Richmond Castle

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 as part of the Norman Conquest of Saxon England as the Domesday Book of 1086 refers to 'a castlery' at Richmond in that year.

History

Richmond Castle from across the River Swale

William the Conqueror had put down the 1069 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. Alain Le Roux de Penthièvre of Brittany received the borough of Richmond and began constructing the castle to defend against further rebellions and to establish a personal power base. His holdings represented one of the most extensive Norman estates in England and covered parts of eight counties - the Honour of Richmond. 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. 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 an 'air lock' - allowing visitors and wagons to be checked before entry to the main castle. 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

As a castle Richmond had fallen out of use by the end of the 14th century and did not receive major improvements after that date. A survey of 1538 shows it was ruinous but paintings by Turner and others and the rise of tourism and an interest in antiquities led to repairs to the keep in the early 19th century.

The castle became the headquarters of the North Yorkshire Militia in 1855, with a military barracks constructed in the great courtyard. The barracks were the home of Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell for two years until 1910 while he commanded the Northern Territorial Army but the barracks building was eventually 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 16' who were taken to France from the castle, charged under Field Regulations and then sentenced to death, these death sentences then being commuted to ten years' hard labour.

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, a "nationally important" historic building and archaeological site which has been given protection against unauthorised change. It is also a Grade I listed building and therefore recognised as an internationally important structure. 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 artifacts form the castles history, they also hold regular events there throughout the year.

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.

See also

• List of castles in England

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Clark, G. T. (1886). "Richmond Castle". pp. 33–54. http://www.archive.org/stream/yorkshirearchae14socigoog#page/n56/mode/2up. 

Further reading

• Goodall, John (2001). "Richmond Castle and St Agatha’s Abbey, Easby". English Heritage. ISBN 9781850747932. 

External links

• 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_8342000/8342995.stm