Skipton Castle | |
---|---|
Skipton, North Yorkshire, England | |
Coordinates | 53°57′49″N2°00′52″W / 53.9637342°N 2.0143676°W |
Type | Castle |
Site information | |
Owner | The Fattorini family |
Open to the public | Yes |
Condition | Complete |
Site history | |
Built | c. 1090 |
Built by | Robert de Romille |
In use | Until December 1645 |
Materials | millstone grit |
Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years.
Skipton Castle was originally a motte and bailey castle built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, lord of the multiple estates of Bolton Abbey. Shortly after 1102, Henry I extended Romille's lands to include all of upper Wharfedale and upper Airedale. [1] [ page needed ] The earth and wood castle was rebuilt in stone to withstand attacks by the Scots. Dropping down to Eller Beck, the cliffs behind the castle made it a perfect defensive structure. In 1310, after the Romille line had died out, Edward II granted the castle to Robert Clifford who was appointed Lord Clifford of Skipton and Guardian of Craven. [2] Lord Clifford ordered many improvements to the fortifications, but he died in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 when the improvements were barely complete. [3] Skipton was raided by the Scots during the Great Raid of 1322, yet the castle, with all its improvements, withstood the attack.
During the English Civil War, the castle was the last Royalist stronghold in the north of England to surrender, in December 1645. After a three-year siege, a surrender was negotiated on 21 December 1645 between Oliver Cromwell and the Royalists. Cromwell slighted the castle by ordering the removal of the roofs. Legend has it that during the siege, sheep fleeces were hung over the walls to deaden the impact from the rounds of cannon fire. Sheep fleeces feature in the town's coat of arms. [4] [ page needed ] Skipton remained the Cliffords' principal seat until 1676. Lady Anne Clifford (1590–1676) was the last Clifford to own the castle. After the siege, she ordered repairs and planted a yew tree in the central courtyard to commemorate its restoration after the war. [2] Lady Anne's daughter, Lady Margaret Sackville (1614–1676), married John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (1609–1664), and the castle was then passed down through the Tufton family, becoming the seat of Lord Hothfield in 1871. [5]
Skipton Castle is a well-preserved medieval castle, now a tourist attraction and a private residence. The castle is the start of the 100-mile (160 km) Lady Anne's Way long-distance path to Penrith. [6]
Further Reginaldus Flandrensis witnessed a Skipton charter around 1130.[ citation needed ] "He held an office of trust as Seneschal of Skipton Castle, and we must assume that these lands were given to him at about that time as a reward for his services. They amounted to 1 Knight's fee and 14 carucates, and were held under Skipton Castle for feudal service."[ citation needed ]
The Fattorini family purchased the castle in 1956. [7] The castle gained free wifi as part of an internet connectivity effort in North Yorkshire. [8]
The castle has six fortified drum towers, with a domestic range connecting two towers on the northern side, protected by a precipice overlooking the Eller Beck. The first floor comprises the original kitchen, great hall, withdrawing rooms and the lord's bedchamber. New kitchens, storage and work cellars make up the ground floor. The remaining towers are military in nature and purpose. In the 16th and 17th centuries were added a new entrance staircase (replacing the original drawbridge), a further domestic wing, and larger windows in the original structure. The roof is fully intact. In the centre is a Tudor courtyard called the Conduit Court, which contains a yew tree, reputedly planted by Lady Anne in 1659. [2]
The outer curtain wall encloses the inner wards and subsidiary buildings, including the ruins of a 12th-century chapel. The wall is mainly extant, and is pierced by a twin-towered Norman gatehouse. The east tower of the gatehouse contains a 17th-century shell grotto, one of two remaining grottos from this period (the other being at Woburn Abbey). [9] [ page needed ]
An ancient well may explain how the castle garrison survived the siege of 1643–1645. [10]
Bolton Abbey Estate in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England, takes its name from a 12th-century Augustinian monastery of canons regular, now known as Bolton Priory. The priory, which was closed in the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by King Henry VIII, is in the Yorkshire Dales, which lies next to the village of Bolton Abbey.
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington, 2nd Earl of Cork was an Anglo-Irish nobleman who served as Lord High Treasurer of Ireland and was a Cavalier.
Lady Anne Clifford, Countess of Dorset, Pembroke and Montgomery, suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford was an English peeress. In 1605 she inherited her father's ancient barony by writ and became suo jure 14th Baroness de Clifford. She was a patron of literature and as evidenced by her diary and many letters was a literary personage in her own right. She held the hereditary office of High Sheriff of Westmorland which role she exercised from 1653 to 1676.
