Medieval Castle Blog

300 Steps From Scones To A Medieval Priory

2010-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:00

These steps are not the stone kind that you have to walk up ... no, they are footsteps.

I measured the walk from the Lanercost Tea Rooms (they serve great scones there!) to the front door of Lanercost Priory and it took me exactly 300 footsteps.

An incredible round number which, if nothing else, just shows how close you can be to medieval history when you're out for tea and scones!

Yes, there's a latte in the picture too - they serve a good one :)

** Watch a video clip of Lanercost Priory **

** Read about Lanercost holiday cottages **

Lanercost Priory Video 4

2010-02-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here is our 4th video clip on the subject of Lanercost Priory - a magnificent example of medieval monastic ruins currently looked after by English Heritage.

Lanercost Priory is the kind of place of interest to anyone with an interest in medieval history and medieval worship. With a history of close to 900 years it is a place that has seen some remarkable events - from King Edward I in Lanercost to the attacks of the legendary William Wallace and Robert The Bruce. There's also a whole history of connections to the local families of De Vaux, Dacre and Howard (Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn form part of the fascinating Howard ancestry). Remember you can now stay in a super Lanercost holiday cottage just a few hundred metres from the Priory. Self catering doesn't get more historic than that!

Lanercost Priory Video 3

2010-01-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

The 3rd clip in our mini series of videos on Lanercost Priory.

Interesting connection:
Lanercost Priory has had strong ties to Naworth Castle for many centuries. Naworth Castle itself was occupied for over 200 years by the powerful Dacre family with Thomas Dacre playing an important role at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The current owners of Naworth Castle have recently refurbished some of the buildings they own adjacent to the Lanercost Priory site, turning them into luxury holiday cottages - ideal for anyone interested in spending time in the Lanercost area, studying its medieval history and of course Hadrian's Wall which is close by. One of the 6 Lanercost cottages is very aptly called ... Dacre Cottage.

You can read more about the Dacre legacy in Cumbria by visiting our Dacre Castle page which is one of many haunted castles in England.

Lanercost Priory Video 2 & Lanercost Cottages

2010-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

Video clip 2 of the Lanercost Priory ruins in Cumbria. It was within the priory grounds that the notorious medieval English King Edward I stayed for 5 months during the winter of 1306-1307. Read more about medieval kings and queens on our website.

Next door to Lanercost Priory is a super tearoom with excellent homemade fare - we know, we've tasted it! So once you've made your tour around the medieval ruins it's a great place to stop off and contemplate all that you've just seen. If you wish to stay in the area longer you can always book one of the Lanercost cottages on the site. All luxury cottages, they carry names relating to Lanercost's history. The De Vaux cottage is one example - it was Robert De Vaux who founded Lanercost Priory around 1170.

A Castle Wedding With An Owl But No Pussycat!

2010-01-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Medieval castles are often used as wedding venues for couples to get married in - they offer history and romance like no other venue can. It's a subject we've covered before with features on the likes of Eastnor Castle, one of the most romantic wedding venues in England. Although not medieval by age, its architecture is 'mock medieval' having been designed by the great architect Robert Smirke.

Well, how's this for a touch of real castle romance ... a video of a couple who got married at Eastnor Castle on New Year's Eve 2009. Watch out for the trained owl who flies down the church aisle to give them their wedding rings. How romantic is that?!

Read about their romantic wedding and enjoy the video.

Lanercost Priory Video 1

2010-01-12T03:30:00.000-08:00

If you have never visited Lanercost Priory then here is your chance to share in a few video clips we made especially for our castle blog readers.

Video 1 - filmed from within the grounds of the ruins

Planning to visit Lanercost? There are some fabulous self catering, luxury cottages to let ... just next door! Here is one of them - it's called Greystoke holiday cottage and is one of 6 Lanercost holiday cottages that opened in 2009.

A Local Timeline Over 2 Millenia

2010-01-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

On a visit to Lanercost Priory, a wonderful medieval church in a tiny Cumbrian village, I was intrigued to see a modern, sand blasted toughened glass panel on one of the inside walls. Called Lanercost 2000 it is a timeline of significant events related to local history from the birth of Christ right up to the present day.

The key period for many significant events appeared to be the Middle Ages and featured some of medieval Britains' key figures. It makes for fascinating reading!

