Richmond Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Baroque castle in Braunschweig, see Schloss Richmond.

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 from 1071 onwards following the
Norman Conquest of England, and the Domesday Book of 1086 refers to 'a castlery' at
Richmond.

Contents

1 History

2 Layout

3 See also

4 Notes

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

History

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. 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[1] 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. The Dukes of Brittany
became the owners of the castle as Earls of Richmond though it was often confiscated for various
periods by English Kings.
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. [a] 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.
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.

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.
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.
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.

An illustration of the dungeon of the keep

As presented today Richmond Castle has one of the finest examples of Norman buildings in
Britain including Scollands Hall, the Great Hall of the castle. The keep has a restored roof and
floors but is shown with the original 11th-century main gate arch unblocked. This arch is now in
the basement of the later 12th century keep which was built in front of it, the main gate then
being moved to its present position which was dominated by the adjacent keep while the original
arch we see today was filled-in to secure the keep.
The castle is a Scheduled Monument,[2] a "nationally important" historic building and
archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change.[3] It is also a
Grade I listed building and therefore recognised as an internationally important structure.[2][4]
Today the castle is in the care of English Heritage which publishes a guidebook written by John
Goodall PhD FSA. English Heritage provides a visitor centre for the castle with an informative
exhibition containing artefacts form the castles history, they also hold regular events there
throughout the year.
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 an
underground tunnel, and that his ghostly drumming is sometimes heard around the castle.[5]

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 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.[6]

See also

List of castles in England

Notes
1.
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

References
Notes
1.
Alan the Red, the Brit who makes Bill Gates a pauper The Sunday Times - 9 October 2007
Historic England, "Richmond Castle: eleventh to fourteenth century enclosure castle
(1010627)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 March 2012
"Scheduled Monuments", Pastscape, English Heritage, retrieved 10 March 2012
"Frequently asked questions", Images of England, English Heritage, retrieved 10 March
2012

 Ash, Russell (1973). Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain. Reader's Digest Association
Limited. p. 351. ISBN 9780340165973.
Clark 1886, p. 39

1.
Bibliography

Clark, G. T. (1886), "Richmond Castle", Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 9: 3354

Further reading

Goodall, John (2001), Richmond Castle and St Agathas Abbey, Easby, English Heritage,
ISBN 9781850747932

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richmond Castle.

English Heritage's page on Richmond Castle

Gatehouse record for Richmond Castle, containing a comprehensive bibliography

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/york/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8342
000/8342995.stm

Coordinates:

54.4017N 1.7376W
[hide]

England - Castles in North Yorkshire

North
Yorkshire

Bolton

Burton in Lonsdale

Buttercrambe

Cawood

Crayke

Duffield Castle

Gatherley

Gilling

Helmsley

Hornby

Knaresborough

Middleham

Mulgrave

Pickering

Ravensworth

Richmond

Scarborough

Sheriff Hutton

Skipton

South Cowton

Spofforth

Upsall

Whorlton

York

Also See: Castles in England

Categories:

Castles in North Yorkshire

Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire

English Heritage sites in North Yorkshire

Ruins in North Yorkshire

Scheduled Ancient Monuments in North Yorkshire

Richmond, North Yorkshire

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