 The origins and the earliest appearance of the name "Dunstanburgh" are uncertain.Versions of the name, "Dunstanesburghe" and "Donstanburgh" were in use by the time of the castle's construction, however, and Dunstanburgh may stem from a combination of the name of the local village of Dunstan, and the Old English word "burh", meaning fortress.Dunstanburgh Castle was constructed by Thomas, the Earl of Lancaster, between 1313 and 1322.