1066 AD - Norman Conquest of Britain begins. This in turn led to the arrival in Cumbria of the de Vaux family who founded Lanercost Priory

1169 AD - Foundation of Lanercost Priory

1214 AD - Consecration of the Lanercost Cross (pictured)

1296 AD - William Wallace ransacked Lanercost

1306 AD - King Edward I arrived at Lanercost and stayed the winter, leaving in 1307

1311 AD - Robert The Bruce ransacked Lanercost

1346 AD - King David II of Scotland visited Lanercost

Read more about medieval churches in England.

Have you ever seen orbs in churches? Take a look at this photo taken at St Etheldreda's Church in London. Here is another of orbs in St Paul's Cathedral.

A series of short video clips of Lanercost Priory will follow in our next blog posts.

Threave & Hermitage - Castles In Scotland

2009-12-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

Threave Castle

Sitting in the middle of the River Dee, this has to be one of the most unusual and interesting medieval castles we have ever visited. It even has its own medieval harbour! Views out across the river Dee are beautiful with unspoiled countryside everywhere you look.

Threave Castle has some fascinating architectural features for those interested in medieval castle design. Watch out for future posts with more of the stunning photos from our Threave Castle visit.

Hermitage Castle
We have already published several posts about Hermitage featuring photographs of it that we took on a visit during 2009.

Check our Medieval Castle Blog Archive for details.

Dacre & Dunstanburgh - Contrasting Medieval Castles

2009-12-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

Dacre Castle (left)

One of the smallest medieval castles we have ever seen! Built in 1313 near Greystoke in Cumbria. The Dacre family was one of the most powerful Norman families in Cumbria and built a number of castles including this one.

Still intact and inhabitable - still lived in today in fact. This castle came up for rental during 2009.

Dunstanburgh Castle

Only ruins left of this once magnificent medieval castle. Built on an ancient site, believed to have been occupied since prehistoric times! Construction took place in the early 1300's (around the time of Dacre Castle's construction). Located on the very top of a basalt crag on the Northumberland coast. The famous English painter W. M. Turner visited the castle and painted it on several occasions. Having been there and seen the breathtaking views, it's easy to imagine the impression this castle would make on a creative artist such as Turner.

Carlisle Castle & Naworth Castle

2009-12-07T04:02:00.000-08:00

Carlisle Castle
900 years of history in one building - that's a piece of architecture with a past!

Regarded by many as one of the most important fortresses in Britain, second only to the Tower Of London. Like the Tower of London it is reputed to be haunted.

The portcullis as you enter the castle takes your breath away!

Naworth Castle

Crenalated in 1335, this is a small privately owned medieval castle of great character. Tucked away in the Border region close to Hadrian's Wall and not from from both the Scottish and Northumberland borders, this is a 'chocolate box' country castle. Close to the historic Lanercost Priory which received visits from King Edward I, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce - no less!.

Not to be missed if you are travellling through Cumbria (though not open to the public other than for special events).

Medieval Castles in 2009

2009-11-28T03:42:00.000-08:00

During the course of this year we have visited and photographed a number of medieval castles in the Border region that lies between England and Scotland. It is an area that has seen many battles for power over the centuries and is therefore littered with fortresses many of which date back to medieval times and some such as Carlisle Castle having origins even further back - to Roman times.

Carlisle Castle (Cumbria England)
With over 900 years of history. Architecturally fascinating and reputed to be haunted!

Naworth Castle (Cumbria England)
A small, privately owned medieval castle dating back to the early 14th century.

Dacre Castle (Cumbria England)
An even smaller castle, again privately owned which was up for rental at the time we visited.

Dunstanburgh Castle (Northumberland, England)
Castle ruins in one of the most outstanding locations you could ever dream of! Located high on a promintery overlooking the sea. Breathtaking views once you reach it and look down on the surrounding countryside. Legends abound about this castle and it is reputed to be haunted.

Threave Castle (Scotland)
Ruins of a 13th century castle built in a unique location - on an island in the middle of the river Dee.

Hermitage Castle (Scotland)
Another unique location for a medieval castle - this was far from romantic though. A much more desolate location. Castle reputed to be haunted.

Photographs of each of the above will be published in subsequent blog posts.

