
Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been constructed on the site at some time in the century following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This was destroyed in the Second Barons’ War. Construction of a second castle, this time in stone, began four years later in 1270.
Castle Site Timeline
1086
Domesday Book records Earl Waltheof, (Anglo-Saxon) Lord of Hallamshire, having a hall, believed to be on the site of the later castle
c. 1120
William de Lovetot (a Norman) becomes Lord of Hallamshire and is believed to have built a castle
1184
First reference to ‘Castellum de Seldfeld’ (Sheffield Castle)
1266
Sheffield Castle destroyed by supporters of Simon de Montfort’s rebellion
1270
The charter was given for Thomas De Furnival to ‘crenellate’ the caste which was then completed in 1270
1442
A ‘Great Tower’ was recorded at the site, also a Great Tower, Great Gate, a bakehouse, kitchen, prison and ‘a hospiteum’
1400’s
Ownership passed from the De Furnivals to the Nevilles and then to John Talbot, renowned figure of the Hundred Years War
15th cent
Sheffield manor court rolls record expenditure on repairs to the castle
1570
Mary Queen of Scots arrives a prisoner at the Castle and stays for 14 years
1582
Inventory of household goods of George, Earl of Shrewsbury, describes the castle and its contents
1586
Inventory of armour in the castle
1637
John Harrison’s survey gives a precise description of the castle
1642
Sir John Gell’s Parliamentary forces occupy the castle
1643
Royalist forces retake the castle
1644
Following heavy bombardment the Royalist forces surrender
1646
House of Commons resolves to make the castle untenable
1647
House of Commons resolves to demolish the castle
1648
Castle demolished (although parts of the footprint of the castle remains)
1736
Ralph Gosling’s map of Sheffield depicts a walled bowling green on the castle site
1800’s
The site becomes developed with small steel and tool works, cementation furnaces and slaughter houses on both the north and east sides
1927 – 1930
Castle Markets excavated
1972
In her role as Keeper of Antiquities at Sheffield City Museum, Pauline Beswick records exposed features of the castle on the north facing slope
1994
South Yorkshire Archaeology Service undertake a structural survey of the remains
2000/2001
ARCUS (Archaeological Research and Consultancy University of Sheffield) undertook a substantial body of evaluation work on site, including several trenches revealing remains of the castle and moat in the north and east of the site
2018
Evaluation trenching undertaken by Wessex Archaeology