Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle | |
---|---|
Lancaster, Lancashire, England | |
Coordinates | 54°02′59″N 2°48′20″W / 54.04981°N 2.80562°W grid reference SD473619 |
Type | Castle |
Site information | |
Website | www |
Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle and former prison in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but it may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. In 1164 the Honour of Lancaster, including the castle, came under royal control. In 1322 and 1389 the Scots invaded England, progressing as far as Lancaster and damaging the castle. It was not to see military action again until the English Civil War. The castle was first used as a prison in 1196 although this aspect became more important during the English Civil War. The castle buildings are owned by the British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster; part of the structure is used to host sittings of the Crown Court.
Until 2011 the majority of the buildings were leased to the
Background
Between 60 and 73 AD,
History
Foundation
As there are no contemporary documents recording the foundation of the castle, it is uncertain when and by whom it was started, but it is supposed that
Roger de Poitou fled England in 1102 after participating in a failed rebellion against the new king,
On the death of Henry II, the Honour passed to his son,
14th and 15th centuries
For the next 150 years, there is no record of building work, although accounts are incomplete. The Well Tower is thought to date from the early 14th century. If there was no work on the castle, this may indicate that it was not important enough to warrant expenditure beyond upkeep, as Lancaster was not near a border. Though the region was generally peaceful, the Scots invaded in
After the Scottish invasion of 1389, Lancaster saw no further military action until the
Civil War
At the outbreak of the Civil War Lancaster was lightly garrisoned. A small
Gaol
In 1554, the martyr George Marsh was held at the castle before standing trial at Chester Cathedral.[23] Some Quakers, including in 1660 George Fox, were held at the castle for being politically dangerous.[19] County gaols, such as this one, were intended to hold prisoners for short periods immediately before trial. The castle also served as a debtors' prison. In the 18th century it became more common for county gaols to hold longer-term prisoners; as a result they began to suffer from overcrowding.[24]
Prison reformer
Those sentenced to death before c. 1800 at the castle were usually taken to Lancaster Moor, near where the
Between 1931 and 1937 the castle was used by the county council to train police officers. Lancaster was once again designated for use as a prison from 1954 onwards when the council leased the castle to the Home Office. The last Assizes were held at Lancaster in 1972. As the court and prison were so close, and contained within the castle walls, Lancaster was used for high-security trials.[32]
The castle formally opened as
Current status
The Crown Court continues to sit at the castle.[35] Closure of the prison will eventually allow the castle to be opened to visitors and tourists as a permanent attraction.[36] In the meantime, while access to the keep, towers, battlements and dungeons is currently denied to visitors, the castle operates limited guided tours seven days a week. The Castle Courtyard opened to the public seven days a week in May 2013 and now has a cafe, NICE @ The Castle and regular events now take place every month.[37]
To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the trials of the Pendle witches, a new long-distance walking route called the Lancashire Witches Walk has been created. Ten tercet waymarkers, designed by Stephen Raw, each inscribed with a verse of a poem by Carol Ann Duffy have been installed along the route, with the tenth located here, to mark the end-point.[38][39]
Refurbishment
A large-scale refurbishment of the castle has been underway since 2011. In 2016 Historic England commissioned a tree-ring analysis of oak and pine timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. The oak timbers in the Keep's undercroft were shown to have been felled in AD 1380s, whilst those from the Great Hall were probably felled slightly later, towards the end of the fourteenth century or very early-fifteenth century. The oak timbers in the Gatehouse were probably felled in, or around, AD 1404.[40]
The latest phase, started in September 2017 and completed in November 2019, has opened up the former prison kitchen yard.[41][42] This phase created a new teaching centre, as well as more than 5,000 sq ft of space, in which the Duchy has leased a section of the old kitchen to local coffee roasters and tea merchants, J. Atkinson & Co. (established 1837) to run a café.[43][44][45]
