The earliest visible features comprise the late C11 fragments of a hall in the west bailey and the wall surrounding the inner ward. The ashlar built keep is dated to circa 1105 and the 'Gloriette' is an early C13 courtyard mansion with C15 addition which was built to supplement or replace accomadation in the keep. The enciente retains a defensive system of walls and murial towers mainly of the early and late C13. During the Civil War the castle was besieged and slighted. Foundations of a possible pre Conquest building revealed in excavation in the west bailey possibly represents either a 'hospitium' belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey or a royal residence associated with King Edward who was murdered at 'Corfegeat' in 978.

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Name	Corfe Castle
Alternative Names	Corfegeat
Historic County	Dorset
Civil Parish	Corfe Castle
Type	Masonry Castle Palace
Confidence	Certain
Remains	Major
Listed	Grade 1
Scheduled Ancient Monument	Yes
Ordnance Survey Reference	SY959823
Eastings	395900
Northing	82300
Images of England Reference	109274
PastScape Reference	456826
Historic Environment Record	112170*0

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StreetMaps

Books

• Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p16-21
• Pomeroy, Colin, 1998, Discover Dorset Castles and Forts (Dovecote Press)p15-21
• Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p64-5
• Wilton, Phil, 1995, Castles of Dorset (Wimborne)
• James, T.B., 1990, The Palaces of Medieval England (London; Seaby) p18, 94
• King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p126-7
• Bankes, G. (edited and abridged by E Hardy), 1983, The story of Corfe Castle: collected from ancient chronicles and records. (London: Regency Press) [paperback, Dovecote Press, Wimborne, 1988*]
• Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p214-6
• Penn, K.J., 1980, Historic towns in Dorset (Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society monograph series No.1) p44-45
• Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
• Pevsner, N. and Newman J., 1972, Buildings of England: Dorset (London) p161-6
• RCHME, 1970, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset. Vol2: south-east (HMSO) p57-78 plates 74-87 and 90-1 [plan at end]
• Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p616-624
• Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p86-8, 151
• Toy, Sidney, 1939, Castles: A short History of Fortifications from 1600 BC to AD 1600 (London) p189-90
• Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p135-8
• Evans, Herbert A., 1912, Castles of England and Wales (London) p75-88
• Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
• Bankes, 1907, in Perkins and Pentin, Memories of Old Dorset (London) p200-21 [history only]
• Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p241-5
• Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p461-75 [Reprint of 1866 article]
• Bond, T., 1883, History and Description of Corfe Castle in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset (London)
• Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p453-65
• Hutchins, J., 1861-73 (3edn), History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset (Blandford) Vol1 p469-511
• Brannon, P., 1860, The Illustrated, Historical and Picturesque Guide to Corfe Castle (London)
• Bankes, G., 1853, The Story of Corfe Castle (London)
• A Near Resident, 1829, An Historical and Architectural Description of Corfe Castle (Poole)
• Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p74
• Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol2 p71-80

Antiquarian

• William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#dorset4]

Journals

• Anon, 2007, 'Corfe Castle Repairs' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol20 p141 [news report]
• Reeve, M.M. and Thurlby, M., 2005, 'King John's Gloriette at Corfe Castle' Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians Vol64 p168-85
• Papworth, Martin, 1999, 'Corfe Castle, photogrammetric survey' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol121 p151
• Papworth, Martin, 1998, 'Corfe Castle, photogrammetric survey' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol120 p110
• Grace, Nancy and Papworth, Martin, 1997, 'Corfe Castle, inner ward, interim report 1997' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol119 p164-5
• Grace, Nancy and Papworth, Martin, 1996, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1996' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol118 p138-9
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1995, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1995' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol117 p128
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1994, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1994' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol116 p123
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1993, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1993' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol115 p151-2
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1992, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1992' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol114 p238-9
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1991, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1991, interim report' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol113 p175
• Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1990, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1990, interim report' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol112 p125
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1989, 'Excavations at Corfe Castle 1989, interim report' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol111 p114
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1988, ‘Corfe Castle, outer gatehouse excavations 1988 – interim report’ Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol110 p156
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1988, ‘Corfe Castle, west bailey excavations 1988 – interim report’ Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol110 p156-7
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1987, 'Corfe Castle, outer gatehouse excavations 1986. Interim report' Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol109 p136
• Thackray, David and Papworth, Martin, 1987, ‘Corfe Castle, west bailey excavations 1987. Interim report’ Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol109 p136
• Hughes, Quentin, 1987 'English Civil War fortifications' Fort Vol15 p55
• Morley, B.M., 1983, ‘Corfe Castle’ Archaeological Journal Vol140 p54-8
• Casada, J.A., 1973, 'Corfe Castle, New Evidence on the Second Siege' Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries Vol29 p296-299
• Faulkner, P.A., 1964, 'Castle Planning in the 14th Century' Archaeological Journal Vol120 p216 [on domestic arrangements]
• RCHME., 1960, 'Excavations in the West bailey at Corfe Castle' Medieval Archaeology Vol4 p29-55 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
• Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
• Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles

Guidebooks

• Yarrow, A., 2005 (Reprint with corrections), Corfe Castle (London: National Trust)
• Thackray, D., 1988 (Rev edn), Corfe Castle, Dorset (London: National Trust)
• Thackray, D., 1987 (Rev edn), Corfe Castle, Dorset (London: National Trust)
• Tinniswood, A., 1987, Corfe Castle: 1000 years of history (London: National Trust)
• Thackray, D., 1985, Corfe Castle, Dorset (London: National Trust)
• Bond, T., 1883, History and Description of Corfe Castle (London and Bournemouth)

Primary Sources

• Sewell, R.C. (ed), 1846, Gesta Stephani, Regis Anglorum et Ducis Normannorum p54 http://books.google.com/books?id=MK8KAAAAYAAJ
• Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p180-3