Castle Rushen

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Castle Rushen
Castle Rushen from Castletown Market Square

Castle Rushen from Castletown Market Square

Creation time : 16th Century
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: restored
Standing position : Nobility of the Isle of Man
Construction: Ashlar
Place: Castletown
Geographical location 54 ° 4 '25.5 "  N , 4 ° 39' 10.6"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 4 '25.5 "  N , 4 ° 39' 10.6"  W.
Height: 13  m ASLTemplate: height / unknown reference
Castle Rushen (Isle of Man)
Castle Rushen

Castle Rushen ( Manx : Cashtal Rosien ) is a medieval hilltop castle in Castletown on the Isle of Man . It rises above the market square in the southeast and the harbor in the northeast. Castle Rushen is one of the best examples of medieval castles in the British Isles. It is still in use today as a courthouse, museum and educational center.

construction

It is not known exactly in which century the castle was built, but it is believed that it dates to the time of the kingdoms in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The last of these kings, Magnús Óláfsson , is believed to have died in the castle in 1265 , according to the Chronicle of Mann . The original castle consisted of a stone tower or donjon in the middle. The site was also fortified to monitor the entrance to the Silver Burn River . Since the earliest times the castle has been continuously expanded by successive rulers of Man from the 13th to the 16th centuries. The limestone walls dominated the surrounding landscape and served the various rulers of Man as a symbol of their power. In 1313 the original donjon was reinforced by towers in the west and south. In the 14th century a tower in the east, gatehouses and a curtain wall were added.

description

The portcullis room of Castle Rushen with the so-called killer holes through which to attack the enemy, who was caught between the two portcullis.

Castle Rushen's first line of defense is an outer wall, 7.6 meters high and 2.1 meters thick. There are five towers attached to the wall, which served as a defense structure for the civil administration after the castle was used. The donjon itself has walls that are 3.7 meters thick at their base and 2.1 meters thick at their head. Four towers sit on the donjon; the largest in the north is 24 meters high, the other three about 21 meters.

The entrance to the donjon is protected by a drawbridge and an inner gatehouse with two portcullis . Between the two portcullis is an attack room, over which there are three so-called "killer holes" through which the defenders could attack the intruders who were trapped between the two portcullis. On both sides of the gatehouse there are guardhouses that were later converted into prison cells. The garrison spent most of its service time in the gatehouses. In the gatehouse there is a tide mill for grinding grain on one of the lower floors . There is also a medieval chapel in the castle, which houses the Castle Rushen clock mechanism. The clock, which still works today, is an important landmark in Castletown; it was a gift from Queen Elizabeth I of England when she controlled the island during a dispute in 1597. The outer parts of the castle are protected by a moat and a glacis . The glacis originally extended as far as the moat over the entire land side of the castle.

history

Exhibition of the construction work on Castle Rushen

Sometimes in Scottish and sometimes in English hands

After its completion and initial use by the Nordic Gaelic rulers of the Isle of Man, the castle changed hands several times between Scottish and English rule. The year after Magnús Óláfsson's death in 1374, the Isle of Man was transferred to the Scots as part of the Perth Peace Agreement that ended the Scottish-Norwegian War of 1263-1266 . On May 18, 1313, the Scottish King Robert the Bruce invaded the Isle of Man via Ramsey . The island was captured in five days; the only resistance arose at Castle Rushen, which was defended by Dungal Macdowell . After a brief siege, Robert the Bruce took the castle and won the Isle of Man as an outpost to secure the west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides .

After several other changes of ownership, the English and their supporters finally got the upper hand. The English King Edward I asserted that the island had belonged to the kings of England for many generations and affirmed their claim to the Isle of Man.

From 1405 to 1738 the Isle of Man was under the control of the Stanley family , beginning with Sir John Stanley , who was bestowed the title King ov Mann by King Henry IV in 1405 . In 1521 this title was replaced by that of Lord of Mann , which the reigning British monarch now holds.

Castle Rushen in the English Civil War

In the English Civil War 1642-1651, James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby , Lord of Mann 1627-1651, was on the side of the Royalists . The "The Great Stanley" (Manx: Yn Stanlagh Mooar ) named James Stanley established a second royalist court at Castle Rushen before he left for England to fight the Roundheads . In August 1651, James Stanley sailed for Lancashire with two frigates and brought 300 royalists from the Isle of Man in support of Charles II. After the Lord of Derby fought several battles in the third phase of the Civil War, he was in the on September 3, 1651 Battle of Worcester captured and executed at Bolton on October 15, 1651 . When James Stanley left the Isle of Man, he left the island under the command of his wife, Countess Charlotte , who was known to have successfully defended Lathom House in 1644 . The from France coming Charlotte Stanley held Castle Rushen until one of Illiam Dhone , a nationalist of the Isle of Man, quoted rebellion and mutiny of their own garrison forced them to the attacking parliamentarist forces under the command of Colonel Robert Duckenfield end of October 1651 to surrender.