Hermitage Castle - Inside & Out

2009-11-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hermitage Castle Scotland
We don't usually focus on an individual castle for more than one or two blog posts but we have made an exception with Hermitage Castle in Scotland. I have tried to describe the place in words (see our Halloween blog post about haunted Hermitage Castle) but photographs convey the atmosphere perhaps more strongly.

Here are 2 more photographs we took of Hermitage Castle earlier this year.

Photo 1 (right)
An inside shot of part of the castle ruins

Photo 2
On the left of the picture is the Douglas Tower - the largest of the 4 attached towers and so named because it was the Earl of Douglas who remodelled the castle in the 1370's and 1380's. Almost 2 centuries later (in 1566), the infamous 4th Earl of Bothwel was taken to Hermitage to recover from a local skirmish; whilst there, most likely residing in the Douglas tower, he was paid a secret visit by Mary Queen of Scots who was later to become his wife.

On the right of the picture is the Well Tower.

More Hermitage Castle Photos

2009-11-14T02:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a view of Hermitage Castle as you approach it more closely, having come up the path from the entrance (Historic Scotland's little hut where you buy your ticket).

At this point you are already standing above what used to be the castle moat.

Pictured right - what used to be the moat, now grassed over but still visibly deep. You can see the green, grassed path in the top right hand corner of the picture along which you walk from the entrance.

This photo was taken having turned around near to the base of the stonework in photo 1 (above left).

Hermitage Castle Scotland

2009-11-07T02:39:00.000-08:00

Whilst our Halloween post pointed readers in the direction of a variety of haunted medieval castles all over Britain, it focused in particular on Hermitage Castle.

After writing that post I was reminded of just how strong an atmosphere there was to the place - I can still close my eyes and feel the 'coldness' that seemed prevalent there! I then started to sift through the photographs we took on our visit to Hermitage Castle earlier in 2009 and it became even clearer just how powerful and commanding a presence the place has.

It seems therefore only fair to the many readers of our medieval-castle.com website and our medieval castle blog, that we should share some of those photographs with you all. After all, many of you are not in a position to travel to Scotland and see first hand what I have described. So over the coming weeks watch out for some great photos!

Today's ...... the view that greets you as you walk towards Hermitage Castle.

Spooky Stories From Medieval Castles On Halloween!

2009-10-31T01:35:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading our Medieval Castle Blog during the month of October you will know that we have been recounting 'white lady' ghost stories at some of Britain's medieval castles. Well, for those of you who haven't had enough and want yet more spooky stories for your Halloween bedtime reading, let us point you in the right direction ....

Haunted Castles In England
Haunted Castles In Scotland
Haunted Castles In Ireland
Haunted Castles In Wales

On a personal note, one of the most 'spooky' castles I have ever visited has to be Hermitage Castle in Scotland. It is difficult to explain but the moment you set eyes on the castle it really grips you and holds your attention. It has a powerful, eery appearance and when you see it close up and then enter inside the ruins the atmosphere is very intense. Hermitage Castle is set close to a river, in open countryside and with views to distant fields and hills all around. It has to be one of the most distinctive of medieval castles I have ever seen - though not one that I would relish revisiting. There was a coldness to it that even now is clear in the memory as I write this post. See our dedicated page on Hermitage Castle and read about 2 of its ghost stories.

Haunted Castles - The White Lady Of Denbigh Castle

2009-10-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here is our third "White Lady' ghost story.

Denbigh Castle in Wales was built in the late 13th/early 14th century by Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln in England to whom King Edward I had granted the territory after the last native Welsh prince had been defeated in 1282 AD. Having 700 years of history, the castle has doubtless seen its fair share of strange events! The ghost story of "The White Lady" at Denbigh Castle is one that many people swear to have witnessed in person with many reported sightings of a 'White Lady' around the castle, usually gliding around the footpaths near the Goblin Tower and surrounded by a glowing white mist. In recent years (1999 AD) 3 youths hit the local headlines when they reported being terrified at the sight of the 'White Lady' standing beneath the Goblin Tower of the castle from where they said she "glided" down the hill toward them.

There is a great video clip from a BBC TV programme where paranormal investigator Mike McManus recounts a vigil at the haunted ruins of Denbigh Castle. Spooky stuff!

For more detail on this fascinating Welsh castle go to our dedicated Denbigh Castle page.

