Wednesday 3 April 2013

Castles in Yorkshire


C is for Castles. We visited dozens of castles during our 15th century tour, too many to show here, so I’ll just give you a taster of some of the castles in Yorkshire (apart from my favourite one which will have its own separate post later in the month!).
 
Skipton Castle
Skipton is a market town in North Yorkshire, with a well preserved castle and a historic church. The castle was owned by the Clifford family from the 14th to 17th centuries. The Cliffords supported the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses. According to the volunteer guide we chatted to during our visit, some people are confused by a ‘Lancastrian’ castle in Yorkshire. The war, however, was not between the geographical counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, but between the noble families of York and Lancaster, therefore it’s quite possible to have Lancastrian supporters in Yorkshire (and vice versa).
John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, was known as ‘Butcher Clifford’ because of his slaughter of the Yorkists at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460. He’s also said to have murdered Edmund, eldest son of the Duke of York, in cold blood on Wakefield Bridge.
The castle was founded in the 11th century but was strengthed with massive fortifications in the 14th century. It is one of the best preserved medieval castle in England.
The huge gateway shows the Clifford motto ‘Desormais’ (meaning ‘henceforth’) cut in stone, and also the Clifford coat of arms.
 
Spofforth Castle

We found this castle quite by chance on our of our trips to Yorkshire, and were glad we took a detour of a few miles from our intended route. The castle belonged to the Percy family and dates from the 13th century. Its importance declined after Henry Percy bought the manor of Alnwick in Northumberland, and it was last inhabited about 1604, and then reduced to ruins during the English Civil War. Nevetheless, the ruins were fairly substantial, and some parts, particularly the Great Hall, were reminiscent of the much larger Middleham Castle.
 
Knaresborough Castle
This one was first built in the 12th century, and came under the control of the Crown in the 13th century. Rebuilt in the early 14th century by Edward II, it was the favourite castle of Philippa, wife of Edward III. After her death, it was granted by Edward to his son, John of Gaunt, and thus became part of the huge Duchy of Lancaster estates. It still remains Crown property, therefore ‘officially’ it belongs to the Queen but here's the sign saying she's leased it to the local council!

Conisbrough Castle
This was built in the 12th century by the Warrenne earls, who were linked by marriage to the Crown. The cylindrical keep is an unusual design, as there are no others like it in England. In the 14th century, on the death of John de Warenne without heirs, the castle reverted to the Crown, and was granted by Edward III to his youngest son, Edmund, duke of York. Edmund’s second son, Richard, duke of Cambridge, (the grandfather of Edward IV and Richard III) was born at Conisbrough about 1385. The castle later gained fame in Walter Scott’s novel, ‘Ivanhoe’.
 
Bolton Castle
Unlike many medieval castles, this one was only started by the Scrope family in the late 14th century, originally taking 20 years to build, with most of the stone quarried nearby. Compared with many castles, it is very well preserved and offers wonderful views of Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales.
Richard Scrope, the grandson of the castle builder, was married to Margaret Neville, sister of Cecily (the mother of Edward IV and Richard III). His son fought for Richard at Bosworth, and later supported Lambert Simnel’s rebellion against Henry VII. On both occasions, he managed to gain a pardon, on condition he lived within 22 miles of London, so the king could keep an eye on him!
A later occupant of the castle, in the 16th century, was Mary Queen of Scots, who spent six months here, in the custody of Baron Scrope. In the 17th century, the castle passed by marriage to the Powlett family who still own it today.
 
Scarborough Castle
The castle which stands on a promontory of rock overlooking the North Yorkshire seaside resort was founded in the 12th century and came into royal possession in 1159. Henry II and later King John added outer walls and other buildings, and by the 13th century the castle was one of the largest fortresses in England.
Edward IV granted the castle in 1472 to his brother Richard, who improved the harbour and the castle defences. As Richard III, he was the last king to stay at the castle, while assembling a fleet to resist the expected invasion of Henry Tudor.

29 comments:

  1. My list gets longer and longer :)

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  2. I would love to visit these some day. On my bucket list.

