Castle Expenditure
1154-89


Below is a working list of 62 castles where 'works' were mentioned in the pipe rolls of King Henry II (1154-89).  Further tables exist for King Richard I (1189-99) and King John (1199-1216).  The criteria for inclusion in this list has been the use of the Latin word oper and its derivatives.  This has specifically discluded all references to repairs and amendments to obviously existing structures, although this does not exclude some of the works being repairs or amendments, viz. the works at Eye in 1173 included making new bretesches as well as repairing an old one (In Opat' Cast' de Eya & repat' vet'm Bretescar' & ii Nouar' Bretesc').  Similarly the works at Pevensey in 1180 included amendments to the keep (in operatione et emendatione domorum turris de Peuenesel').  Consequently, amendments and repairs have generally been added in a second table below the first.  This shows that 'works' generally cost more than 'amendments' or 'repairs', which is logical.  This also suggests that 'works' were new constructions.  It should be noted that sometimes the 'works' at a castle are followed straight after a 'repair' or 'amendment' and is directly referred to, meaning that the words could be used interchangeably.  That said at other times, viz 1187 with Kington and Skenfrith castles, 'repairs' and new 'works' are definitively differentiated.  As in all cases there are no doubt exceptions to prove the rule.

The tables below list the years castles
under royal control had revenue expended on them during the reign of Henry II (1154-89).  If multiple expenditure sessions have occurred the amounts spent have been split into rough groups by years where it seems that the works were performed in totally different building sessions.  For the next column the total expenditure has been divided by the number of years accounted for to give a rough idea of expenditure by year for comparison purposes.  Work specifically mentioned as made on keeps, as opposed to simple castle works, has generally been treated separately from general 'castle work' accounts.  These differentiations appear less frequently as time goes on.  However, there is no way that it can be stated that work spent 'on the castle' was not also spent on the keep and indeed, though less likely, vice-versa.  The data on Bowes is a case in point.  There it has traditionally been assumed that most of the expenditure 'must' have been on the keep as that is the major masonry survival.  As other masonry castles have disappeared just as completely as the ward of Bowes castle, it must be accepted that this assumption is not without problem.

The figures given in the tables have been difficult to arrive at where much work has been carried out, ie. at Dover in particular.  Here a complex series of accounts were made and occasionally totalled as a sum by the Exchequer.  The amounts summed rarely seem to match the amounts recorded, therefore there is a considerable amount of confusion as to whether some entries are double entered or if some are missed.  However, the accounts for Hastings and Rochester keep in 1173
, to name but 2, are correctly summed.  Worryingly the sum sent to Orford in 3 amounts from Eye lordship in 1169 is exactly the same as that accounted for under expenditure on the castle in its own section on Orford lordship.  Are these 2 figures duplicates or a coincidence in spending?  The answer would appear to be coincidence for the next year, 1170, £69 16s 11d was sent to the Orford castle works from the sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, while £75 9s 9d  and £5 12s 10d was sent in 2 sums from Eye lordship, yet only £17 16s 11d was recorded as being spent under Orford itself.  Certainly, at best, the figures can only be taken as an approximation of royal expenditure.  Similarly, when a sum has been entered for work on multiple sites the figure attached to each site has been worked out on a simple pro rata basis.

King Henry seems to have spent little on the fortification of his kingdom in the first lustrum of his reign.  Possibly this was due to a lack of money and a desire to set his finances in order.  After 1159 his castlework expenditure on 62 castles seems to have steadily increased, reaching a crescendo with the war of 1173-74.  During the reign over
£300 was spent on ‘works' at Arundel, Bridgnorth and Wark, while over £500 was recorded as being spent on Bowes, Scarborough and Winchester.  Over £1,000 was spent on each of Newcastle on Tyne (of which some £1,200 was on the keep, with only £160 being noted as purely on ‘the castle'), Nottingham, Orford (where nothing was recorded on the keep), Peak (where only £135 was recorded as actually being on the keep, while £1,700 was spent on ‘the castle') and Windsor.  Finally nearly £7,000 seems to have been spent on Dover, mainly after 1180.

