castle at Nottingham was being held by supporters of John but it fell to Richard I after a siege of several days. |
| |
|
| John (1199 - 1216) |
|
1201 | | Banbury Castle strengthened
|
| | Work on improving Banbury Castle continued between 1201 and 1207. |
| |
|
|
1210 | | Kenilworth Castle defences improved
|
| | King John spent time and money on the castle at Kenilworth, building outer walls and raising the height of the lake. |
| |
|
|
1215 | | Wallingford Castle fortified
|
| | The fortifications at Wallingford castle were strengthened at this time. |
| |
|
| Henry III (1216 - 1272) |
|
1216 | | Beaudesert castle inner bailey
|
| | Peter de Montfort rebuilt the inner bailey of Beaudesert Castle in stone, of which nothing remains. |
| |
|
|
1220 | | Henry III's improvements at the Tower
|
| | Henry III made large alterations to the Tower of London including new curtain walls, an improved water filled ditch and a water gate so the King could enter the castle directly from the Thames. |
|
| | Grosmont Castle building work
|
| | Hubert de Burgh improved the defences at Grosmont Castle, including the gatehouse and towers. |
| |
|
|
1225 | | Beeston Castle begun
|
| | returning from a spell crusading, Ranulf, the fifth Earl of Cheshire starts the construction of the castle at Beeston. |
| |
|
|
1231 | | Tattershall Castle construction
|
| | Construction of the castle at Tattershall. |
| |
|
|
1260 | | Warwick castle construction work
|
| | Around this time building work at Warwick replaced the wooden motte and bailey fort with a stronger stone castle. |
| |
|
| Edward I (1272 - 1307) |
|
1275 | | Major rebuilding work at the Tower of London
|
| | Edward I spent large sums of money improving the fortifications at the Tower of London. A new moat was dug and a curtain wall was built around it. The land between the Tower and the river was levelled and new apartments were built on the shore. Edward had a complex of gates added which meant it was extremely difficult to attack the castle through the main land entrance. |
| |
|
|
1277 | | Construction of Builth Castle
|
| | Edward I orders improvements to be made to the castle at Builth. |
|
| | Aberystwyth Castle rebuilt
|
| | Reconstruction of the castle at Aberystwyth was begun by the English during Edward I's conflict with Llewelyn ap Gruffydd. |
|
| Jul | Construction of Flint Castle begun
|
| | As part of the plans to defeat Llewelyn Edward I ordered the construction of Flint Castle in Clwyd. Edward had been impressed by fortified town and castle combinations he had seen on his travels in France and Flint Castle was designed in the same manor. The castle was completed in 1280. |
|
| Aug | Reconstruction of Rhuddlan Castle begun
|
| | Leaving work on Flint Castle underway Edward I moved on up the coast to Rhuddlan where he found the remains of an old Norman Motte and Bailey castle overlooking an important crossing point of the river Clywd. A new castle was ordered and work began to create both the castle and a new town alongside. |
| |
|
|
1281 | | Beauchamp Tower at Tower of London built
|
| | Edward I was responsible for the construction of the Beauchamp Tower on the western side of the curtain wall. It got its name later on in 1397 when Thomas Beauchamp was imprisoned there by Richard II. The three storey tower was large enough to hold not only the captive, but members of his household as well. It has been used to hold other important prisoners since. |
| |
|
|
1282 | | Construction of Denbigh Castle
|
| | Another castle was built by Edward I's master castle builder, James of St. George in North Wales. |
| |
|
|
1283 | | Construction of Conway Castle begun
|
| | After capturing Dolwyddelan, Edward moved up the river Conway to its mouth and a new castle was ordered. The castle's design and size were chosen to prove the royal power of the English King. The construction took until 1297. |
|
| May | Harlech Castle begun
|
| | Work began on Harlech Castle. Money for the construction being moved from Cymer Abbey a few miles to the south of the new castle's location. |