Layout
The keep is the oldest part of the castle. It is uncertain when the keep was built, although it probably dates to the 12th century
In the south-west corner of the castle is a cylindrical tower named Adrian's Tower from the popular legend that it was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The tower was, however, built in the early 13th century, probably during the reign of King John. Although the exterior was refaced in the 18th century, medieval stonework is visible in the interior.[10]
The main entrance is through a 20-metre-high (66 ft) gatehouse built at the start of the 15th century. It was instigated by King Henry IV, although legend attributes the work to John of Gaunt,[48] Duke of Lancaster from 1362 to his death in 1399.[49] Two semi-octagonal towers flank a passageway protected by a portcullis. Battlements project over the gatehouse, and would have allowed defenders to rain missiles on attackers immediately below. Above the gate is a niche which would originally have contained a statue of a saint, flanked by a coat of arms of the kings of England. Because of the legend, a statue of John of Gaunt was placed in the empty niche in the 19th century.[48] Three storeys high, the apartment on the ground floor would probably have been used by the Constable of the castle; the two floors above had three rooms each. After the English Civil War, most of the gatehouse rooms were filled with debtors.[17] The sophistication of the gatehouse prompted John Champness, who wrote Lancaster Castle: A Brief History, to remark "it is perhaps the finest of its date and type in England".[48]
During the Roman era in the 4th century,[50] the fort was surrounded by the "Wery Wall" which is believed to translate as the 'green wall'.[51] The wall, described as being a 3-metre-thick (9.8 ft) 'indestructible mass' with a defensive ditch,[50][51] now only remains visible on the east slope of Castle Hill.[52] In his book The Historic Lands of England, Sir Bernard Burke suggests the wall may have been visible in more places 100 years prior to his writing in 1849.[53] However, it is unclear where the wall would have been.[52] The remaining Wery Wall measures 4m × 3m × 3m and consists of only rubble due to the facing stones having been reused elsewhere.[52]
In Art and Literature
Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration Lancaster Castle., to a picture by Thomas Allom showing the Shire Hall and the Priory, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837.[54]
List of Constables
- 1225: Ranulph de Blundeville[55]
- 1268: Roger de Lancaster[55]
- 1285: Edmund Crouchback[55] (died 1296)
- ?1296: Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster[55] (executed 1322)
- 1326: Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster[56] (died 1345)
- 1345: Henry of Grosmont[55]
- c.1394: Thomas Radcliffe[57]
- c.1401: William Rygmayden
- 1600: Richard Warburton
- 1803: Alexander Butler of Kirkland[58]
- 1811: Sir Richard Clayton, 1st Baronet[59]
- 1840: William Hulton[59]
- 1860: Edmund George Hornby[60]
- 1865: Thomas Greene[60]
- 1872: Thomas Batty Addison[60]
- 1874: Robert Townley Parker[60]
- 1879: John Wilson-Patten, 1st Baron Winmarleigh[60]
- 1892: Sir William Hulton, 1st Baronet
- 1907: John Tomlinson Hibbert
- 1908: Edward Bousfield Dawson
- 1916: Sir William Scott Barrett[61]
- 1920: James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton[61]
- 1930: Sir James Travis-Clegg[61]
- 1942: Hugh Molyneux, 7th Earl of Sefton[61]
- 1972: John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby[61]
- 1995: Michael J. Fitzherbert-Brockholes[61]
- 1998: Eric Jones[61]
- 2004: Gordon Johnson[61]
- 2014: Mrs. Pamela G. Barker[61]
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire
- Listed buildings in Lancaster, Lancashire
- Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
- List of castles in England
- List of works by Thomas Harrison
References
Notes
- ^ Shotter 2001, p. 3
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 1
- ^ White 2001, p. 33
- ^ White 2001, p. 42
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 4
- ^ White 2001, pp. 42–44
- ^ Friar 2003, p. 246
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 3
- ^ a b White 2001, p. 44
- ^ a b c d e f Champness 1993, p. 6
- ^ Cathcart King 1983, pp. xvi–xx
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 14
- ^ a b Allen Brown 1976, p. 109
- ^ Historic England, "Peveril Castle (309632)", Research records (formerly PastScape), retrieved 24 February 2010
- ^ McNeill 1992, pp. 41–42.
