Warkworth Castle

Coordinates: 55°20′41″N 1°36′38″W / 55.3447°N 1.6105°W / 55.3447; -1.6105
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Warkworth Castle
OS grid reference
NU24710575
AreaNorthumberland
Built12th century
Governing bodyEnglish Heritage
OwnerThe 12th Duke of Northumberland
Official nameWarkworth Castle motte and bailey castle, tower keep castle and collegiate church
Designated9 July 1915
Reference no.1011649
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameCastle curtain walls with gateways, towers and attached buildings
Designated31 December 1969
Reference no.1041690
Warkworth Castle is located in Northumberland
Warkworth Castle
Location of Warkworth Castle in Northumberland

Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval castle in

King Henry II of England when he took control of England's northern counties. Warkworth Castle was first documented in a charter of 1157–1164 when Henry II granted it to Roger fitz Richard
. The timber castle was considered "feeble", and was left undefended when the Scots invaded in 1173.

Roger's son Robert inherited and improved the castle. Robert was a favourite of King John, and hosted him at Warkworth Castle in 1213. The castle remained in the family line, with periods of guardianship when heirs were too young to control their estates. King Edward I stayed overnight in 1292 and John de Clavering, descendant of Roger fitz Richard, made the Crown his inheritor. With the outbreak of the Anglo-Scottish Wars, Edward II invested in castles, including Warkworth, where he funded the strengthening of the garrison in 1319. Twice in 1327 the Scots besieged the castle without success.

John de Clavering died in 1332 and his widow in 1345, at which point

Dukes of Northumberland
, through whom possession of the castle descended.

In the late 19th century, the dukes refurbished Warkworth Castle and

Scheduled Ancient Monument
.

History

Early history

An Ordnance Survey map published in 1945 showing Warkworth in the loop of the River Coquet. Warkworth Castle is at the south end of the loop.

Although the settlement of

Prince Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumberland, has been thought responsible.[4] With civil war in South West England, King Stephen of England needed to ensure northern England was secure. To this end, the Treaty of Durham in 1139 between Scotland and England ensured peace. Under the treaty Henry of Scotland became Earl of Northumbria in exchange for ceding control of the castles at Bamburgh and Newcastle to the English.[5] Without them Henry would have needed a new seat from which to exercise his authority, and a new castle at Warkworth may have met the requirement. However, charters show that Henry still controlled Bamburgh Castle after the treaty, and as Warkworth was a modest castle by contemporary standards it may have been founded by someone else.[4] Henry died in 1152 and his son, Malcolm (crowned King of Scotland in 1153), inherited his lands. In 1157 Malcolm travelled to Peveril Castle in Derbyshire, where he paid homage to the new King of England, Henry II.[6] Malcolm surrendered England's northern counties to Henry, including the castles of Bamburgh, Carlisle, and Newcastle, and probably Appleby, Brough, Wark, and Warkworth,[7] though it is possible that Henry II founded Warkworth Castle in 1157 to secure his lands in Northumberland; other contemporary castles in the area were built for this purpose, for instance the one at Harbottle.[8]

Tall, angular stone building, with lower walls attached on either side
Warkworth Castle's gatehouse (left) dates mostly from the 13th century.

The first mention of Warkworth Castle occurs in a charter of 1157–1164 from Henry II granting the castle and surrounding

John, Robert hosted him at Warkworth Castle in 1213.[10]

Warkworth Castle continued to descend through the family line when Robert fitz Roger was succeeded by his son John in 1214, who was succeeded by his son Roger in 1240. Roger died in 1249 when his son Robert was one year old, and a guardian was appointed to care for the family's estates: William de Valence, half-brother of King Henry III. The castle, characterised by this time by the chronicler

Ralph Neville was the keeper of Warkworth Castle in 1322. As he was married to John's daughter, Euphemia, Ralph may have hoped to inherit the Clavering estates, but that did not happen.[16] Twice in 1327 Scottish forces besieged the castle without success.[17]

