Monument record 1160/1/13 - The Great Gate, Northampton Castle

The north gate was the main entry into the castle. It is mentioned in accounts of Becket's trial in 1164 and further mentions include repairing the drawbridge in the mid 13th century and a portcullis in the later 14th century. Parts of the building were identified during excavations in the 19th century and in the 1960s.

{1}Contemporary accounts of Thomas Becket's trial in 1164 mention The Great Gate;

{2}"....rode through gate of castle....";

{3} On inside of drawbridge stood Great Gate of castle which stood only yards from present gateway from St Peter's Rectory; over gateway was portcullis;

{4} Mentions portcullis;

{5} Gate through which Thomas Becket passed during trial; The bailey is now traversed by St. Andrew's Road. At the spot where it would cross the northern part of the moat was the northern or principal entrance. The jamb of the gateway here was discovered in 1883;

{6} Trench to check survival of main gate of castle; fragment of structure four courses high revealed & was found to be in same state as when painted in mid C19th;

{7} Water colour of mid C19th shows surviving fragments of gatehouse at that date; painting found by H.Frost;

{8} Accounts of Becket's trial mention Great Gate; mentions repairs to bridge;

{10} Main gate re-located;

{11} Great Gate faced north & lay across what is now St Andrew's Road;

{12} Accounts of Becket's trial mention great gate; only building to be accurately located; north gate protected by barbican earthworks was always main entrance to inner bailey; repairs documented in 1257 & portcullis referred to during reign of Richard II; gatehouse also clearly shown on map of 1610; fragments of building revealed in C19th & 1960s; located beneath modern St Andrew's Road; little known of gatehouse part of east gate photographed in C19th shows probable portcullis groove;

{13} Gatehouse clearly shown on map;

{16, 17} In 1227 castle bridge repaired;

{18} A ground-penetrating radar survey identified various anomalies in the area of the north gate. A number of anomalies relating to walls at a shallow depth likely represent a barn that stood here in the 19th-century (depicted by Law), but other, more deeply buried, walls may relate to a gatehouse structure. A curving anomaly with a projected diameter of 13m is more difficult to interpret as it lies where the castle ditch should be.

<1> GIGGINS B.L., 1995, Notes on Northampton Castle, 1 (Unpublished Report). SNN4034.

<2> FREEMAN, 1860, The Gentleman's Magazine (1860), p.385-88 (unchecked) (Article). SNN4348.

<3> Serjeantson R.M., 1908, The Castle of Northampton, p.56 (checked) (Article). SNN3900.

<4> ENROLLED ACCOUNTS (FOREIGN), (unchecked) (Document). SNN4318.

<5> Page W. (ed), 1930, The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire- The Borough of Northampton, p.33-34 (checked) (Series). SNN100370.

<6> Alexander J., 1961-1964, Northampton Castle excavations 1961-1964 (Unpublished Report). SNN3868.

<7> 1850, PAINTINGS, (unchecked) (Illustration). SNN3778.

<8> Brown R.A.; Colvin H.M.; Taylor, 1963, The History of The Kings' Works (Vol.II), p.750-53 (checked) (Series). SNN3801.

<9> KNOWLES D., 1951, THE EPISCOPAL COLLEAGUES OF ARCHBISHOP THOMAS BECKET, 169-70 (Uncertain). SNN56571.

<10> Wilson D.M.; Gillian Hurst D., 1965, Medieval Britain in 1964, p.191 (checked) (Notes). SNN3819.

<11> 1967, The Castle of Northampton, (checked) (Article). SNN3830.

<12> Chapman A., Northampton Castle: A Review of The Evidence, (checked) (Unpublished Report). SNN2966.

<13> Speed J., 1610, Map of Northamptonshire, (checked) (Map). SNN559.

<14> PHOTOGRAPHS, (unchecked) (Photographs). SNN52351.

<15> Calendar of Liberate Rolls, 1226-40/44 (unchecked) (Document). SNN3497.

<16> Calendar of Pipe Rolls, 11 Henry II rot.10d (unchecked) (Document). SNN3785.

<17> Calendar of Close Rolls (undated), 42 Henry III/M.10 (unchecked) (Document). SNN2187.

<18> Walford, J and Chapman, A, 2017, Archaeological geophysical survey on the site of Northampton Castle, St Andrew’s Road, Northampton, May 2017 (Report). SNN112320.

Record last edited

Apr 1 2025 4:00PM