| |
|
|
1284 | | Rebuilding work at Aberystwyth
|
| | Edward I ordered reconstruction work at Aberystwyth Castle after it had been burnt and damaged in an earlier Welsh attack. |
| |
|
|
1295 | Apr | Beaumaris Castle begun
|
| | Building work on Beaumaris Castle is begun. |
| |
|
| Edward II (1307 - 1327) |
|
1313 | | Construction of Dunstanburgh Castle
|
| | Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, started the construction of a castle at Dunstanburgh on the Northumbrian coast. |
| |
|
| Edward III (1327 - 1377) |
|
1336 | | Bampton Castle rebuilding work
|
| | License to crenelate (fortify) the castle at Bampton in Devon was granted. |
| |
|
|
1338 | | Construction of Ford Castle
|
| | Sir William Heron started building work on Ford Castle in Northumberland |
| |
|
|
1340 | | Building work at Windsor Castle
|
| | The Round Tower was rebuilt at Windsor Castle. |
| |
|
|
1344 | | Construction of Chillingham Castle
|
| | Building work on Chillingham Castle was started by Sir Thomas De Heton. |
| |
|
|
1346 | | Maxstoke Castle licence to crenellate
|
| | Edward gives permission to William de Clinton to build a castle. |
| |
|
|
1348 | | Construction of Maxstoke Castle
|
| | Building work on Maxstoke Castle in the Midlands was begun by William De Clinton. |
|
| | Water gate built at Tower of London
|
| | Edward III had a water gate constructed at the base of the Cradle Tower. This allowed access to royal apartments directly from the river. |
| |
|
|
1373 | | Nunney Castle construction begins
|
| | Work on the Somerset castle by Sir John de la Mare began. |
| |
|
|
1375 | | Construction of Bolton Castle
|
| | Work on Bolton Castle was begun by Lord Scrope, the Chancellor to Richard II. |
| |
|
| Richard II (1377 - 1399) |
|
1377 | | Construction of Farleigh Hungerford Castle
|
| | Sir Thomas Hungerford began the construction of a castle at Farleigh. |
| |
|
|
1380 | | Construction of Wressle Castle
|
| | Sir Thomas Percy built Wressle Castle. |
| |
|
|
1381 | | Construction of Raby Castle
|
| | John Neville, the 5th Lord of Raby, began the building of Raby Castle. |
| |
|
|
1382 | | A new castle at Sherriff Hutton is begun
|
| | Building work on a new castle started under the direction of John Neviille. |
| |
|
|
1385 | | Licence granted to crenellate at Donnington
|
| | Threats of invasion prompted Richard to allow the creation of fortified manor houses. Donnington is one example. |
| |
|
|
1386 | | Licence granted to crenellate at Bodiam
|
| | The king granted Sir Edward Dalyngrugge a licence to crenellate his mansion in Sussex due to threats of invasion. But Dalyngrugge decided to build a completely new structure instead. |
| |
|
|
1390 | | Construction of Lumley Castle
|
| | Lumley Castle at Chester-le-Street was built by Ralph, Lord Lumley. |
| |
|
|
1393 | | Construction of Wardour Castle
|
| | The work on Wardour Castle (now Old Wardour Castle) was begun in this year. The architect in charge may have been William Wynford who was responsible for the changes made to Winchester Cathedral around about the same time. The castle is very unusual in that is is hexagonal and aligned to the north-east. |
| |
|
|
1395 | | Guy's Tower completed at Warwick Castle
|
| | The construction of the huge circular tower called Guy's Tower at Warwick Castle was completed. |
| |
|
| Henry VI (1422 - 1461) |
|
1440 | | Herstmonceux Castle construction
|
| | Construction of the brick Herstmonceux castle took place around this time. |
|
| | Tattershall Castle brick tower construction
|
| | Construction of the brick tower at Tattershall took place around this time. |
| |
|
| Edward IV (1471 restored - 1483) |
|
1481 | | Dartmouth Castle construction
|
| | Work began on the castle guarding the Dartmouth harbour in Devon. A chain was employed that stretched across the entrance to prevent attacks. |
| |
|
| Henry VIII (1509 - 1547) |
|
1544 | | Construction of Southsea Castle
|
| | Henry VIII built the castle at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour to protect against French invasions. |