- ^ a b Champness 1993, pp. 7–9
- ^ a b c Champness 1993, p. 10
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 11
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 17
- ^ 'LANCASTER'S CATHOLIC MARTYRS' BY CHRISTINE GOODIER MA
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 15
- ^ Champness 1993, pp. 11–13
- ^ Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 22
- ^ Champness 1993, pp. 23–25
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 27
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 29
- ^ a b Champness 1993, p. 30
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 34
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 35
- ISBN 978-0750968256.
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 40
- ^ Lancaster Castle prison 'may become tourist spot', BBC News, 28 July 2010, retrieved 19 August 2010
- ^ Prisons shutdown unveiled by government, BBC News, 13 January 2011, retrieved 13 January 2011
- ^ "Judge's plea to keep historic city court open". Lancaster Guardian. 15 August 2015.
- ^ "Lancaster 'to equal Chester or York' for tourism". BBC News. 29 March 2011.
- ^ Opening times & information, Lancaster Castle, archived from the original on 19 August 2010, retrieved 17 December 2010
- ^ ""Tercet" waymarkers". Lancashire Witches 400. Green Close Studios. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Lancashire Witches Walk: Day 7" (PDF). Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ Arnold, Howard, Tyers (2016). "Lancaster Castle, Castle Park, Lancaster: Tree-ring Analysis of Oak and Pine Timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. Research Report 35/2016". research.historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Atkinsons make a move into Lancaster Castle – North West FDMB". Archived from the original on 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Lancaster Castle Restored and Re-Opened!". Lancaster Castle. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "New Phase of Works Starts at Lancaster Castle". lancastercastle.com. 31 August 2017.
- ^ "Place North West – Contractor picked for second phase of Lancaster Castle restoration". 3 October 2017.
- ^ "Conservation Works to Continue Until September 2019". 10 June 2019.
- ^ Lancaster Castle to open for Jubilee and Witch trial anniversary, BBC News, 4 January 2012, retrieved 13 January 2012
- ^ Champness 1993, p. 5
- ^ a b c Champness 1993, p. 9
- ^ Walker 2004
- ^ a b Historic England (24 April 2002). "Ancient Monuments: Part of a Roman fort and its associated vicus and remains of a pre-Conquest monastery and a Benedictine priory on Castle Hill (1020668)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ^ a b Fleury, Cross (1891). Time-honoured Lancaster. Eaton & Bulfilld Printers. pp. 68–69.
- ^ a b c "Scheduled Ancient Monument – Castle Hill and Vicarage Fields". Lancashire County Council. Archived from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
- ^ Burke, Sir Bernard (1849). "Lancaster Castle". The Historic Lands of England, Volume 2. E. Churton. p. 84.
- ^ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1836). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1836). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837. Fisher, Son & Co.
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, Robert. The History and Antiquities of the Town of Lancaster. p. 217.
- ^ Rickard, John. The Castle Community: The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422. p. 282.
- ^ "RADCLIFFE, Thomas (d.1403), of Winmarleigh and Astley, Lancs". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- ^ a b Simpson, Robert. The History and Antiquities of the Town of Lancaster. p. 218.
- ^ a b c d e Fleury, C. Time-honoured Lancashire. p. 510.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Constable of Lancaster Castle". Retrieved 17 May 2016.
Bibliography
- Allen Brown, Reginald (1976) [1954], Allen Brown's English Castles, Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, ISBN 1-84383-069-8
- Cathcart King, D. J. (1983), Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume I, New York: Kraus International Publications, ISBN 0-527-50110-7
- Champness, John (1993), Lancaster Castle: A Brief History, Lancashire County Books, ISBN 1-871236-26-6
- Friar, Stephen (2003), The Sutton Companion to Castles, Stroud: ISBN 978-0-7509-3994-2
- McNeill, Tom (1992), English Heritage Book of Castles, London: English Heritage and B. T. Batsford, ISBN 0-7134-7025-9
- Shotter, David (2001), "Roman Lancaster: Site and Settlement", A History of Lancaster, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 3–32, ISBN 0-7486-1466-4
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14843. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- White, Andrew (2001), "Continuity, Charter, Castle and County Town, 400–1500", A History of Lancaster, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 33–72, ISBN 0-7486-1466-4
- Robinson, John Martin (9 December 2015). "Georgian Justice: Lancaster Castle, Lancashire, The Property of the Duchy of Lancaster". Country Life.