Richmond Castle

Last updated

The 12th-century keep is 100 feet (30 m) high. Bailey and keep, Richmond Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1318287.jpg
The 12th-century keep is 100 feet (30 m) high.

Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, stands in a commanding position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'. The castle was constructed by Alan Rufus from 1071 onwards following the Norman Conquest of England, and the Domesday Book of 1086 refers to 'a castlery' at Richmond.

Contents

In the 12th century, his great-nephew Conan expanded the castle and built the keep. Although it was derelict by 1540, it was restored centuries later. The property is the best-preserved early Norman castle in England and an important tourist attraction. [1]

Layout

A plan of Richmond Castle's main enclosure, keep, and the small enclosure around the keep. The outer enclosure is off to the east. Richmond Castle plan, Clark.jpg
A plan of Richmond Castle's main enclosure, keep, and the small enclosure around the keep. The outer enclosure is off to the east.

Richmond Castle consists of four main parts: a triangular main enclosure, an outer enclosure to the east, a keep at the northern corner of the main enclosure, and a small enclosure around the keep. [2]

History

Richmond Castle from across the River Swale Richmond Castle overlooking the River Swale.jpg
Richmond Castle from across the River Swale

In 1069 William the Conqueror had put down a rebellion at York which was followed by his "harrying of the North" – an act of ethnic cleansing which depopulated large areas for a generation or more. [3] As a further punishment, he divided up the lands of North Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. Alan Rufus, of Brittany, received the borough of Richmond [4] and began constructing the castle to defend against further rebellions and to establish a personal power base. His holdings, called the Honour of Richmond, covered parts of eight counties and amounted to one of the most extensive Norman estates in England. [3]

A 100-foot (30 m)-high keep of honey-coloured sandstone was constructed at the end of the 12th century by Duke Conan IV of Brittany. The Earldom of Richmond was seized in 1158 by Henry II of England. [lower-alpha 1] It was King Henry II who probably completed the keep which had 11-foot (3.4 m)-thick walls. Modern visitors can climb to the top of the keep for magnificent views of the town of Richmond. At the same time that the keep was probably completed, Henry II considerably strengthened the castle by adding towers and a barbican. Henry III and King Edward I spent more money on the site including Edward's improvements to the keep interior. [1]

In addition to the main circuit of the wall, there was the barbican in front of the main gate which functioned as a sealed entry space, allowing visitors and wagons to be checked before they gained entry to the castle itself. On the other side of the castle, overlooking the river, was another enclosure or bailey called the Cockpit, which may have functioned as a garden and was overlooked by a balcony. A drawing of 1674 suggests there was another longer balcony overlooking the river side of Scolland's Hall, the great hall. [5]

The castle seen from the south Richmond Castle - geograph.org.uk - 26316.jpg
The castle seen from the south

Richmond Castle had fallen out of use as a fortress by the end of the 14th century and it did not receive major improvements after that date. A survey of 1538 shows it was partly in ruins, but paintings by Turner and others, together with the rise of tourism and an interest in antiquities, led to repairs to the keep in the early 19th century. [1]

In 1855 the castle became the headquarters of the North Yorkshire Militia, and a military barracks block was constructed in the great courtyard. For two years, from 1908 to 1910, the castle was the home of Robert Baden-Powell, later founder of the Boy Scouts, while he commanded the Northern Territorial Army but the barracks building was demolished in 1931. [3]

The castle was used during the First World War as the base of the Non-Combatant Corps made up of conscientious objectors – conscripts who refused to fight. It was also used to imprison some conscientious objectors who refused to accept army discipline and participate in the war in any way. These included the "Richmond Sixteen" who were taken to France from the castle, charged under Field Regulations, and then sentenced to death, but their death sentences were commuted to ten years' hard labour. [6]

An illustration of the keep's basement Basement of the keep, Richmond Castle.jpg
An illustration of the keep's basement

The original 11th-century main gate arch is now in the basement of the later 12th century keep which was built in front of it; the original arch was unblocked in the 19th century. [7]

The castle is a scheduled monument, [8] a "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change. [9] It is also a Grade I listed building. [8] [10]

According to legend, King Arthur and his knights are sleeping in a cave underneath the castle. It is said that they were once discovered by a potter named Thompson, who ran away when they began to awake. Another legend tells that a drummer boy was lost while investigating a tunnel, and that his ghostly drumming is sometimes heard around the castle. [11]