Read more about haunted castles in Wales on medieval-castle.com

Haunted Castles - The White Lady Of Glamis Castle

2009-10-24T01:06:00.000-07:00

Here is our second 'White Lady' ghost story.

Glamis Castle in Scotland is reputed to be haunted by more than one lady in fact but we will just look at "The White Lady" in this post. There has been much discussion about who she might have been in real life but the general concensus seems to point to the possibility of it being the ghost of Janet Douglas, wife to the 6th Lord Glamis back in the 16th century. After his death she became wife to Archibald Campbell then later imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle and finally burnt at the stake on Castle Hill on a charge of witchcraft. For more detail on this and other hauntings at the castle go to our dedicated Glamis Castle page.

Read more about haunted castles in Scotland on medieval-castle.com

Medieval Castle Ghosts - The White Lady Of Tamworth Castle

2009-10-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

One of the most common 'apparitions' in ghost stories is that of the 'white lady'. There are many legends that tell of some tragic story and the end result is that of a haunting by a white lady.

In the next few posts we will share some of the white lady stories that we have come across in our research on medieval history and medieval castles.

Here is the first ....

Tamworth Castle in England - There have been many reports of "ghostly happenings" in Tamworth Castle but one of the most famous is that of the White Lady. According to local folklore, a young woman was captured and locked in the castle tower by Sir Tarquin. Over time she fell in love with him and after he was killed by Sir Lancelot du Lac she mourned her lover so much that she threw herself from the battlements. It is believed her ghost walks the castle battlements weeping and people have reported not only seeing the apparition but also hearing her mournful cries.

Read more about haunted castles on medieval-castle.com

A Haunted Castle For TV's "Most Haunted"

2009-10-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

It's October again with Halloween just around the corner. So we're going to discuss all things 'spooky' this month on our Medieval Castle Blog. From legends to true, live witness accounts we've got some great medieval castle ghost stories to share with you!

First we will look at Carlisle Castle - a fabulous piece of medieval castle architecture in Britain in the county of Cumbria. With no less than 900 years of history to its name, Carlisle Castle has seen some truly turbulent times and has associations with many famous people. These include King David I (King of the Scots) who died there, William Wallace who once tried to attack the castle, Mary Queen of Scots who was imprisoned there for a time at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I, Bonnie Prince Charlie who also attacked the castle, and, in the 20th century, Rudolf Hess who during WW2 made an overnight stop at the castle on his way South having been taken prisoner in Scotland where he landed his plane. One can well imagine the intensity of some of those historic visits! It's not surprising then that Carlisle Castle is rumoured to be haunted. So much so that the TV series "Most Haunted" visited the castle this summer to film one of their shows (due to be aired some time this month). The shows producers are giving little away but have admitted during their stay, the team experienced mysterious footsteps in the gatehouse, strange phenomena in the Keep and something very unusual around one of the cherry trees in the castle's grounds. If you think it might not be genuine, think again ... staff at the castle have reported seeing mysterious figures on many occasions, especially on the top floor of the Keep.

Having visited Carlisle Castle myself I can honestly say that it has an intense atmosphere about it. The dungeons are particularly eery. See our photographs of the castle dungeons and you will know what I mean!

A Medieval Castle With Its Own Harbour

2009-09-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Now here's something you don't see every day ... a medieval castle with its own harbour. On a recent visit to Scotland we took in a trip to Threave Castle.

Set in a stunning location on a tiny island in the middle of the river Dee, the remains of this medieval castle can only be reached by walking down to the river's edge, ringing an old-fashioned bell and waiting for the ferryman to come and take you across in his little boat! With room for only 4 passengers, the boat happily phut-phuts along taking just a minute or so to cross the narrow stretch of water to land you on the jetty the other side.

Threave Castle is a ruin but one you can still go inside and from its highest point you can savour its uniqueness by surveying the unspoiled landscape around it, watching the current of the river Dee cut a swathe past the castle's own little harbour which was once vital to the castle's inhabitants for bringing in supplies. In the distance at the top of some tall trees we could see a large nest and with the benefit of binoculars realised it was that of a pair of Ospreys - what a wonderful sight!

The history of Threave Castle is fascinating as is its architecture but we will save those to cover another day. Suffice it to say, if you get the chance to visit Threave Castle, don't miss it!