King Henry maintained 64 castles during his 35 year reign.  Most of his expenditure on these was for small amounts and only on 2 occasions did these total more than £100 over the entire reign.  Perhaps not surprisingly the greatest overall expenditure was of some £120 on the Tower of London, while the castle bailey only received £21.  This was to change dramatically during the reign of Richard I.  King Henry also spent some £115 maintaining Northampton keep, the bulk of this, some £99, being in 1182-83.  According to traditional thought this was nearly sufficient to build a Peak or Scarborough class great tower!  In 1177-89 nearly £100 had been spent maintaining the rest of Northampton castle.  Quite obviously these figures do not add up for keep building.  Of the other castles maintenance costs recorded were low.  For instance only 2s was recorded as being spent at Corfe castle during the entire reign, yet this major masonry and earthwork fortress must have needed repairs at a far greater cost than this.  Similarly maintenance expenditure on it was insignificant in the 2 following reigns.  Quite obviously work on the fortress must have been undertaken that simply was not included in the pipe rolls.  Either that or the castle was remarkably lucky not to suffer such decays as plagued other fortresses during the 62 year period between the accession of Henry II and the death of King John.

The tables as a whole indicate that much work must have been undertaken at royal castles that were not recorded in the pipe rolls, viz occurrences of payments for material to go to a site, but no work is recorded there for years.  Work on maintenance at Carlisle castle shows that the sheriff was allocated £5 per annum for general works on the fortress, while late thirteenth century accounts show that this money was usually simply pocketed, rather than spent on the castle fabric.  Such expenditures were most likely made at other royal castles, and presumably could also have been pilfered.

What the tables do clearly show is that many royal castles must have been standing masonry structures before 1154 as no money was allocated for their construction during or after pipe roll accounts began in 1154.  It also implies the fortunes that must have been expended by barons in fortifying their ancestral fortresses.