Baron de Clifford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1299 for Robert de Clifford (c.1274–1314), feudal baron of Clifford in Herefordshire, feudal baron of Skipton in Yorkshire and feudal baron of Appleby in Westmoreland. The title was created by writ, which means that it can descend through both male and female lines. The Norman family which later took the name de Clifford settled in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and was first seated in England at Clifford Castle in Herefordshire. The first Baron served as Earl Marshal of England but was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. His 8th generation descendant the 11th Baron, was created Earl of Cumberland in 1525, whose grandson the 3rd Earl was a noted naval commander. On the latter's death in 1605, the earldom passed to his younger brother, the 4th Earl.
Baron Hothfield, of Hothfield in the County of Kent, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1881 for Sir Henry Tufton, 2nd Baronet, who was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland the same year and who also served briefly as a government whip in the Liberal administration of 1886. His eldest son, the second Baron, notably served as Mayor of Appleby, Westmorland. On the death of his son, the third Baron, in 1961, this line of the family failed. The late Baron was succeeded by his first cousin, the fourth Baron. He was the only son of the Hon. Sackville Philip Tufton, second son of the first Baron. On his death in 1986 this line of the family also failed and the titles passed to his first cousin, the fifth Baron. He was the eldest son of the Hon. Charles Henry Tufton, third son of the first Baron. As of 2017 the titles are held by his son, the sixth Baron, who succeeded in 1991.
Earl of the Isle of Thanet, in practice shortened to Earl of Thanet, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Nicholas Tufton, 1st Baron Tufton. He had already succeeded as second Baronet of Hothfield in 1631 and been created Baron Tufton, of Tufton in the County of Sussex, in 1626, also in the Peerage of England. The Baronetcy, of Hothfield in the County of Kent, was created in the Baronetage of England in 1611 for his father, John Tufton. Lord Thanet was succeeded by his son, the second Earl. He married Lady Margaret Sackville, daughter of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset and Lady Anne Clifford. Their son, the third Earl, successfully claimed the barony of de Clifford through his maternal grandmother Lady Anne.
Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, 13th Baron de Clifford, 13th Lord of Skipton,, was an English peer, naval commander, and courtier of Queen Elizabeth I of England. He was notable at court for his jousting, at the Accession Day Tilts, which were highlights of the year at court. Two famous survivals, his portrait miniature by Nicholas Hilliard and a garniture of Greenwich armour, reflect this important part of his life. In contrast, he neglected his estates in the far north of England and left a long succession dispute between his heirs.
Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, of Appleby Castle, Westmorland, feudal baron of Appleby and feudal baron of Skipton in Yorkshire, was an English soldier who became 1st Lord Warden of the Marches, responsible for defending the English border with Scotland.
Brougham Castle is a medieval building about 2 miles (3.2 km) south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. The castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century. The site, near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther, had been chosen by the Romans for a Roman fort called Brocavum. The castle, along with the fort, is a scheduled monument: "Brougham Roman fort and Brougham Castle".
Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, also 8th Lord of Skipton, was the elder son of John, 7th Baron de Clifford, and Elizabeth Percy, daughter of Henry "Hotspur" Percy and Elizabeth Mortimer.
Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland KG was a member of the Clifford family which was seated at Skipton Castle, Yorkshire from 1310 to 1676.
Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland was a member of the Clifford family, seated at Skipton Castle from 1310 to 1676. His wife was Lady Eleanor Brandon, a niece of King Henry VIII.After her death, he married Anne Dacre.
The small town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England, has been around as far back as 1085, is listed in the Domesday Book, and has roles in history during the English Civil War and as the site of a prisoner-of-war camp during both the First World War and Second World War.
John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet was an English nobleman and supporter of Charles I of England. He was the eldest son of Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet, and Lady Frances Cecil, granddaughter of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley.
Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland was a member of the Clifford family which held the seat of Skipton from 1310 to 1676.
Sir Richard Hutton, the younger was a Yorkshire landowner and Member of Parliament for Knaresborough who lost his life in the English Civil War.
Sir John Hotham the younger, known as Captain Hotham, was an English member of parliament and military commander who fought for the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War. He was executed for treason in 1645.
Nicholas Tufton, 3rd Earl of Thanet, styled Lord Tufton until 1664, was an English nobleman.
Robert de Romille was an adventurer from Brittany who joined the Normans in their Conquest of Britain. After 1086 King William I made him lord of the estates of Bolton Abbey. Romille built the first Skipton Castle in 1090 to repel the expansions of Malcolm III of Scotland. In 1102 Romille's lands were greatly increased by Henry I of England to include all of upper Wharfedale and upper Airedale. His male line died out before 1310; but by his daughters he has many descendants today.
Barden Tower is a ruined building in the Parish of Barden, in Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. The tower was used as a hunting lodge in the 15th and 16th centuries, and despite a renovation in the 1650s, it fell into disrepair in the 18th century. The tower is now part of the Bolton Estate and is listed as a medieval fortified tower. Along with other buildings on the Bolton Estate, it is a focal point and many people visit the tower. It is also a way marker on the 100-mile (160 km) Lady Anne's Way long distance path.