Norham Castle
Norham Castle is a ruined castle above the Tweed in the English county of Northumberland on the border between England and Scotland . English Heritage has listed it as a Grade I Historic Building and it is a Scheduled Monument . During the border wars between England and Scotland there was much fighting over the castle.
history
12th Century
The castle was originally built for Ranulf Flambard , Bishop of Durham 1099-1128, in 1121 to protect the bishopric's holdings in northern Northumberland from attacks by the Scots.
In 1136 King David I invaded Northumberland and captured the castle. Soon afterwards it was returned to the diocese but taken again in a new invasion in 1138. This time the castle was badly damaged. It remained in ruins until Hugh de Puiset , Bishop of Durham from 1153 to 1195, had it rebuilt. The work was probably carried out under Richard of Wolviston , the bishop's builder.
In 1174 Hugh de Puiset supported the rebels in a revolt against the English King Henry II , during which the Scottish King William I invaded Northumberland. The rebels were repulsed and Bishop Hugh was forced to cede the castle to the English crown. Norham Castle was administered by a constable appointed by the Crown and housed a royal garrison. This condition lasted until 1197, two years after Bishop Hugh's death, when it was returned to his successor, Philip of Poitou . The latter proved to be loyal to Heinrich's successor, Johann Ohneland . When Philip died in 1208, the castle again fell under royal control.
13th Century
In 1209 both Johann Ohneland and King William I were staying at Norham Castle when the Scottish king offered his honor to the English for his English lands. In the years 1208 to 1211 Johann Ohneland had the castle fortified and installed a strong garrison there. The strong fortifications were needed in 1215 when Alexander II , son of Wilhelm I, besieged the castle for 40 days without success. In 1217 Norham Castle was again transferred back to the Diocese of Durham.
Edward I , who became known as the "Hammer of the Scots", visited the castle more than once. B. 1292, when the Scottish King John Balliol paid him his respects there. In 1296 Edward I invaded Scotland. During the attack, his wife, Margaret of France , stayed at Norham Castle.
14th Century
The Scots invaded Northumberland several times in the early 14th century, but did not always attack Norham Castle. In 1313 Robert the Bruce besieged the castle for almost a year. The Scottish Army managed to occupy the outer bailey for three days, but was then thrown out. The siege was unsuccessful. In 1319 the Scots came back and the castle successfully withstood a seven month siege. In 1322 there was another unsuccessful Scottish siege. During all of these three sieges, the castle was under the command of Sir Thomas Gray of Heton , a knight captured by the Scots at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 . He was the father of the chronicler Sir Thomas Gray .
In 1327 a Scottish army took Norham Castle, but the castle was soon returned to the Bishop of Durham when peace had been made.
15th century
Although the first half of the 15th century turned out to be quieter than the previous century, the fortifications of the castle were preserved in good condition. The next acts of war for Norham Castle took place in the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487). In 1462 the castle was under the influence of the Yorkists for Edward IV. In the following year the Lancasterians besieged the castle for 18 days until it was appalled by Yorkist forces. In 1464 the forces occupying the castle changed sides and supported the Lancasterians, but were then forced to surrender by Yorkist forces.
Later that century, Richard Fox , Bishop of Durham 1494-1501, had the castle fortifications reinforced. In 1497 the castle was besieged for two weeks by an army led by Jacob IV . Cannons were also used to break the walls during this siege, but eventually the garrison was appalled by an English army. After this final siege, Norham Castle was repaired again. One of the cannons used in the sieges was 56 cm and was named Mons Meg . Today it stands on Edinburgh Castle .
16th Century
In 1513 James IV invaded England again with a strong army armed with artillery. He crossed the border and went to Norham Castle. His cannons raked the outer fortifications for a few days until the outer bailey was taken by the Scots. Soon after, the castle's garrison gave up. By then, most of the outer walls had been destroyed. Weeks later Jacob was defeated and slain at the Battle of Flodden Field, near Branxton , Northumberland, and Norham Castle fell back into English hands.
On August 29, 1515, the castle was inspected by Cardinal Wolsey's chaplain, William Frankelayn . He found them "well fortified with double walls and revolving gutters ". The wall from the donjon to the southwest towards the kitchen was 8.4 meters thick. At that time, Scotland's regent Albany was planning to bring an army against the Hume family to the Scottish border.