Works on Castles, 1154-89

Castle Years Expenditure Amount per Year
Arundel 1179-83 £301 16s 5d £60 7s 3d
Bamburgh 1168, 1170-1 £112 3s 3d £37 7s 9d
Bamburgh keep 1164 £4 £4
Berkhamsted 1156-62 £130 3d £21 13s 5d
Bowes 1171-74 £471 16s 6d £117 19s 2d
Bowes keep 1180, 1187-88 £146 13s 8d £48 17s 11d
Bridgnorth 1168-74 £240 3s 3d £34 6s 2d
Bridgnorth 1184-85 £10 13s 1d £5 6s 7d
Bridgnorth keep 1169-71 £64 16s 11d £21 12s 4d
Cambridge 1157, 1173 £31 7s 7½d £15 17s 8d
Canterbury keep 1173-75 £103 18s 11d £34 13s 
Carlisle 1173, 1188 £27 2s  £13 11s
Carmarthen 1181-82 £106 13s 4d £53 6s 8d
Chester 1160 £122 7s £122 7s
Chester 1182-83 £41 9s 9d £20 14s 11d
Chilham 1171-75 £409 5d £81 16s 1d
Colchester 1167, 1170, 1173-74 £79 14s 11d £19 18s 9d
Dover 1161, 1165 £3 17s 2d £1 18s 7d
Dover 1167-71 £239 5d £47 16s 1d
Dover 1173-74, 1177 £323 3d £107 13s 5d
Dover 1180-88 £2,592 7s 1d £288 9d
Dover castle and keep 1182,  1187 £1,015 6s 9d £507 13s 5d
Dover keep 1182, 1184-86 £2,715 9s 10d £678 17s 6d
Dover, sum of works 1161-88 £6,889 1s 6d £255 3s
Ellesmere 1172 £4 £4
Eye 1164-65, 1167-68, 1173, 1175 £115 19s 3d £19 6s 7d
Exeter 1170-73, 1180-81, 1187 £183 2s 5d £26 3s 2d
Gloucester 1159, 1164, 1172-74, 1185 £131 7s 10d £21 18s
Grosmont 1184-85 £15 6s 8d £7 13s 4d
Guildford 1174 £26 13s 4d £26 13s 4d
Hampshire Castle Works 1159 £10 16s 7½d £10 16s 7½d
Hastings 1161, 1171, 1173-74, 1182-83 £163 11s 5d £27 5s 3d
Hastings keep 1172 £13 1s £13 1s
Hereford 1165,  1169, 1174, 1177, 1179 £61 16s 7d £12 7s 4d
Hertford 1171-74, 1182 £196 10d £39 4s 2d
Huntingdon 1174 £21 9s 7d £21 9s 7d
Kenfig 1184-85 £37 13s 4d £18 16s 8d
Launceston 1185 £3 15s 6d £3 15s 6d
Llandovery 1160 £41 £41
Marlborough 1176-79 £59 7s £14 16s 9d
Newcastle Under Lyme 1169 £6 £6
Newcastle on Tyne 1168, 1178, 1188 £160 12s 9d £53 10s 11d
Newcastle on Tyne keep 1172-77 £1,190 13s 7d £198 8s 11d
Northampton 1184 3s 3s
Northampton keep 1183 £8 8s £8 8s
Norwich 1161, 1174-75 £25 18s £8 12s 8d
Nottingham 1170-75, 1178, 1181-82, 1184-87 £1,487 18s 5d £114 9s 1d
Orford 1166-74 £1,609 18s £178 17s 7d
Oswestry 1161, 1167, 1169-70 £30 14s 8d £7 13s 8d
Overton 1159 £2 £2
Oxford 1173-74 £135 11s £67 15s 6d
Peak 1173-77, 1188 £1,689 17s 9d £285 18s 
Peak keep 1175 £135 £135
Pembroke 1187 £6 13s 4d £6 13s 4d
Pevensey 1161, 1167, 1178 £13 4s 9d £4 8s 3d
Pevensey keep 1180 £3 10s £3 10s
Pickering 1180, 1186 £30 £15
Portchester 1174 £9 £9
Richmond 1172, 1175, 1186 £94 17s 3d £31 12s 5d
Rochester 1167, 1171, 1173, 1175, 1184 £94 7d £18 16s 1d
Rochester keep 1173 £79 16s 2d £79 16s 2d
St Briavels keep 1163 £5 £5
Salisbury 1171-74, 1177-78, 1182-83, 1187 £249 8s 8d £27 14s 4d
Salisbury keep 1183, 1188 £10 8s  £5 4s
Scarborough 1158-59, 1161-64, 1168, 1175 £541 17s 7d £67 14s 8d
Scarborough keep 1159-60, 1169 £131 3s 8d £43 14s 7d
Shrawardine 1171-72 £12 5s £6 2s 6d
Shrewsbury 1165-66, 1168-69, 1173-74, 1184-85 £57 17s 8d £7 4s 9d
Skenfrith 1185 £43 17s 7d £43 17s 7d
Skenfrith 1185 (repair palisade) £2 11s 8d £2 11s 8d
Southampton 1173-74, 1187 £24 3s 6d £8 1s 2d
Tickhill 1179-80, 1182 £142 16s 5d £47 12s 2d
Topcliff 1175 £7 10s 2d £7 10s 2d
Tower of London 1167, 1169, 1174, 1179, 1186 £93 2s 2d £18 12s 5d
Wallingford 1173-74, 1179, 1183 £100 14s 8d £25 3s 8d
Walton 1174 £8 9s 10d £8 9s 10d
Wark 1158-61 £382 4s 7d £95 11s 2d
Warwick 1174 £5 7s 11d £5 7s 11d
White Castle 1185-87 £131 2s 8d £43 14s 3d
Winchester 1159, 1161-62 £12 3s 5½d £4 1s 2d
Winchester 1168-71, 1173-75, 1177-80, 1182-84 £691 5s £49 7s 6d
Windsor 1166, 1168-79, 1182-84, 1187-88 £1,398 9s £73 12s 1d
Worcester 1167 £4 3s £4 3s
York 1162, 1173 £20 7s 3d £10 3s 8d


