Battlefields›Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216
Medieval

Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216

1216
Nottinghamshire, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Nottinghamshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Rebel baronial forces (previously under Gilbert de Gant)
VS
Victor
Royalist forces (held for King John)
Outcome
Castle recovered by Royalist forces in 1216; King John subsequently died there on the night of 18/19 October 1216.
The Battle

History & Significance

Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216 was a medieval siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought at Nottinghamshire, England in 1216. Royalist forces (held for King John) prevailed over Rebel baronial forces (previously under Gilbert de Gant). Castle recovered by Royalist forces in 1216; King John subsequently died there on the night of 18/19 October 1216.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216 lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

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Everything a full report reveals about Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216

This page covers Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216

Newark Castle
Newark Castle
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Newark Castle is a late medieval fortress located in Newark, Nottinghamshire, overlooking the River Trent. Built in the late twelfth century, the castle was founded by the Archbishop of York and consists of a substantial stone keep surrounded by curtain walls, representing a significant example o…

David Ingham from Lancashire, England / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Standing cross known as Beaumond Cross
Standing cross known as Beaumond Cross
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

Beaumond Cross is a medieval standing cross located in Nottinghamshire, England, and forms part of the historic landscape of the county. The monument dates to the medieval period, a time when such crosses served important functions as market markers, meeting points, or waymarkers within settlemen…

Alan Murray-Rust / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Civil War town defences within the Friary Garden
Civil War town defences within the Friary Garden
Scheduled monument · ~0.4 mi

I do not have sufficient established scholarly information about Civil War town defences specifically within the Friary Garden at this Nottinghamshire site to write with the precision required. Rather than risk inaccuracy concerning the physical character, dating, or historical significance of th…

Jonathan Thacker / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Queen's Sconce
Queen's Sconce
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 mi

Queen's Sconce is a Civil War earthwork fortification located near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire. Constructed during the English Civil War, likely in the 1640s, it represents one of the defensive works erected to protect Newark, a strategically important garrison town held by Royalist forces…

Simon Tomson / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Iron Age settlement
Iron Age settlement
Scheduled monument · ~2.5 mi

Iron Age settlement is a scheduled ancient monument in Nottinghamshire comprising archaeological remains of Iron Age date. The site represents evidence of settlement activity during the Iron Age period, when communities in the East Midlands occupied and exploited the landscape for agriculture and…

Standing cross 140m north of The Old Hall
Standing cross 140m north of The Old Hall
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Standing cross 140m north of The Old Hall is a medieval stone cross located in Nottinghamshire. The monument is registered on the National Heritage List for England under entry number 1018130. As a standing cross, it represents a category of religious or commemorative monument typical of the medi…

Milestone Society / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Newark town wall (Lombard Street)
Scheduled monument · ~0.1 miles
Civil War sconce 650m north west of Devon Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Siege of Newark Castle, First Barons' War 1216

Skirmish at Newark
1487
~0.1 miles away
Siege of Newark
1646
~0.2 miles away
Battle of Stoke (Field) 1487
1487
~4.4 miles away
Belvoir Castle Royalist Garrison Sortie 1643
1643
~12.4 miles away
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