Civil use of the castle

Administrative center

The Old House of Keys from Castle Rushen
An etching by Castle Rushen from the 1850s

When the military importance of the castle declined, it was continuously used as an administrative center. In the 18th century, a mint was housed on the castle grounds , as was the southern court of the Isle of Man, which is still active today. The Manx law books were also stored in The Lord's Treasury at Castle Rushen. In the 16th century, the castle was a meeting place of the 24 Keys - an earlier name for the lower house of the Isle of Man, the House of Keys . Until 1710, the Keys did not have a permanent seat, but only met occasionally at Castle Rushen. From 1710, the Keys met in Bishop Wilson's library in Castletown, and in 1821 they moved into their own house, the Old House of Keys . In 1874 Parliament was relocated to Douglas, the new capital of the Isle of Man since 1869.

jail

In the 18th century the castle fell into disrepair. At the end of this century it was turned into a prison. Although it continued to be used as a prison, its decline continued until the turn of the 20th century; then it was restored under the aegis of Lieutenant Govenor , George Somerset, 3rd Baron Raglan . After the restoration work was completed and the specially built Victoria Road Prison was completed in 1891, Castle Rushen was transferred from the British Crown to the Isle of Man government in 1929.

After the castle had lost its uses as a defensive structure, political residence and meeting place for parliament and the legislative assembly, it continued to serve as a prison; Prisoners were moved there from the crypt under Peel Castle in 1870 . From 1765 fines were no longer used to pay for the castle's upkeep and deterioration set in, leaving the prisoners increasingly exposed to cold and bad weather. This led to protests by the governor 1777–1793, a man named Smith , which had little effect. It was not until 1813 and 1827 that buildings were renovated and converted into real prison buildings. All inmates who were reasonably healthy were used for forced labor , with quotas being set for productivity.

View of Castle Rushen across Castletown Harbor, the entrance to Silverburn. The Castle Arms pub is to the left of the castle.

In the 1880s, the conditions in the castle had become so unbearable for the inmates that order collapsed and the separation of the prisoners became impossible. After an inspection by the Chairman of the Commissioners for Prisons in England and Wales in 1885, a report recommended the construction of a new prison for 30 inmates. After Parliament initially opposed these spending, a decision was made to build a modern prison in a new location, and in April 1891 the Victoria Road Prison , designed by local architect James Cowle , opened.

During the time that Castle Rushen served as a prison, it housed both women and men; children were born there who were allowed to live with their mothers within the prison walls, and executions were carried out. The last inmate to be executed in the castle grounds was John Kewish , for the sake of parricide sentenced and in the summer of 1872 in the Debtor's Yard was hanged. Kewish was buried in the castle grounds.

One known prisoner who was imprisoned at Castle Rushen for some time was the Anglican Bishop of Sodor and Man from 1697–1755, Thomas Wilson . Wilson was captured in 1722, after a dispute with the Lord of Mann in 1702–1736, James Stanley , over power over ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the diocese of Sodor and Man . 19th century Isle of Man democracy activists Robert Fargher and James Brown both spent time in Castle Rushen Prison as punishment for attacking the House of Keys as an undemocratic institution and for calling for public elections on the Isle of Man .

In addition to being used as a prison, Castle Rushen also served as a madhouse to lock away the mentally confused. The insane criminals were not imprisoned on the Isle of Man, but were housed in facilities in Scotland or England.

Manx National Heritage property

Castle Rushen with the Castle Arms pub in the foreground
The Castle Arms pub sign

In 1988 responsibility for the castle passed to Manx National Heritage , who had the complex restored. In July 1991 it was opened by Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby , as the first major Manx National Heritage property. Castle Rushen is one of four such properties in Castletown today; the others are the Nautical Museum, the Old Grammer School, and the Old House of Keys.

