Brough Castle

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The ruins of the donjon at Brough Castle

Brough Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Brough in the English county of Cumbria . Wilhelm Rufus had the castle built around 1092 inside the Roman fortress Verterae to protect an important road through the Pennines . The initial moth was attacked and destroyed by the Scots in 1174 during the great revolt against King Henry II . During the reconstruction after the war, a donjon with a square floor plan and the rest of the castle in stone were created.

The Clifford family took possession of the castle in the 1260s after the Second Barons' War (1264–1267). They had Clifford's Tower built and a series of renovations done. A fortress was built in the typical northern English style. In 1521, Henry Clifford held Christmas celebrations in the castle after which a fire broke out that destroyed the entire building. The castle remained abandoned until Lady Anne Clifford had it rebuilt in 1659–1661 and used it as one of her country estates in northern England. Another fire broke out in 1666, which again made the castle uninhabitable. Brough Castle was left to decay and was first stripped of its furnishings and walls. The remaining castle walls began to collapse around 1800.

In 1921 the family left the castle ruins to the state. Today it is managed by English Heritage and serves as a tourist attraction. It has been listed as a Grade I Historic Building and a Scheduled Monument .

history

11th century

Brough Castle was built on the site of the 8-acre Roman fortress Verterae , which operated until the 5th century. The property protected Stainmore Pass , which ran from the Valley of Eden across the Pennines, and the Roman road from Carlisle to Ermine Street , an important trade route at the time.

After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, William the Conqueror subjugated the north of the country in a series of bloody battles, and the northwest region became a contested border area between the Norman and Scottish kings. Wilhelm's son, Wilhelm Rufus, occupied the north in 1091 and had Brough Castle built in the northern part of the old Roman fortress around 1092 so that the existing earthworks could continue to be used, similar to what happened with the nearby castles of Brougham and Lancaster . The Eden can be seen from the north side of the property. This castle was believed to have been a moth, the donjon had stone foundations and was mainly made of wood, while the rest of the fortress was turned into an outer bailey with stockades . The village of Church Brough , along with the castle, emerged around the same time as a planned settlement and part of the Norman colonization of the Lowlands in the region.

12th Century

The area around Brough continued to be a point of contention between the kings of England and Scotland. In 1173 William the Lion of Scotland invaded as part of the great revolt against the reign of King Henry II . Wilhelm's army advanced south but failed to take Wark-on-Tweed Castle and therefore attacked Carlisle. When the capture also failed, they captured Appleby Castle instead before turning to Brough Castle.

Brough Castle from the southeast with Clifford's Tower with its 17th century windows (right) and the donjon (left)

Brough Castle, defended by six knights , offered heavy resistance, but William took the outer fortifications, then besieged the donjon and threatened the annihilation of the entire garrison if the castle was not surrendered to him. Wilhelm's troops set the donjon on fire to force the garrison to surrender. One of the knights, according to historian Jordan Fantosme, fought on the front lines with spears and wooden lances until he was eventually overwhelmed. Wilhelms then had the remaining fortifications of the castle destroyed by his Flemish auxiliaries. Henry's forces defeated the Wilhelms at the Battle of Alnwick in 1174, and Brough Castle was retaken later that year.

In the 1180s, Heinrich II had a stone donjon built with a square floor plan. The work was initially carried out by Theobald de Valoignes and then by Hugh de Morville , who also had the remains of the castle rebuilt. The new donjon was built into the walls of the outer bailey so that the external fortifications could be defended directly from it. Thomas de Wyrkington had further work carried out for Johann Ohneland between 1199 and 1202 and transformed the castle into a completely stone fortress.

13th to 15th centuries

Floor plan of the later castle: A - Clifford's Tower; B - gatehouse; C - remains of the Roman fortress; D - location of the knight's hall in the 12th century; E - internal and external spaces; F - kitchen, bakery and brewery; G - outer bailey; H - stables; I - donjon

King John bestowed the title of Lord of Westmoreland - including Brough - on Robert de Vieuxpont in 1203 . Robert expanded the castle to express his rule over the region, where he vied for control with other members of his extensive family. Robert died in 1228, leaving the crown in great debt of £ 2,000 and the castle to his young son John. His son's castle guard, Hubert de Burgh , hired the prior of Carlisle to manage the estate and the castle fell into disrepair. John died helping the rebels in the Barons' Second War between 1264 and 1267 and his lands were divided between his two daughters, Isabel and Idonea. Isabel de Vieuxpont inherited Brough Castle and the eastern lands of the Vieuxponts. King Henry III then transferred the guardianship of some of these lands to Roger de Clifford . Roger then married Isabel and acquired all of their lands, beginning a long period of control of the castle by the Barons of Clifford.

The Cliffords successfully reunited the former lands of the Vieuxponts in 1333 and controlled the Eden Valley through their castles in Appleby , Brougham, Pendragon and Brough. Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford controlled Brough Castle from around 1308 and had the fortifications reinforced by renewing the east wall and building a new great hall and a new round tower with rooms for himself, which was called Clifford's Tower . These rooms of the rule are likely to have been similar to those that have been preserved to this day in Appleby Castle, which was also built by Robert.

Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford died in 1314 in the Battle of Bannockburn against the Scots, who attacked the area around the castle in 1314 and again in 1319. The nearby town of Church Brough was badly affected. Around this time the village of Market Brough was created on the road below the castle, with which the Cliffords wanted to improve their income from trading along the river valley. Market Brough received royal charter in 1330 and appears to have quickly outstripped its neighboring parish, Church Brough, as the area's capital.

In the 1380s, Roger de Clifford, 5th Baron de Clifford , decided to modify the castle, partly to strengthen the fortifications. Roger had work done on most of the Clifford castles in the area and in Brough Castle he had the south wall and the lordship rebuilt, replacing the previous great hall with a more modern block with hall and chambers on the upper floor. Clifford's Tower now housed the chambers and the old knight's hall was converted into a solar. With the exception of Clifford's Tower, this conversion reflected the style of castles typical of northern England at the time, which preferred square floor plans and towers as opposed to the more rounded shapes of the south. The outer bailey was clad with pebbles around the same time.

The gatehouse was reinforced with buttresses around 1450 and an additional courtyard was created in the outer bailey, presumably by Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford . In the Wars of the Roses between the rival Houses of Lancaster and York , the Cliffords supported the House of Lancaster. Thomas died in 1455, followed by his son John in 1461. Brough Castle was temporarily occupied by the Yorkists until John's son Henry regained the lands of King Henry VII's family in 1485 .

16th and 17th centuries

the inner and outer rooms (left) and the gatehouse (right) from the castle courtyard

On Christmas 1521, after the Christmas celebrations hosted by Henry Clifford, a fire broke out in the castle, which destroyed the habitable parts. Henry died shortly afterwards and the castle remained in ruins for many years.

It was not until the 17th century that the castle was rebuilt by Anne Clifford , a large landowner and member of the Clifford family. She wanted to retreat to the north in the Commonwealth years after the Civil War . Even if Anne was loyal to the king, she was protected by powerful friends in the ruling faction of the Roundheads and was thus able to enjoy her possessions undisturbed. She had a number of Clifford castles rebuilt, including Brough Castle, which she commissioned restoration work between 1659 and 1661. Anne had more work done at Brough Castle than any of her other estates to restore the castle to its pre-1521 condition. Although Anne was used to contemporary architectural styles, her restoration work was very traditional; the existing, typical layout of castles in northern England was continued and careful attempts were made to restore furnishings from the 12th century in the donjon. As part of this work, new windows, an entrance to the donjon on the ground floor and new apartments for the servants were created to enable the owner to live the lifestyle of the late 17th century; In 1665 the castle had 24 fire places.

Anne renamed the keep of Brough Castle the "Roman Tower" because she thought it was built by the Romans. During her time in the castle she lived partly in the Clifford's Tower, partly in the manor rooms of the castle and, when the work had progressed, also in the donjon; In 1665 she was able to spend Christmas in the castle for the first time. In 1666 another fire struck the castle and made it uninhabitable again. As a result, the remaining buildings in the outer bailey were converted into courthouses. Anne died in 1676; the castle was still not rebuilt.

18th to 21st century

Brough Castle 1775

Anne's daughter, Margaret, married John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet . John's son, Thomas , slaughtered the castle around 1695 to use the material to help rebuild Appleby Castle. The furnishings were sold in 1714 and in 1763 much of the stones from Clifford's Tower were looted for the construction of the mill at Brough. The castle was then completely left to decay. The southwest corner of the donjon partially collapsed around 1800.