Castle Repairs and Amendments, 1154 to 1189

Castle Years Expenditure Amount per Year
Alnwick 1186 £1 14s 10d £1 14s 10d
Arundel 1171, 1184, 1188 £36 14s 1d £12 4s 8d
Bamburgh 1183 £19 6s 8d £19 6s 8d
Berkhamsted 1170, 1180-81, 1185 £45 8s 4d £11 7s 1d
Bishop's Castle 1167 £13 6s 8d £13 6s 8d
Bridgnorth 1174, 1182, 1186-87 £17 17s 7d £4 9s 5d
Bristol 1182, 1184, 1186 £27 4s 5d £9 1s 6d
Cambridge 1157-58 £2 5s 2d £1 2s 7d
Cardiff 1185, 1188 £10 14s 4d £5 7s 2d
Carisbrooke 1179 £5 7s 3d £5 7s 3d
Carlisle 1168, 1187 £2 10s £1 5s
Carreghofa 1160 3s 4d 3s 4d
Chepstow 1185 £20 16s £10 8s
Colchester 1161, 1180, 1182 £38 10s 8d £12 16s 11d
Corfe 1162 2s 2s
Cymaron 1179 £10 £10
Dorchester 1186-87 £35 6s 6d £17 13s 3d
Dover 1160, 1175 £7 18s 8d £3 19s 4d
Eye 1178-80, 1182, 1186-87 £9 11s 7d £1 11s 11d
Gloucester 1163, 1178, 1182-83, 1188 £54 11s 7d £10 18s 4d
Grosmont 1163 £6 12s 5d £6 12s 5d
Hereford 1163, 1165, 1173, 1178, 1182-83, 1187-88 £58 4s 11d £7 5s 7d
Hertford 1184 £1 £1
Kenfig 1185 £30 19s 6d £15 9s 9d
Kenilworth 1181, 1184 £32 6s 4d £16 3s 2d
Kington 1187 10s 10s
Launceston 1182, 1184, 1188 £22 6s £7 8s 8d
Leicester 1176-77 £2 11s 9d £1 5s 11d
Lincoln 1184, 1188 £2 10s 6d £1 5s 3d
Manchester 1184, 1186-87 £7 18s 7d £2 12s 10d
Neath 1185, 1188 £2 £1
Newcastle under Lyme 1174 £1 6s 8d £1 6s 8d
Newport, Gwent 1185 £6 13s 10d £6 13s 10d
Northampton 1177-78 £92 10s 7d £46 5s 4d
Northampton keep repair 1174, 1182-83 £115 2s 3d £38 7s 5d
Norwich 1175-76, 1184, 1188 £39 12s 4d £9 18s 1d
Norwich keep 1176 £20 £20
Nottingham 1163, 1184 £31 16s 2d £10 12s 1d
Nottingham keep 1188 10s 4d 10s 4d
Odiham 1165 £5 £5
Orford 1188 £10 12s 2d £10 12s 2d
Oswestry 1167 £2 £2
Oxford 1163, 1174, 1181, 1184-85, 1187 £52 4d £8 13s 5d
Pembroke 1188 £2 19s 6d £2 19s 6d
Pevensey 1188 £5 18s 4d £5 18s 4d
Pevensey keep 1180 £3 10s £3 10s
Portchester 1174 £2 £2
Richmond 1187 £11 11s £11 11s
Rockingham 1188 £2 9s £2 9s
Salisbury 1174, 1179, 1185 £51 14s 8d £17 4s 11d
Scarborough 1188 £16 7s 4d £16 7s 4d
Sheffield 1184-85 £10 6s 8d £5 3s 4d
Shrawardine 1187 19s 1d 19s 1d
Shrewsbury 1181, 1183, 1186-87 £30 3s 6d £7 10s 11d
Skenfrith 1163, 1188 £21 4s £10 12s
Southampton 1162 £16 £16
Swansea 1187 £13 6s 8d £13 6s 8d
Swineshead 1186-87 £2 5s 8d £1 2s 10d
Tower of London bailey 1172 £21 £21
Tower of London 1173, 1175-76, 1178, 1181-84 £120 19s 11d £15 2s 6d
Usk 1185 £10 3s £10 3s
Walton 1173 £7 15s 7d £7 15s 7d
White Castle 1163 £6 12s 5d £6 12s 5d
Winchester 1162, 1165, 1173-74, 1186-88 £45 19s 8d £6 11s 5d
Windsor 1174 £20 £20
Wisbeck 1173 £1 7s £1 7s
Wolvesey 1158 £6 1s £6 1s
Worcester 1179, 1182-83 £18 14s 4d £6 4s 9d



 

Copyright©2021 Paul Martin Remfry


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