A FEW NOTES ON BAMPTON CASTLE, Oxfordshire Neil Guy THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-16126 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 32: 2018-19 A few notes on Bampton castle, Oxfordshire Fig. 1. The West front. From a sketch by Anthony Wood, 1664 (Bod. Lib. MS Wood E 1 f. 12). Engraved by Michael Burghers, and published in Thomas Hearne’s ‘Life of Wood’. 1726. (Blair (1998) fig. 5 and VCH XIII (1996), 24) Fig. 2. The West front. True to scale interpretation of Wood’s sketch in the light of surviving remains. Reproduced courtesy and © John Blair. (From John Blair’s ‘Bampton Castle’ Bampton Research Paper 1, 1988). Fig.3. Survey Drawing, 1987. Repro- duced courtesy and © John Blair THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-16127 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 32: 2018-19 A few notes on Bampton castle, Oxfordshire A FEW NOTES ON BAMPTON CASTLE, Oxfordshire Abstract Bampton, near Witney, Oxfordshire, is a castle that was developed in the first quarter of the fourteenth century from earlier beginnings. (For details see Emery, GMH Vol III, 55-58). Aymer de Valence (1275-1324), Earl of Pembroke, obtained a licence to crenellate in 1315. It is uncertain how much was accomplished before he died in 1324. An initial analysis of the site and the remaining fabric was made by Dr. John Blair (1988). A further visit was made by the writer and Neil Ludlow to look at specific components of the remaining west gatehouse block with a view to clarifying any construction that may have been initiated by Aymer (figs. 4-6). This research related to potential build dates, function, sources and affinities of various architectural/constructional elements. Rather than any kind of compre- hensive review of the whole site, the aim was to concentrate on just a few specific features of the gatehouse group of buildings that may not have previously been documented or commented on in such great detail. The six areas examined are as follows: A: The spiral stair and stair turret. B: The gatehouse vaulting C: The gatehouse entry and exit arches; D: The traceried two-light transomed window facing the courtyard E: The arrow loops and curtain walls; F: Chamfer stops & fireplaces. All potential diagnostic features. The gatehouse spiral stair and octagonal winders are generally cut from one solid stair turret section of masonry which are laid on each Polygonal staircase turrets gained currency other partially by overlap but the strength in the late 13th century (e.g. Goodrich, comes also from the widest outer section Herefordshire) and developed greatly in the being embedded into the containing 14th century. In many cases early staircases cylindrical wall. This technology replaced the were accessed from doors placed outside and vaulted spiral stair introduced by the Normans to the rear of the entry gate-passage which continued in England until c. 1220 and (Goodrich). Bampton is an example of a a little later in west Wales. The wear on the single clockwise staircase accessed from winders (in many cases re-laid by overlaying within and to the rear end of the gate-passage; thinner slabs in the outer sections) seems to in this regard it is similar to many Edwardian- indicate the steps are original to the early 14th era castles from the 1270s onwards (e.g. century. The central newel also looks original. Tonbridge, Harlech 1280s) (figs. 1-6). The The surprise comes with the underside of stair winder widths are generous, and this is the steps (figs. 7-9). Usually the angular a feature of high-status spiral or vice stairs. under-treads are left exposed, although they They are 1.2m wide and about 18-20 cm high can have a narrow chamfer along the outer - an average height. Service stair risers are underside of the step, such as Tattershall usually a lot higher, sometimes up to 30 cm (Lincs.) (1440s) (fig. 12). At Bampton the (12 inches); extreme examples include chamfer has been cut right back to form a Tonbridge gatehouse (30 cms) and Wressle continuous, smooth, sinuous clockwise (33 cms). What is particularly unusual at curving spiral - so seamless that the joints Bampton is the design of the rear side of the are almost invisible. An examination spiral stairs (i.e. the underside of the stair suggested that under the paint or plaster the treads). The steps are ‘cut-slab’ that is, the stone is tooled and cut in this form - a very THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-16128 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 32: 2018-19 A few notes on Bampton castle, Oxfordshire Fig. 4. ABOVE: Part view of the Bampton complex. Gatehouse, and stair turret, courtyard side - centre - with lodging block - right - and the 1870s Victorian house - left. View from the ‘Mound’ looking west. Fig. 5. BELOW Left: Courtyard side: detail of the blocked up gate-passage with inserted floor. Fig. 6. BELOW Right, the early 14th century two-light transomed window with flowing tracery. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-16129 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 32: 2018-19 A few notes on Bampton castle, Oxfordshire Figs. 7, 8: ABOVE: Left & Right: Maxstoke Castle: narrow spiral ‘cut-slab’ stair in the front (south) gatehouse turret, c. 1340s. BELOW: Left: Fig. 9. Bampton gatehouse. Cut-slab spiral staircase within the attached semi-octagonal turret. Right: Fig. 10. Blarney tower house, c. 1480. The north-east main cut-slab spiral stair with generous winders approx 1.3m wide. No newel. Very slight chamfer on the reverse side of the steps. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-16130 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 32: 2018-19 A few notes on Bampton castle, Oxfordshire Fig. 11. Clonshire hall-house, Co. Limerick, Ire- Fig. 12. Tattershall castle. ‘Cut-slab’ spiral land. ‘Cut-slab’ sinuous spiral stair, c. 17th cen- stair, c. 1440s with a chamfer on the under- tury stair tower extension. sides. Countersunk handrail. Fig. 13. Below: Battle Abbey gatehouse, built c. 1338. Pedestrian and main cart / traffic two-bay dual vaults supported by sidewall columnar shafts with capitals. No portcullis. Image © Trustees of the British Library. Artist: Samuel Hieronymus Grimm; watercolour,1783, Shelfmark: Addi- tional MS 5670, Item number: f. 39 (no. 75). Reproduced with thanks. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-16131 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 32: 2018-19 A few notes on Bampton castle, Oxfordshire elegant and rare finish. The only other Vaulting: The gate-passage two-bay directly comparable example is found in the vaulting and the entry arches gatehouse at Maxstoke castle General two-bay quadri/octopartite (Warwickshire), c. 1340-50s. (Castle Studies vaulting fits stylistically into the late 13th Group Journal 25, 144-151). Here the and 14th century. Having said that, castle interlocking sculpted winders are also gatehouse vaulting (as opposed to church embedded and chamfered seamlessly (figs. & ecclesiastical roof & hall porch vaulting) 7-8). Unlike Bampton it is in a forward of this particular type, at this early 14th octagonal stair turret of the twin-towered century date, remains extremely rare. What gatehouse - which also includes a ‘stellar’ is clear is that up to this time (say 1315-20) vaulted gate-passage. Blarney castle, (Co. and even up to the 1340s, e.g. at Alnwick Cork), a tower house dated to the 1480s, (Northumberland) castle’s outer gate, any includes a superb example of a wide (and major castle gate-passage, if vaulted, newel-less spiral stair with sculpted rear would have been of the muscular winders (fig. 10). Another good example, transverse rib-vault type - like Goodrich, although late, is Clonshire Hall-house, Co. St. Briavels (partly destroyed) and the Limerick (fig. 11), (CSG Journal 23, 28, 29). majority of the Edwardian castles; that is, The date of this is problematic, but it is substantial military-gauge individual probably 17th century. Many well known straight transverse ribs with a chamfer. late-14th and 15th-century prestigious iconic set-piece castles such as Warwick, Old The more delicate quadripartite diagonal Wardour and Tattershall do not include this ribbed vaulting for gatehouses was elegant feature of accomplished precision unknown in any castle at this time (1315- construction. Another late medieval example 20), but seen quite regularly in chapels, of a staircase that does is Oxburgh Hall oratories and high-status small, intimate (Norfolk) (1480s), but this is of wide rubbed- chambers. Bampton’s vaulting appears brick construction, which takes takes us back primary (fig. 3), marking, together, to a renaissance of vaulting techniques. perhaps, with Okehampton’s gate-passage (partially destroyed), the earliest use of this The skills and talents for creating smooth, construction format in any English castle sinuous, sculpted undersides of spiral stairs gate-passage. It was not until about the appear to have originated, possibly as early 1340s-50s period that similar ribbed as the 12th century, and one famous example quadripartite vaults gained traction in is the ‘Vis Abbaye de Saint Gilles du Gard’ higher-status castle gatehouses, and are near Arles in Provence. The exquisite seen at: Battle Abbey’s two-bay gatehouse geometry and quality of the stone steps, (fig. 13, 1338-40) (Coad, 2017); Wells vaulting and newel attracted craftsmen from Bishop’s Palace gatehouse, (1340s; all over Europe, who marked their visit to the quadripartite); Maxstoke, 1340-50s, with stair with engraved graffiti paying homage its two-bay stellar vault pattern (figs. 14- to it. Student masons also made the 16), (and Emery links Maxstoke with pilgrimage and made models of the stair as Bampton - see GMH Vol. III, 56); Cradle their masterpiece for their masters.