Today Castle Rushen is a Manx National Heritage museum, which tells the story of the Kings and Lords of Mann . In the summer season (March to October) most of the rooms are open to the public and all accessible rooms are provided with boards about their history. There is also a working medieval kitchen on display, where authentic, contemporary dishes are prepared on special occasions and various aspects of medieval life are regularly performed, especially to teach history to local children. Archaeological finds from the excavations in the 1980s are on display and serve as teaching aids for visitors. A central point of the school events at Castle Rushen is the presentation of the preparations for and the events surrounding the visit of Thomas Stanley, 2nd Earl of Derby and King of Mann, to the castle in May 1507. Stanley's visit in 1507 was a rare affair as most of the Kings of Mann rarely, if ever, visited the island and left the affairs of state to the lower-ranking officials. The exhibits at Castle Rushen are part of Manx National Heritage's Story-of-Mann collection of culture and history. In addition to its use as a museum, the castle still serves as an official courthouse today.

Castle Rushen is depicted on the back of the £ 5 note issued by the Isle of Man Government. It is noteworthy that a pub , the Castle Arms opposite the castle, is depicted on the banknote .

The closing ceremony of the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games , held on the Isle of Man, was held on September 12, 2011 in the market square of Castletown, in front of Castle Rushen.

The state secondary school in Castletown, Castle Rushen High School , is named after Castle Rushen .

In the Second World War one was Corvette of the Castle class to Castle Rushen named the HMS Rushen Castle .

The 45-km long distance footpath Millennium Way , the 1979 to 1000 anniversary of Tynwald was opened, begins at Castle Rushen and then heads north to the city of Ramsey. The trail ends at the base of Sky Hill , about 1 mile from Ramsey Town Square.

Castle Rushen is said to be haunted by the ghost of a lady walking across the castle's drawbridge.

Castle Rushens Barbakane of the inside of the curtain wall from

Web links

Commons : Castle Rushen  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Castle Rushen - Introduction . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  2. ^ R. Andrew McDonald: Manx kingship in its Irish sea setting, 1187-1229: king Rǫgnvaldr and the Crovan dynasty . Four Courts Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84682-047-2 . Pp. 40, 84.
  3. ^ Alan Orr Anderson (editor): Early sources of Scottish history: AD 500 to 1286 . Oliver and Boyd. 1922. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b c Castle Rushen - building phases . Castletown Heritage. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  5. ^ Castle Rushen - Introduction . Castletown Heritage. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ a b c Castle Rushen - Cashtal Rushen . Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  7. ^ Castle Rushen - a historical and descriptive account . 1927. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  8. ^ A b Castle Rushen - a tour of the castle . Castletown Heritage. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  9. ↑ a b c Chronicle of Man and the Isles - 1249-1374 . Isle-of-Man.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  10. ↑ Michael Brown: Bannockburn: The Scottish Wars and the British Isles, 1307-1323 . Edinburgh University Press. 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  11. ^ Resumption of the Isle of Man by Edward IAD 1307 . Isle-of-Man.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  12. ↑ a b c Kings & Lords of Mann . Isle of Man Government. Archived from the original on May 30, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  13. ^ Defeat of Charles and Capture of James, Earl of Derby . Isle-of-Man.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ a b c Castle Rushen - Decay & Restoration . Castletown Heritage. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  15. ↑ The Lord's Treasury . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  16. ^ The Medieval Keys . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  17. ^ The 18th Century House of Keys . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  18. ^ A New Manx Parliament Building . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  19. ↑ Key facts . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  20. ↑ a b c d Prison Service - Prison History . Isle of Man Government. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  21. ^ The Law and Practice of Capital Punishment in the Isle of Man. . Peter W. Edge. Ll.B, Ph.D .. 1996. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved on March 27, 2018.
  22. ^ Carole Watterson Troxler: Wilson, Thomas, (1663-1755) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press. 2004. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  23. ^ The fight for Democracy - the public view. . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  24. ↑ Richard Chiverrell, Dr. Geoff Thomas, John Belchem: A New History of the Isle of Man . Liverpool University Press. Pp. 66-67. 2006. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  25. ^ Bus and Rail Timetables - Southern Steam . Isle of Man Government. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 3, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gov.im
  26. ↑ National Archeology Day - 'Medieval Fun at Castle Rushen' . Isle of Man Guide. July 26, 2007. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  27. ^ Tudor Times . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  28. ↑ The Lord's Private Dining Hall . Isle of Man Government. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  29. ↑ Discover the Story of Mann . Isle of Man Guide. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  30. ^ Isle of Man . Ron Wise's Banknote World. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  31. ↑ CYG 2011 Venues . Isle of Man Commonwealth Youth Games 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 3, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cyg2011.com
  32. ^ Millennium Way . Isle of Man Government. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 3, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gov.im
  33. ^ Haunted Castles: The Spooky Tales Behind These Magnificent Structures . hauntedplacessearch.net. Retrieved on November 3, 2008.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / hauntedplacessearch.net