Percy family

Around this time, the

Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy, was in the service of Edward III and was paid 500 marks a year in perpetuity in return for leading a company of men-at-arms. In exchange for the annual fee, in 1328 Percy was promised the rights to the Clavering estates. Parliament declared such contracts illegal in 1331, but after initially relinquishing his claim Percy was granted special permission to inherit. John de Clavering died in 1332 and his widow in 1345, at which point the family's estates became the property of the Percys.[13] While the Percys owned Alnwick Castle, which was considered more prestigious, Warkworth was the family's preferred home. Under the Percys a park was created nearby for hunting, and within the castle two residential blocks were created, described by historian John Goodall as "of unparalleled quality and sophistication in Northumberland".[18] The second baron died at Warkworth in 1352.[13]

A tall tower stands above the ruined castle. A wooden staircase leads into the tower, its windows are empty. The facing is smooth ashlar, and on top is a smaller square look-out tower on which stands a flagpole.
The keep was built by Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland.

In 1377 the fourth Baron Percy, also named

Henry "Hotspur" Percy fell out with the new king, and eventually rebelled. After Hotspur was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, his father fled to Warkworth.[22] The earl eventually went to York to submit to the king. He was arrested and the king attempted to install his own men at the castles of Alnwick, Langley Castle, Prudhoe, and Warkworth.[23] The earl's 14-year-old son claimed that he was loyal to the king but was not empowered to formally surrender the castle, and it remained under control of the Percys.[22] Henry was pardoned in 1404.[23]

Earl Henry rebelled again in 1405, this time joining the unsuccessful revolt of

John, Duke of Bedford, who was appointed to rule the area.[24] It remained in the ownership of the Crown until Henry V restored it to the Percy family in 1416, and at the same time made the son of "Hotspur" Henry, another Henry Percy, second Earl of Northumberland. It is known that the second earl resided at Warkworth and undertook building work there, but it is now unclear for which parts he was responsible.[25]

The Percys supported the

Edward IV, issued an attainder against the family and their property was confiscated.[26] On 1 August 1464, as a result of suppressing Lancastrian rebellions in the north for the previous three years, the title of Earl of Northumberland was given to The 1st Marquess of Montagu, a Yorkist, and with it, the castle. During his tenure, he constructed a twenty-five-foot tall rectangular tower, built for defence, "with [arrow] slits in the three outer walls;" this is known as 'Montagu's Tower' to this day.[27] His brother, The 16th Earl of Warwick, used Warkworth as a base from which the Lancastrian-held castles of Northumberland – Alnwick, Bamburgh, and Dunstanburgh – were attacked and their sieges co-ordinated. In 1470 Edward IV returned the Percys' estates to the eldest son of the third earl, who was also called Henry Percy. A year later Henry was granted the earldom of Northumberland.[25] Some time after 1472 Henry remodelled the building of the bailey. He also planned to build a collegiate church within the castle, but the work was abandoned after his death. When the fourth earl was murdered in 1489, his son, Henry Algernon, inherited and maintained the castle. In the early 16th century Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, was responsible for clearing the collegiate church founded by his grandfather, but left incomplete by the fifth earl. Thomas Percy, brother of the sixth earl, was executed for his role in the Pilgrimage of Grace
in 1536. When Henry Percy died the next year without any sons, the family's property passed to the Crown.

In 1543 Sir William Parr, as warden of the Scottish marches decided to live at Warkworth and carried out repairs.[28] Although royal officers still used the castle, by 1550 it had fallen into disrepair. In 1557 the Percy estates were restored to the descendants of Thomas, and the nephew of the sixth earl, another Thomas Percy, was given the earldom. He began a programme of repairs at the castle, and in the process dismantled "the hall and other houses of office".[29]

Grassy land slopes away from a stone castle, down to a bend in a river with a boat. Peeking from behind the castle are roofs of buildings in the town.
J. M. W. Turner painted Warkworth Castle in 1799. The ruins were attracting tourists as early as the mid 18th century.

