A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



Outside this wall was a moat which, together 

 with the chemise, was crossed by four walls 

 ascending the mound. Two of these walls exist, 

 and the foundations of a third have been found, 

 but all trace of the fourth is lost. 



The north wall descending to the west from 

 the north-west angle of the keep is on the line 

 of the main outer defensive wall of the castle 

 and city, and doubtless includes much early 

 work, though the facing is chiefly of the 13th 

 century and later. There are remains of several 

 arrow slits in the form of a cross, one partially 

 exposed, being contained in a recess in the wall, 

 open to the south'* and arched over by a series 

 of corbel stones. At the bottom of the mound 

 is a triangular turret of 13th-century date, with 

 the square outlet and sloping sill of a latrine. 

 There is no access to this turret at the present 

 time. Along the top of this wall above the 

 recess was the stair" forming the only access to 

 the keep, the latter being entered by a draw- 

 bridge. The second existing wall ascends 

 the mound from the castle gate, and formed a 

 portion of the south screen wall ; the portion 

 between the gate and the chemise is entirely 

 modern, but the part ascending the mound 

 undoubtedly contains a good deal of original 

 work refaced at various periods. The wall was 

 at one time considerably higher and was pro- 

 bably reduced to its present dimensions during 

 the episcopate of Bishop Egerton (1772-87).** 

 That it was a strongly defensible wall is shown 

 by the existence of the lower portion of four 

 large buttress turrets in its short length. The 

 third wall, the foundations of which, 12 ft. in 

 thickness, exist under the soil of the mound, 

 was the wall completing the line at the main 

 defences running up from the north gate to 

 the north-east angle of the keep. The fourth 

 wall is supposed to have joined the south-east 

 angle of the keep with the east end of the church, 

 and is known to have been erected by Bishop 

 Flambard. 



The original mound, as already stated, was 

 possibly thrown up by Bishop Walcher (1071-80) 

 and crowned by a wooden palisade and tower, 

 which has been succeeded by three later keeps. 



™ May be seen in several old prints. It is indicated 

 in an engraving of the keep. 



" ' The approach to the gate of Tower was by a 

 long flight of steps, from the inner court, — so narrow, 

 that two persons only could pass at a time.' — Hutchin- 

 son, op. cit. ii, 366. 



*" Drawing in the possession of the Very Rev. 

 Henry Gee, Dean of Gloucester — entitled ' Design 

 given to Bishop Egerton for the Octagon Tower at 

 Durham Castle.' It shows the wall reduced to about 

 its present height, and by dotted lines the height of 

 the wall as apparently existing at that time. A 

 plan, Plate H, shows the wall joining on to the 

 keep. 



The first, built by Bishop Flambard, consisted 

 of a ring wall, probably inclosing the then 

 existing wooden tower, and is mentioned by 

 Laurence. The second was built by Bishop 

 Hatfield (1345-81), and the present one by the 

 University in 1840. The existing keep forms 

 an irregular octagon on plan measuring 76 ft. by 

 65 ft., and is supposed to have been rebuilt upon 

 the foundations of Hatfield's keep. A good deal 

 of the old material was re-used, including a few 

 of the old quoins on the west side. The 

 dressings are, however, generally new and of 

 Penshaw stone. Each angle is covered by a 

 square buttress springing from the main pro- 

 jecting base course, and surmounted by imita- 

 tion machicolated turrets rising slightly above 

 the embattled parapet. The flagstaff turret 

 at the north-west angle, over the point where 

 the north wall joins the keep, denotes the 

 position of a tower defending the entrance both 

 to the Norman and the 14th-century keep. 

 The interior of the keep is entirely modern, 

 consisting of a basement for storage purposes, 

 and three other floors divided into sets of 

 students' rooms, each set consisting of bedroom 

 and sitting room. The various floors are con- 

 nected by a central well staircase lighted from 

 the roof. There are no remains existing above 

 ground of the vaults or other work mentioned 

 by Hutchinson in his description of the remains 

 of Hatfield's keep, and it is evident that a clean 

 sweep must have been made when the rebuilding 

 was commenced. 



Fortunately there are several views of Hat- 

 field's keep as it existed in the early part of the 

 19th century and before. The best of them are 

 a picture in the castle common room, dated 1842, 

 and a view from the north-east by Bryne, dated 

 1 799, which shows that there were no windows 

 on the exposed northern face and that the 

 north wall between the keep and the north gate 

 had disappeared before Bryne's time. 



Hutchinson" describes the keep in the follow- 

 ing words : — 



Durham Tower, an ill-formed octagon of irregular 

 sides ; some of the fronts exceeding others in breadth 

 several feet ; the angles are supported by buttresses. 

 & a parapet has run round the summit of the whole 

 building with a breast wall and embrasure ; the dia- 

 meter of this Tower in the widest part is 63 ft. 6 in. 

 & in the narrowest part 61 ft. ; It has contained 

 four stories or tiers of apartments, exclusive of the 

 vaults ; The great Entrance is on the west side ; 

 there is nothing now left of this edifice, but the 

 mount, vaults and outside shell ; which latter, from 

 its noble appearance, & the great ornament it is to 

 the city, has been an object of attention of many of the 

 prelates. 



Indeed from the whole mode of architecture, the 

 roses which ornament the summits of the buttresses 



81 Hutchinson, op. cit. 



90 