Bishop Thomas Ruthall of Durham inspected the castle and began restoration work. This lasted until 1521. William Dacre (approx. 1493–1563) was captain of Norham Castle in 1522 and 1523. During another threat of invasion from Albany in September 1523, the Earl of Surrey , Frankelyn and Sir William Bulmer , the High Sheriff of Durham , sighted the fortifications. Surrey ordered the construction of new earth fortifications for platforms and ramps, as well as the "repair of damaged areas with peat and earth". He reckoned it would take six days for this work and he ordered the same work for Wark Castle .
The Earl of Northumberland's steward , Roger Lascelles , conferred across the Tweed on September 5, 1528 with the Earl of Angus and William Douglas , the Abbot of Holyrood . Angus was threatened by his stepson, James V , and asked Lascelles to keep sleeping quarters in the castle for his daughter Margaret Douglas , her governess Isabel Hoppar, and the young George Gordon . If necessary, Angus himself would go to Norham Castle for safety. Margaret Douglas, the grandmother of Jacob I , arrived at Norham Castle in October.
Throughout the century, the castle was kept in good condition and garrisoned during the conflicts with Scotland. Brian Layton , the captain of Norham Castle, inspected the castle's security in October 1542 after hearing rumors that the castle would be ceded to the Scots. Layton moved to Scotland in the Rough Wooing War and died at the Battle of Ancrum Moor in February 1545 .
Sir Richard Lee , Sir Thomas Palmer and Robert Bowes inspected the castle in 1550, and in 1554 Bishop Tunstall had repairs carried out. But when there was a longer period of peace between the two countries, the garrison was reduced and the fortifications were left to decay. At the end of the century the castle was already in ruins. In 1596, Elizabeth I harshly let the then captain, Sir Robert Carey , know that she did not intend to invest any money in Norham Castle. There would be no further fighting for Norham Castle, but the castle and manor were defeated by James VI. Fief of George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar , of Scotland when the Scottish King ascended the throne of England. The castle subsequently fell into ruin.
19th century
The Norham area was an exclave of County Palatine of Durham until 1844 and was named (along with Holy Island, the Farnes and Bedlington) "North Durham".
In the 19th century, Norham Castle was best known for the paintings by William Turner . He painted the castle for the first time in 1797, but then often returned to this motif. Much of his work can be seen in the Tate Gallery in London .
description
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The castle is located on the south bank of the Tweed , high above the river, so that the north side is protected by a steep slope. A deep ravine protected the east side and an artificial moat was created around the south and west sides of the castle to complete the protection. The castle consisted of a bailey and a core castle . The main castle stood on an earth wall and was separated from the outer castle by a moat spanned by a drawbridge.
The main entrance to the castle was guarded by the west gate that led into the outer bailey. On the south side of the outer bailey there was another gate, which was called Sheep Gate .
The main castle was entered via a drawbridge over the moat and through a fortified gate on the west side. The drawbridge has now been replaced by a solid, wooden bridge. On the north side of the main castle was the bishop's hall, 18.3 mx 9.1 m in size and now a ruin. The donjon stands on the east side of the main castle with a base area of 25.6 m × 18.3 m and 26.8 m high. This donjon is said to have been built for Hugh de Puiset.
Norham Castle is now managed by British Heritage and is open to the public.
Individual evidence
- ^ Letters & Papers of Henry VIII . Volume 2 (1864), No. 861.
- ^ State Papers Henry VIII . Volume IV (1836), No. 37.
- ^ State Papers Henry VIII . Volume IV. Part 4 (1836), pp. 519-10.
- ^ Joseph Bain (editor): Hamilton Papers . Volume 1 (1890), pp. 287-291, No. 225.
- ↑ Marcus Merriman: The Rough Wooings . Tuckwell (2000). P. 359.
- ^ Howard Colvin: The History of the King's Works . Volume 4. Part 2. Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London 1982. pp. 680-681.
- ^ Howard Colvin: The History of the King's Works . Volume 4. Part 2. Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London 1982. p. 682.
- ^ Mackenzie: The Castles of England: their story and structure . Macmillan, New York 1897. p. 464.
swell
- Images of Norham Castle
- GL Dodds: Historic Sites of Northumberland & Newcastle upon Tyne . Albion Press, 2000. pp. 121-129, ISBN 0-9525122-1-1 .
- AD Saunders: Norham Castle and Early Artillery Defenses . Fort, No. 25 (1997). Pp. 37-61.
Web links
Coordinates: 55 ° 43 ′ 19.2 " N , 2 ° 8 ′ 56.4" W.