Graffiti

The cell block at the castle contains 2,300 examples of graffiti left by those imprisoned there, from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1970s. Perhaps the most significant of the mark makers were the Richmond Sixteen, who were conscientious objectors imprisoned there during the First World War. [12]

See also

Notes

  1. Henry II had intervened in the succession of Conan IV as the Duke of Brittany. Henry II had come into control of Nantes. Conan IV marched on Nantes and quickly took control of it. Henry II responded by seizing Conan IV's Earldom of Richmond

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleham Castle</span> 12th-century castle in Middleham, England

Middleham Castle is a ruined castle in Middleham in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. The castle was the childhood home of King Richard III, although he spent very little of his reign there. The castle was built to defend the road from Richmond to Skipton, though some have suggested the original site of the castle was far better to achieve this than the later location. After the death of King Richard III the castle remained in royal hands until it was allowed to go to ruin in the 17th century. Many of the stones from the castle were used in other buildings in the village of Middleham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conisbrough Castle</span> Medieval fortification in South Yorkshire, England

Conisbrough Castle is a medieval fortification in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England. The castle was initially built in the 11th century by William de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey, after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Hamelin Plantagenet, the illegitimate, parvenu brother of Henry II, acquired the property by marriage in the late 12th century. Hamelin and his son William rebuilt the castle in stone, including its prominent 28-metre (92 ft)-high keep. The castle remained in the family line into the 14th century, despite being seized several times by the Crown. The fortification was then given to Edmund of Langley, passing back into royal ownership in 1461.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond, North Yorkshire</span> Town in North Yorkshire, England

Richmond is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is located at the point where Swaledale, the upper valley of the River Swale, opens into the Vale of Mowbray. The town's population at the 2011 census was 8,413. The town is 13 miles (21 km) north-west of Northallerton, the county town, and 41 miles (66 km) north-west of York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchy of Brittany</span> Medieval feudal state in northwest France

The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the English Channel to the north. It was also less definitively bordered by the river Loire to the south, and Normandy, and other French provinces, to the east. The Duchy was established after the expulsion of Viking armies from the region around 939. The Duchy, in the 10th and 11th centuries, was politically unstable, with the dukes holding only limited power outside their own personal lands. The Duchy had mixed relationships with the neighbouring Duchy of Normandy, sometimes allying itself with Normandy, and at other times, such as the Breton–Norman War, entering into open conflict.

Constance was Duchess of Brittany from 1166 to her death in 1201 and Countess of Richmond from 1171 to 1201. Constance was the daughter of Duke Conan IV by his wife, Margaret of Huntingdon, a sister of the Scottish kings Malcolm IV and William I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany</span> Eldest daughter of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany

Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany, also known as Damsel of Brittany, Pearl of Brittany, or Beauty of Brittany, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Her father, Geoffrey, was the fourth son of Henry II, King of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontefract Castle</span> Castle in West Yorkshire, England

PontefractCastle is a castle ruin in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England. King Richard II is thought to have died there. It was the site of a series of famous sieges during the 17th-century English Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odo, Count of Penthièvre</span> Duke of Brittany, with Alan III

Odo of Rennes, Count of Penthièvre, was the youngest of the three sons of Duke Geoffrey I of Brittany and Hawise of Normandy, daughter of Richard I of Normandy. Eudon married Agnes of Cornouaille, the daughter of Alan Canhiart, Count of Cornouaille and sister of Hoel II, Duke of Brittany who was married in 1066 to Eudon's niece Hawise, Duchess of Brittany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conan III, Duke of Brittany</span> Duke of Brittany

Conan III, also known as Conan of Cornouaille and Conan the Fat was duke of Brittany, from 1112 to his death. He was the son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany and Ermengarde of Anjou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conan IV, Duke of Brittany</span> Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166

Conan IV, called the Young, was the Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as Earl of Richmond and his mother's heir as Duke of Brittany. Conan and his daughter Constance would be the only representatives of the House of Penthièvre to rule Brittany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Richmond</span> Title in the Peerage of England

The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was initially held by various Breton nobles; sometimes the holder was the Breton duke himself, including one member of the cadet branch of the French Capetian dynasty. The historical ties between the Duchy of Brittany and this English earldom were maintained ceremonially by the Breton dukes even after England ceased to recognize the Breton dukes as earls of England and those dukes rendered homage to the King of France, rather than the English crown. It was then held either by members of the English royal families of Plantagenet and Tudor, or English nobles closely associated with the English crown. It was eventually merged into the English crown during the reign of Henry VII of England and has been recreated as a Dukedom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmsley Castle</span> Medieval castle in Yorkshire, England