The

Sir John Forster, Warden of the March, ordered those inside to leave[29] and the castles were surrendered to his control.[31] During the conflict that followed, Warkworth remained under royal control.[29] Forster pillaged the castle, stripping it of its timbers and furnishings. The keep at least did not share in this fate,[30] but in April 1572 Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, bemoaned the treatment meted out to the Percy castles, writing to the queen's chief minister, "It is a great pity to see how Alnwick Castle and Warkworth are spoiled by him ... I am creditably informed that he means utterly to deface them both."[32] An attainder was issued against Thomas Percy so that when he came into English custody he was executed without trial on 22 August.[31] As a result, Percy's son was passed over,[32] but under the terms of the attainder his brother was allowed to inherit.[31] In 1574, Elizabeth granted Henry Percy permission to inherit the family's property and assume the title of 8th Earl of Northumberland.[32]

The castle formed the backdrop for several scenes in

James I visited in 1617 en route to Scotland, his entourage was angered by the sorry state of the castle.[33] With the unification of England and Scotland under a single ruler, the earls of Northumberland had no need for two great castles near the Anglo-Scottish border; they maintained Alnwick at the expense of Warkworth. In the first quarter of the 17th century, the keep was used to hold manor courts and for the laying out of oats.[34]

The details surrounding Warkworth Castle's role in the English Civil War are unclear, but the conflict resulted in further damage to the structure. Initially held by Royalist forces, the castle was still important enough that when the Scots invaded in 1644 they forced its surrender.[35] Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, supported Parliament, which may have prevented the Scots from doing much damage to the castle.[34] Parliamentarian forces took over the castle in 1648; when they withdrew they removed the castle's doors and iron so that it could not be reused by the enemy. They may also have partially demolished some of the castle, and may be responsible for its present state. Algernon Percy unsuccessfully applied for compensation in 1649 for the damage.[35]

Dukes of Northumberland and present day

One of the first photographs of the Castle, taken in the 1850s
A crowd of people gathered near a tent within the castle
The castle has been in the care of English Heritage since 1984.

Dukes of Northumberland, a dynasty he founded.[34]

During the 18th century the castle was allowed to languish. The south-west tower was falling apart and around 1752 part of the curtain wall east of the gatehouse was demolished (it was rebuilt towards the end of the century). The town and its historic ruins were by now attracting interest as a tourist destination, largely due to Bishop

Thomas Percy's poem, The Hermit of Warkworth. In the mid 19th century, The 3rd Duke of Northumberland undertook some preservation work. His successor, The 4th Duke of Northumberland, contracted Anthony Salvin to restore the keep. The work undertaken between 1853 and 1858 was not as extensive as Salvin had planned, and was limited to partially refacing the exterior and adding new floors and roofs to two chambers, which became known as the Duke's Chambers, on the second floor.[36] The Duke occasionally used the chambers for picnics when he visited from Alnwick Castle. The 4th Duke funded excavations at the castle in the 1850s which uncovered the remains of the collegiate church within the bailey.[37]

In 1922,

Scheduled Ancient Monument,[40] a "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change.[41] It is also a Grade I listed building (first listed in 1985)[42] and recognised as an internationally important structure.[43] The castle continues to be officially owned by the Percy family, currently being owned by the 12th Duke of Northumberland
.

Layout

See caption
The keep at the north end of the castle dates from the late 14th century. Warkworth Castle's main entrance was through a gatehouse in the south. The curtain walls date from the early 13th century.[44]

Warkworth Castle is an irregular enclosure. The keep is at the north end, overlooking the town, with the bailey to the south.[45] The current keep was built on an earlier mound, known as a motte.[46] The curtain wall of the bailey dates from the early 13th century. There are four towers: Carrickfergus Tower in the south-west corner, Montagu Tower in the south-east, a postern tower in the west wall (north of the kitchen), and Grey Mare's Tail Tower attached to the east wall. Against the east curtain wall was a stable. In the northern half of the bailey, aligned east–west, was an unfinished 15th-century collegiate church; it was cleared away in the early 16th century. Immediately west of the church was the kitchen, situated in the angle of the curtain wall as it changes from its north–south alignment and turns towards the keep. Along the west curtain wall, south of the kitchen, were the pantry, great hall, and withdrawing chambers. In the south-west was a chapel.[45] Apart from the north side, the castle was surrounded by a moat.[47]

Gatehouse

The gatehouse in the centre of the south curtain wall mostly dates from the 13th century. It was originally accessed via a

machicolations, openings for missiles to be hurled at attackers.[49] The rooms on either side of the passage were guardrooms.[47] The only remaining openings on the front are slits at ground level. Slits on the other sides of the gatehouse, and along the entrance passage, allowed the gatekeeper to watch people approaching and entering the castle. The structure underwent later alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries when it housed the castle's custodian; slits in the gatehouse's front may have been filled in.[48]