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  3. I just love castles and all the fascinating history surrounding them. We sure don't have that kind of thing in Canada. Thanks for the virtual journey to visit some of Yorkshire's castles, Paula. I enjoyed it very much. I lived in Yorkshire as a small child and have a vivid memory of going to a ruined castle and having tea and cupcakes. Typical kid to remember the food! Cathy

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  4. Actually that photo of me for my avatar is from the time we were living in Yorkshire as a matter of a fact. Ah, the memories! :)

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  5. Wonderful detail about some of my favourite places. John and I visited Castle Bolton while we were at Middleham (which might feature in this blog sometime!!!)and he and I were so amused by the groans that came from the dungeons. Someone with a great sense of humour. Very atmospheric place.

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  6. What a great theme. I'm looking forward to the rest of the alphabet. Love the pictures of the castles.

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  7. I know some of these castles very well. Really enjoying this theme, Paula. Well done.

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  8. Visiting European castles is on my short list of things to do--when I have enough money and a good camera. That will probably be when I start writing historical romances, too. How can you let a opportunity like that pass by?

    Just curious, how close did they let you get to those ruins? Inside? I see people in the top pic, but the others look vacant, like you are stopped at a barrier.

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  9. Claudia and Donna - there will be several more on your bucket list before this A-Z Challenge is over, I think!

    Cathy - you can remembe the cupcakes, but not which castle, I bet!

    Margaret - wait for letter M :-)

    Thanks, Deanna and Lyn!

    Debra - it all depends on the 'safety' aspect of the castle. In some you can go up to the top, in others the stonework is too fragile.

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  10. It's fascinating to imagine all that happened within the walls of these castles. Wish we had a few in the US.

    New follower via the A2Z. (Currently #147)

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  11. Ooooooh! I LOVE castles. We had one that was in ruins in the town I lived in Italy. I enjoyed going there, too. WooHoo for castles.

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  12. Nancy - in some castles it's so easy to imagine the past. If only the stones could talk ...

    Mary - castles are fascinating, aren't they? I've been to several in France and Germany, but not in Italy - yet!

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  13. What a magical place you live that has castles at every turn!! It is right out of a fairy tale!

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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  14. Bolton...I want to see it, smell it and listen to it. <3

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  15. Kathy, there are so many castles and old buildings here, we often take them for granted.

    And see the wonderful views from it too, Jo :-)

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  16. What a fabulous time you must have had. And yes, there always seems to be yet another castle that I've not visited. Great photos.

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  17. There are so many I haven't visited, Nancy. Too many castles and not enough time :-)

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  18. So many castles I have never seen in my own country let alone the rest of the world. Still loving all the info you are providing, Paula xx

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  19. I'd never seen any of these apart from Skipton before we went on our 'grand tour' - so it was a great voyage of discovery, Gill!

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  20. Oh, I so envy you living in a country where you can go out on a drive and come across all these centuries-old castles! They're beautiful, and all so different. I especially like the last one for its connection with Richard!

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  21. Wonderful castles. Nothing like stepping into history.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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  22. Beautiful work with the castles!! They seem so romantic... except for that "Butcher" dude!!

    I particularly liked the uniqueness of the cylindrical one that was used in Ivanhoe. Very ingenious for 14th century.

    Patricia, Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice

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  23. I love castles. My favorite part of traveling in London. We don't have many castles in Texas. My favorite, Leed's Castle. Loved the moat. Great post.

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  24. I think more than anything, what will eventually lure me across that big ole pond is my love for castles. If only the bricks that have built them could tell us stories!! And I bet to some extent they do. Thanks for sharing this wonderful piece!

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  25. And let us not forget Welsh Castles, some in the most romantic of locations. I was at Criccieth a few weeks ago and went by Harlech, my all time favourite.

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  26. Elaine - it's true you cannot drive far without coming across some ancient or medieval remains here.

    Joyce - stepping into history is excatly the right phrase!

    Thanks, Patricia - the castles aren't all romantic when you think of some of the bloodthirst owners!

    Sydney - Leeds Castle is beautiful.

    Jenn - your imagination works overtime when you're visiting any castle!

    Margaret - And of course there are all the castles in Scotland and Ireland too!

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  27. Lovely post. I enjoy visiting castles and am especially interested in social history. Conisbrough is a new one for me.

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  28. I love all the history connected with the castles too, L.

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  29. Very interesting post Paula. Coming from Yorkshire I have visited these Castles and they are all great places to visit, the history is fantastic. My favourite is Scarborough Castle.

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