Helmsley Castle is a medieval castle situated in the market town of Helmsley, within the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarborough Castle</span> Castle in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England

Scarborough Castle is a former medieval royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The site of the castle, encompassing the Iron Age settlement, Roman signal station, an Anglo-Scandinavian settlement and chapel, the 12th-century enclosure castle and 18th-century battery, is a scheduled monument of national importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowes Castle</span> Castle in County Durham, England

Bowes Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Bowes in County Durham, England. Built within the perimeter of the former Roman fort of Lavatrae, on the Roman road that is now the A66, the early timber castle on the site was replaced by a more substantial stone structure between 1170 and 1174 on the orders of Henry II. A planned village was built alongside the castle. Bowes Castle withstood Scottish attack during the Great Revolt of 1173–74 but was successfully looted by rebels in 1322. The castle went into decline and was largely dismantled after the English Civil War. The ruins are now owned by English Heritage and managed as a tourist attraction. There is free admission during daylight hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucester Castle</span> Former castle in Gloucester, England

Gloucester Castle was a Norman-era royal castle situated in the city of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. It was demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudhoe Castle</span> Ruined castle in Northumberland, England

Prudhoe Castle is a ruined medieval English castle situated on the south bank of the River Tyne at Prudhoe, Northumberland, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tickhill Castle</span>

Tickhill Castle was a castle in Tickhill, in South Yorkshire, England and a prominent stronghold during the reign of King John.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honour of Richmond</span> Historic district in Yorkshire, England

The Honour of Richmond was a feudal barony in what is now mainly North Yorkshire, England. The honour was two tiers below Yorkshire, the middle tier being the North Riding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peveril Castle</span> Ruined 11th-century castle overlooking the village of Castleton in Derbyshire

Peveril Castle is a ruined 11th-century castle overlooking the village of Castleton in the English county of Derbyshire. It was the main settlement of the feudal barony of William Peverel, known as the Honour of Peverel, and was founded some time between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and its first recorded mention in the Domesday Survey of 1086, by Peverel, who held lands in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire as a tenant-in-chief of the king. The town became the economic centre of the barony. The castle has views across the Hope Valley and Cave Dale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Sixteen</span> Group of "absolutist" English conscientious objectors during the First World War

The Richmond Sixteen were a group of "absolutist" British conscientious objectors during the First World War. Conscripted into the British Army in 1916, they refused to undertake even non-combatant military duties. Brought together at Richmond Castle, Yorkshire, most not knowing each other previously, they were transported to France, where they were court-martialled and formally sentenced to be executed by firing squad, but this sentence was immediately commuted to ten years' penal servitude. They were released in April 1919, several months after the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and a few weeks before the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 "History of Richmond Castle". English Heritage. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2019. By 1540 the castle was derelict, but it later became a popular tourist destination.
  2. Clark 1886 , p. 39
  3. 1 2 3 Tuffrey, Peter (17 July 2018). "King of the castles". The Yorkshire Post. Picture Past. p. 10. ISSN   0963-1496.
  4. "Alan the Red, the Brit who makes Bill Gates a pauper". The Sunday Times. 9 October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
  5. "Richmond Castle from the South East". British Museum. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  6. "Silence in castle to honour First World War conscientious objectors". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  7. "Richmond Castle: Teacher's Kit" (PDF). English Heritage. p. 3. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  8. 1 2 Historic England. "Richmond Castle: eleventh to fourteenth century enclosure castle (1010627)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  9. Scheduled Monuments, Historic England , retrieved 10 March 2012
  10. "Frequently asked questions", Images of England , Historic England, archived from the original on 11 November 2007, retrieved 10 March 2012
  11. Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest Association Limited. p. 351. ISBN   9780340165973.
  12. Bryning, Emma; Kendall, Charlie; Leyland, Megan; Mitman, Tyson; Schofield, John (27 May 2021). "Fame and recognition in historic and contemporary graffiti: examples from New York City (US), Richmond Castle and Bristol (UK)". World Archaeology. 53 (3): 435–450. doi: 10.1080/00438243.2022.2035802 . ISSN   0043-8243. S2CID   246882713.
Bibliography

Further reading

54°24′06″N1°44′15″W / 54.4017°N 1.7376°W / 54.4017; -1.7376