West range

Tall tower with an arched passageway through the bottom. Above the archway are heraldic symbols.
The 15th-century Lion Tower
The ruins of a tower
The remains of the Little Stair Tower

The range along the western curtain wall dates from about 1480, when the fourth earl remodelled the bailey. The great hall was the social hub of the castle, where the household gathered to eat. The now-ruined 15th-century building replaced an earlier hall on the same site, dating from about 1200,[50] although some of the stone dates from the mid 12th century. The earl would have entered from the south from his connecting private chambers, and people of lower status through the Lion Tower.[51] Internally, it was split into two aisles of differing width. Both halls were heated by open hearths, two of which survive from the earlier hall. Opposite ends of the hall were for opposite ends of the social scale within the castle. The high end (next to the withdrawing chamber) was for the earl and his family, and the low end (next to the kitchen and other service rooms) for the rest of the household.[50] In the medieval period, the great hall was richly decorated with tapestries.[51]

The Lion Tower was the entrance to the north end of the great hall. Above the archway through the tower were displayed heraldic items, symbolic of the Percy earls' power. The lion at the bottom was the emblem of the earls. Though now much damaged, above the lion were the ancient arms of the family and the arms of the Lucy family, whose property the Percys had inherited in the 1380s. As the tower was entered from the bailey, on the right was a doorway leading to the incomplete collegiate church. To the left was the great hall, and beyond that, withdrawing chambers; to the right were the buttery, pantry, larder, and kitchen. Immediately north of the kitchen was a postern tower. Built around 1200, its upper floors were later reused for accommodation.[52] An entrance of lesser status than the main gatehouse, the gate's position next to the kitchen suggests it was a tradesmen's entrance, used for conveying supplies to the castle.[53]

A half ruined tower, effectively showing a cross-section of the interior.
The Carrickfergus Tower in the south-west corner partially collapsed in the 18th century.

The square Little Stair Tower was the entrance from the bailey to the withdrawing rooms south of the great hall.[54] At ground floor level there was a doorway in each of the tower's faces. Directly south of the east side of the tower was the castle's chapel. The northern door led to the great hall, and the western door to a cellar under the great chamber. There are only fragmentary remains of the spiral staircase. Above the passageway was a single room, of uncertain purpose: it may have been used as another chapel, a guest room,[55] or an antechamber where guests would wait before being admitted into the earl's presence.[54]

South of the great hall was a two-storey building containing withdrawing chambers, dating from around 1200. Narrow windows opening onto the bailey were original but have since been filled in.[56] The first floor was entirely occupied by the great chamber, furnished with a fireplace. In the south-west corner of the room was a door to a small room which was perhaps used as a safe. The ground floor was used as a cellar, through which the Carrickfergus Tower could be accessed.[51] The polygonal tower was also accessible through the great chamber at first floor level. Fitted with latrines and a fireplace,[56] it was an extension of the lordly accommodation provided by the great chamber.[51]

South and east

Montagu Tower in the south-east corner was probably built by John Neville, Lord Montagu, in the 15th century. Fitted with latrines and fireplaces, the upper floors provided accommodation, most likely for the more important members of the household. By the 16th century, the ground floor was used as a stable. The buildings against the south curtain wall between Montagu Tower and the gatehouse are of unknown purpose.[57] North of Montagu Tower, against the east curtain wall, are the ruins of stables which stood two storeys high. West of the stables was a wellhouse containing a stone-lined well some 18 metres (59 ft) deep. The Grey Mare's Tail Tower, probably built in the 1290s, has a slit in each of its five faces, offering views along the curtain wall.[58][59]

Keep

buttery

Goodall described Warkworth's keep as "a masterpiece of medieval English architecture". Built in the last quarter of the 14th century, it was probably designed by

Greek cross and originally it was crested with a battlement, and perhaps decorative statues. Around the top of the building survive carvings of angels carrying shields. A large lion representing the Percy's coat of arms overlooked the town from the north side of the keep. The lion and sculptures were probably originally painted and would have stood out from the rest of the building.[60] Archaeologist Oliver Creighton suggests that the rebuilding of the keep and other reconstruction work were meant to suggest the enduring lordship of the owners.[61] On top of the keep is a lookout tower, which would have been less prominent before the keep's roof was removed.[62]