In 1920 another part of the southwest corner of the donjon collapsed and the then owner of the castle, Lord Hothfield , transferred the property to the Office of Works . Work to stabilize the ruins was carried out and the property was placed under the administration of English Heritage, which designated Brough Castle as a Grade I Historic Building and Scheduled Monument and operated as a tourist attraction. The first archaeological excavations were carried out on the property in 1925. These investigations were continued in 1970/1971, 1993, 2007 and 2009. Masonry erosion continues to be a major problem, and in 2010 English Heritage found the castle continued to deteriorate, with some parts particularly at risk.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Nicola Gaskell, Helen Noakes, Frances Woods: An Archaeological Watching Brief and Investigation at Brough Castle, Church Brough, Cumbria . North Pennines Archeology, Alston 2009, p. 4. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  2. ^ A b c Helen Noakes: An Archaeological Field Evaluation at Brough Castle, Church Brough, Cumbria . North Pennines Archeology, Alston 2008, p. 4. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  3. ^ A b c Adrain Pettifer: English Castles: A Guide by Counties . Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2002, ISBN 0-85115-782-3 , p. 266. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ a b c d John Charlton: Brough Castle, Cumbria . English Heritage, London 1986, ISBN 1-85074-265-0 , p. 14.
  5. ^ Norman John Greville Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994, ISBN 0-521-45828-5 , p. 43. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ a b c d James D. Mackenzie: The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Volume II. Macmillan, New York 1896, p. 283. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ Opinions differ as to the degree to which the keep was made of wood: John Charlton concludes that a greater part was made of stone, while Higham and Barker recently found that the fortress was mainly made of wood.
  8. ^ A b c d Nicola Gaskell, Helen Noakes, Frances Woods: An Archaeological Watching Brief and Investigation at Brough Castle, Church Brough, Cumbria . North Pennines Archeology, Alston 2009, p. 5. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  9. ^ Norman John Greville Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994, ISBN 0-521-45828-5 , p. 44. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  10. ^ R. Allen Brown: English Castles . Batsford, London 1962, pp. 166-167. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  11. ^ A b c John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven 2011, ISBN 978-0-300-11058-6 , p. 138. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  12. ^ R. Allen Brown: ' English Castles . Batsford, London 1962, pp. 167, 169-170. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  13. ^ R. Allen Brown: English Castles . Batsford, London 1962, pp. 168-169. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  14. ^ John Charlton: Brough Castle, Cumbria . English Heritage, London 1986, ISBN 1-85074-265-0 , p. 15.
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Helen Noakes: An Archaeological Field Evaluation at Brough Castle, Church Brough, Cumbria . North Pennines Archeology, Alston 2008, p. 5. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  16. ^ Richard Hulme: Twelfth Century Great Towers - The Case for the Defense. In: The Castle Studies Group Journal. 2008. No. 21, p. 216. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  17. ^ John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven 2011, ISBN 978-0-300-11058-6 , p. 164. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ a b c d John Charlton: Brough Castle, Cumbria . English Heritage, London 1986, ISBN 1-85074-265-0 , p. 16.
  19. ↑ It is not possible to compare prices and incomes of the 13th century with today's. As a comparison, however, £ 600 was roughly three times the annual income of an average baron around 1200.
  20. ^ Norman John Greville Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994, ISBN 0-521-45828-5 , p. 147. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  21. ^ Norman John Greville Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994, ISBN 0-521-45828-5 , p. 142. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  22. ↑ Anthony Emery: Greater Nedieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500: Northern England . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1996, ISBN 0-521-49723-X , p. 169. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  23. ↑ a b c d e f John Charlton: Brough Castle, Cumbria . English Heritage, London 1986, ISBN 1-85074-265-0 , p. 17.
  24. ^ A b c John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven 2011, ISBN 978-0-300-11058-6 , p. 244. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  25. ↑ Oliver Hamilton Creighton: Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortifications in Medieval England . Equinox, London 2005, ISBN 1-904768-67-9 , p. 166. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  26. ↑ Anthony Emery: Greater Nedieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500: Northern England . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1996, ISBN 0-521-49723-X , pp. 170, 262. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  27. ^ Norman John Greville Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994, ISBN 0-521-45828-5 , p. 188. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  28. ^ DJ Cathcart King: The Castle in England and Wales: An Interpretative History . Routledge, London 1991, ISBN 0-415-00350-4 , p. 153. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  29. ^ John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven 2011, ISBN 978-0-300-11058-6 , p. 408. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  30. ^ A b c Matthew Johnson: Behind the Castle Gate: From Medieval to Renaissance . Routledge, Abingdon 2002, ISBN 0-415-25887-1 , p. 117. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  31. ^ A b c d e John Charlton: Brough Castle, Cumbria . English Heritage, London 1986, ISBN 1-85074-265-0 , p. 20.
  32. ↑ Elizabeth V. Chew, Helen Hills (Ed.): Architecture and the Politics of Gender in Early Modern Europe . Ashgate Press, Aldershot 2003, ISBN 0-7546-0309-1 . Chapter: Repaired by me to my Exceedingly Great Cost and Charges: Anne Clifford and the Uses of Architecture. P. 107. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  33. ↑ a b Elizabeth V. Chew, Helen Hills (Ed.): Architecture and the Politics of Gender in Early Modern Europe . Ashgate Press, Aldershot 2003, ISBN 0-7546-0309-1 . Chapter: Repaired by me to my Exceedingly Great Cost and Charges: Anne Clifford and the Uses of Architecture. P. 109. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  34. ↑ Elizabeth V. Chew, Helen Hills (Ed.): Architecture and the Politics of Gender in Early Modern Europe . Ashgate Press, Aldershot 2003, ISBN 0-7546-0309-1 . Chapter: Repaired by me to my Exceedingly Great Cost and Charges: Anne Clifford and the Uses of Architecture. Pp. 107-108. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  35. ^ John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven 2011, ISBN 978-0-300-11058-6 , p. 481. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  36. ↑ Nicola Gaskell, Helen Noakes, Frances Woods: An Archaeological Watching Brief and Investigation at Brough Castle, Church Brough, Cumbria . North Pennines Archeology, Alston 2009, pp. 5-6. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  37. ^ Heritage at Risk Register 2010 North West . English Heritage, p. 32. Retrieved April 21, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Brough Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Koordinaten: 54° 31′ 18,5″ N, 2° 19′ 25″ W