History of Auckland Castle
It is thought that the earliest extant parts of Auckland Castle were commissioned by Bishop Hugh de Puiset who was Bishop of Durham between 1153 and 1195. Nothing at all is known of the earlier history of the site, though the promontory location is suggestive. Puiset is remembered as an important figure in the history of Durham, and a Bishop who built extensively, ultimately shaping the architectural character of the diocese and region. He is associated with extensive building projects such as Ushaw College (Co. Durham), Durham Cathedral (Co. Durham) and Norham Castle (Northumberland).
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At Auckland Castle, the only known surviving part of Puiset’s early building is his Great Hall, which has since become St Peter’s Chapel. The great hall was a defining feature of medieval house design, and was used for gathering, dining and entertaining. It stands to reason that the hall was accompanied by a suite of connecting rooms that facilitated the use of this space, which would have included: kitchens, butteries, pantries and other chambers. We know from documentary sources that during the later 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, Auckland Park, now known as Deer Park, was one of the Bishop’s key hunting grounds alongside others in Weardale, Stockton and Darlington. On that basis alone, we might expect Auckland Castle to contain a range of other spaces to help with its use for hunting. These might have included stables, outhouses and lodges. Today, none of these additional spaces survive and we can only guess at what Auckland Castle might have looked like during these early years. One of the aims of this project is to target areas which are thought to contain the below-ground remains of some of the early phases of Auckland Castle. In this way, we might be able to gain a better idea of the precise nature and extent of the earliest building.
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During the later 13th century, Bishop Antony Bek (1283-1311) extended Auckland Castle through a vast construction programme including the wing that now contains the Throne Room (West range). Historic documents tell us that Bek ‘encastellated’ the site, building chambers, a chapel and other rooms. No contemporary sources tell us what this building would have looked like but we have gained significant knowledge of Bek’s Auckland Castle from later documents that detail its partial destruction.
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During the Commonwealth period (1649-1660), most bishops’ houses in England and Wales, were sold by Parliament. Auckland Castle came into the possession of the eminent Parliamentarian, Sir Arthur Haselrigge (1601-1661). Haselrigge acquired multiple properties that had previously been owned by the Bishops of Durham. He was an influential figure in the north of England, serving as the Governor of Newcastle and holding an important role in the events surrounding the Battle of Dunbar. Very little is known about Haselrigge’s time owning Auckland Castle, but following the restoration of Auckland Castle to the Bishops of Durham in 1660, we know plenty about the repairs that were conducted at the building by Bishop John Cosin (1660-1672). These documents provide insightful glimpses into the state of Auckland Castle following Haselrigge’s ownership.
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Who were the Bishop's of Durham and what did they do?
During the medieval period, the role of a Bishop was to manage the running of the Church within their diocese. In medieval Britain, the country was divided into 26 dioceses, and each of these was headed by a Bishop. In turn, the Bishop was responsible for all abbots, deans, monks, nuns and other clergy beneath him. The Bishop also communicated with other Bishops, Archbishops, the Pope and the King or Queen.
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The Bishops of Durham were somewhat different from other bishops because they were responsible for the ‘Palatinate of Durham’. Since before the Conquest, the Bishops of Durham had been granted the land within the Diocese of Durham (roughly modern Northumberland, Co. Durham and parts of North Yorkshire) to rule as they pleased, so long as they protected the country from the threat of Scottish invasion. Unlike other bishops therefore, the Bishops of Durham had powerful jurisdictive influence. They were able to hold their own law courts, mint coins, levy armies and own vast swathes of land. In a sense, the Bishop of Durham acted a little like ’a King in the North’.
What is a Bishop's Palace?
In order to perform their duties effectively, bishops owned and managed numerous houses which were spread throughout their diocese and beyond. Just like their role, these houses were diverse in form and function. The Bishops of Durham owned numerous palaces, castles, manor houses and town houses, though they did not occupy all of them at the same time. Sometimes their function changed over time, and this can be traced in the remains of the building. Because of their diversity it can be hard to identify unifying characteristics that are common to all Bishops’ houses. As we learn more about them however, we may be able to generate a better impression of their essential components.
Cosin describes how he found Auckland Castle to be in a neglected state, requiring significant attention. Bek’s chapel and other parts of the building had apparently been destroyed, and Haselrigge had constructed a new house within the grounds which Cosin subsequently demolished. These details help to fill in gaps in our knowledge of Haselrigge’s period of ownership, but inevitably lead to new questions. What was Bek’s chapel like and how did it fit in with the rest of Bek’s building? How large was the 13th century Auckland Castle, and how does it compare with other Bishop’s houses elsewhere? What was Haselrigge’s house like, and how did it sit within the wider Auckland Castle complex?
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Many of Cosin’s restorations are still evident in the buildings and landscape of Auckland Castle today, and the majority of the remaining structures have not significantly altered since that time. In later centuries, Auckland Castle was modified and updated according to contemporary fashion which ensured that Auckland Castle remained a very comfortable and ‘polite’ home to the 18th and 19th century Bishops of Durham. In keeping with these modifications was the construction of an elaborate pinery-vinery in the 1750s by Bishop Trevor, which was a series of heated greenhouses built primarily for the cultivation of pineapples, an expensive and elite commodity in 18th century England. The park and gardens, once used for medieval hunting, were also updated to suit Auckland’s new life as a pleasure-palace. During the late-18th/early 19th century, Bishop Shute Barrington commissioned the architect James Wyatt to update the park and gardens. Through the construction of a new deer-house, screen and other ornamental garden features, Auckland Park was transformed. Inside, many of the rooms were similarly updated, most notably the Throne Room.
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Taken together, it is clear that Auckland Castle has been adapted to meet numerous different requirements throughout its lifetime. With each new phase, the building has been imprinted with markers that allude to its changing use, function and form. In this way, Auckland Castle survives as a permanent and visual record of the role this building has played throughout time. The excavations conducted by Durham University during June 2018 will play a crucial role in unlocking aspects of the building’s history that will inform our narratives on the Bishops of Durham and the role of Bishop’s houses more widely.