Goodall suggests that the keep was used only for short periods, and the west range, including the great hall, was the lord's preferred residence for prolonged visits to Warkworth Castle.

collecting rainwater used for cleaning.[64]

In Art and Literature

Warkworth Castle. An engraving of a painting of the castle by Thomas Allom with a poetical illustration by Letitia Elizabeth Landon in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838.[68]

See also

References

  1. ^ Goodall 2006, pp. 33–34
  2. ^ Creighton 2002, p. 43
  3. ^ Emery 1996, p. 9
  4. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 34
  5. ^ Young 1978, p. 9
  6. ^ Scott 2004
  7. ^ Allen Brown 1959, p. 251
  8. ^ a b Goodall 2006, pp. 34–35
  9. ^ Mackenzie 1825, pp. 28–29
  10. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 35
  11. ^ Ridgeway 2004
  12. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 36
  13. ^ a b c Bean 2004a
  14. ^ a b Emery 1996, p. 14
  15. ^ Goodall 2006, pp. 36–37
  16. ^ Tuck 2004
  17. ^ Hunter Blair & Honeyman 1970, p. 5
  18. ^ a b Goodall 2006, p. 37
  19. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 38
  20. ^ Emery 1996, p. 14, n. 9
  21. ^ Emery 1996, p. 17
  22. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 39
  23. ^ a b Bean 2004b
  24. ^ Summerson 1995, p. 7
  25. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 40
  26. ^ Griffiths 2004
  27. ^ History of Northumberland, Northumberland County History Committee, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1893, Vol. V, p.99
  28. ^ State Papers Henry VIII, iv part 2 (London, 1836), p. 299.
  29. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, pp. 41–42
  30. ^ a b Summerson 1995, p. 42
  31. ^ a b c Lock 2004
  32. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 42
  33. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 43
  34. ^ a b c Summerson 1995, p. 43
  35. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, p. 44
  36. ^ Goodall 2006, pp. 44–46
  37. ^ Summerson 1995, pp. 43–44
  38. ^ Summerson 1995, p. 44
  39. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 48
  40. ^ "Warkworth Castle", Pastscape, English Heritage, retrieved 19 October 2011
  41. ^ "Scheduled Monuments", Pastscape, English Heritage, retrieved 19 October 2011
  42. ^ Castle Curtain Walls with Gateway, Towers and Attached Buildings, Heritage Gateway, retrieved 19 October 2011
  43. ^ "Frequently asked questions", Images of England, English Heritage, archived from the original on 11 November 2007, retrieved 19 October 2011
  44. ^ Hunter Blair & Honeyman 1970, p. 28
  45. ^ a b Goodall 2006, p. 49
  46. ^ Creighton 2002, p. 71
  47. ^ a b Summerson 1995, pp. 14–15
  48. ^ a b Summerson 1995, pp. 12–13
  49. ^ Warkworth Castle motte and bailey castle, tower keep castle and collegiate church (PDF), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pp. 1–2, retrieved 29 October 2011
  50. ^ a b Goodall 2006, p. 10
  51. ^ a b c d Summerson 1995, p. 17
  52. ^ Goodall 2006, pp. 5–7
  53. ^ Summerson 1995, p. 19
  54. ^ a b Goodall 2006, p. 11
  55. ^ Summerson 1995, p. 16
  56. ^ a b Goodall 2006, p. 12
  57. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 13
  58. ^ Summerson 1995, pp. 20–21
  59. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 15
  60. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 17
  61. ^ Creighton 2002, pp. 71–72
  62. ^ a b Emery 1996, p. 144
  63. ^ a b c Goodall 2006, pp. 17–19
  64. ^ a b Summerson 1995, p. 27
  65. ^ Goodall 2006, pp. 21–23
  66. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 19
  67. ^ Goodall 2006, p. 46
  68. ^ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1837). "picture". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838. Fisher, Son & Co.Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1837). "poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838. Fisher, Son & Co.

Sources

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Warkworth Castle.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warkworth_Castle&oldid=1207629863"