Rufus Castle (The Gatehouse Record)

Description

Rufus Castle, an irregular pentagonal tower with walls of roughly squared rubble and no roof, may be a rebuilding of the castle which was captured by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, in 1142. The present building is probably mainly of the late C15. The walls to the north and west stand to their full height and retain at the top a number of shaped corbels for a machicolated parapet, but part of the south-east wall, which is thinner, has broken away. To the south-west is a gateway with four-centred, arched head; to the north is a C19 gateway with a round-arched head approached by a bridge of the same date. In the south-east wall is a chamfered stone jamb of a doorway which has been closed up. In the north and west walls, at first-floor level, are five embrasures, splayed internally under segmental rear arches, with circular gunports. Outside the south gateway are the remains of stone footings and there are said to have been further buildings to the east, where the cliff has fallen away (RCHME).
The pentagonal tower of Bow and Arrow Castle overlooking Church Ope Cove has late Medieval gunholes, but rests uncomfortably on an earlier foundation (to the north) and stepped plinth (to the west) which may have been a C12 keep (Renn; Scheduling Report).
The gunports consist simply of a hole bored through a single ashlar slab, and are typically 15th century ( Fort 1980). (PastScape)

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1257 Dec 12 (Click on the date for details of this licence.).
A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1259 Feb 7.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Scheduled Monument Number 1002698, Legacy Scheduled Monument Number do51
National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1280727
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 451726.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 4 001 007.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- Wikipedia entry
  CastlesFortsBattle.co.uk
  Charles Taylor's ecastles
  Explore the South West Coast Path
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 26
  Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press) p. 32,34-36
  Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p. 167
  Wilton, P., 1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 66-7
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 125, 129
  Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p. 288
  Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 113
  Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  Pevsner, N. and Newman, J., 1972, Buildings of England: Dorset (London) p. 342
  RCHME, 1970, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset Vol. 2: south-east (HMSO) p. 252-3 no. 7 (plan) online transcription
  Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 1 p. 239 online copy
  Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol. 3 Part 2 p. 402 online copy
Periodical Articles
- Hunt, A., 1983, 'Rufus or Bow and Arrow Castle, Portland' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 140 p. 74
  Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 138 p. 219-20
  1980, Fort Vol. 8 p. 5
  King, D.J.C., 1947, 'Bow and Arrow Castle, Portland' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol. 69 p. 65-67
  Pentin, H., 1916, 'Old Portland' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol. 37 p. 230-233 online copy
  Symonds, H., 1914, 'Sandsfoot and Portland Castles' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol. 35 p. 27-40 online copy
  Head, J.Merrick, 1891, 'Portland: Historical Notes, Descent of the Manor, etc.' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol. 12 p. 121-124 online copy
Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
- Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1910, Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry III (1258-66) Vol. 5 p. 11 online copy
  Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1908, Calendar of Patent Rolls Henry III (1247-58) Vol. 4 p. 607 online copy
  Potter, K.R. (ed), 1955, The Historia Novella of William of Malmesbury (Nelson's Medieval Texts) p. 76 (eodemquea impetu insulam Portland, quam incastellauerant, subegit) (A revised edition by Edmund King (Oxford University Press, 1999) should also be consulted)
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p. 136
  Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 252 online copy
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Historic England, 2016, Heritage at Risk South West Register 2016 (London: Historic England) p. 152 online copy
  Historic England, 2015, Heritage at Risk South West Register 2015 (London: Historic England) p. 153 online copy
  English Heritage, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 162 online copy
  English Heritage, 2013, Heritage at Risk Register 2013 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 156 online copy
  English Heritage, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 172 online copy
  English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 157 online copy
  English Heritage, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 154 online copy
  English Heritage, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 South West (London: English Heritage) p. 158 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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