A Medieval English Diet

2009-09-02T03:07:00.000-07:00

The medieval diet was more varied than many people realise. As well as crops there would have been herbs, fruits and berries and then of course meat. However meat could only be eaten fresh in the summer as Turnip Townsend was still 400 years in the future and livestock was generally slaughtered before the winter came.

Poor people kept pigs whilst the rich and nobles hunted deer, wild boar, swans, hares and just about anything that moved!

Fish was popular and a mandatory dish on Fridays and of course during lent when the devout gave up meat. Manors and monasteries would have had their own fish ponds and castle moats were often well stocked with fish.

Potatoes - there were none! It was Christopher Columbus who brought the common spud back from the New World in 1482.

Meats were generally served on thick trenchers of bread ... with only the nobles using plates.

Salt, something which is so common now, was a luxury.

The main meal of the day would have been eaten 9 am and 12 noon. In medieval castles it was served in the Great Hall.

Overall there was a large variety of food prepared and cooked in ways that we have long forgotten about. For more on that you can check out some medieval recipes.

A Medieval Plague: The Black Death

2009-08-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

At the core of all medieval life was the general state of health of the local and national population. Effective medicine was of course not readily available and many illnesses that are easily curable today were responsible for many deaths in medieval times.

The Black Death is probably the most well-known killer from that era and we'd like to share with you a story about a small English market town in the Lake District called Penrith.

In 1597 Andrew Hodgson crossed over the Pennines, probably from Richmond in Yorkshire and brought with him the Black Death. (It had already been terrorising Europe for 250 years when this happened!). This was a cruel blow for the people of Penrith as the previous year a famine had killed 153 people and the population had been weakended considerably. The cold winter did not wipe out the disease and during 1598 over half the population died. There is still talk of plague stones and the horrors which were brought to Cumbria and the Eden Valley.

So what exactly was the Black Death? For many years everyone thought it was the bubonic plague brought by fleas and their rat hosts. However, Scott & Duncan in their book "The Return of the Black Death" argue that it was a haemorrhaging virus, not dissimilar to Ebola, which brought so much death to the land.

We will talk more about their findings and the impact of the Black Death on medieval life at a later date but for now most people simply do not recognise how prosperous 21st century life and the horrors of the past could share some frightening similarities.

Monks In Medieval Times

2009-08-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

The popular view of medieval monks is one of happy jolly people (witness the Robin Hood stories) but according to historical records the reality was entirely different!

Enclosed in their communities and often not undertaking any pastoral work they were often perceived as idle and even promiscuous. To quote Giraldus Cambrensis ....

"From the malice of monks, O Lord deliver us"

However, by the end of the 12th century religious rule was being undermined by easier living conditions and the decline of monasticism began.

If you would like to read more about medieval monasteries, priories and churches go to our medieval worship section. We also have a fascinating page on one of England's oldest churches - St. Etheldreda's in London - built during the reign of the infamous medieval King Edward I.

Medieval Education

2009-08-12T02:46:00.000-07:00

We have written on both medieval-castle.com and in our Medieval Castle Blog about the importance of medieval worship and the role of the Church, particularly in medieval England. Howeverm, there is another sector of medieval life that was dominated by the Church - education.

At that time it was basically a means of training future priests and holy men. All the schools had to be licenced by a Bishop and the schools were often attached to a cathedral or a monastery. The schools were notably for boys only where pupils would study the trivium (dialectic, rhetoric and grammar) and sometimes the quadrivium. Lessons would have been in Latin and discipline was known to be severe.

One interesting point about education in medieval England was that there was absolutely no class distinction and poor children could rise through society benefited by a good education. Ironically, often the nobility were too proud or sometimes too lazy to educate their children. Upper class boys were in fact more likely to be trained in warfare, usually in another noble household where they would start out as pages.

Despite this, open access to education reading remained largely a preserve of the Holy orders.

Medieval Church Windows

2009-08-05T02:58:00.000-07:00

Medieval worship was an important part of medieval life not only in England but throughout Europe. In the early 12th century church windows were generally small and made of clear glass. The next development was glass satined in greys and blacks - known as grisaille. However the development of the Gothic arch allowed larger windows to be built which led to the French introducing stained glass as we know it today.

Towards the end of the 12th century stained glass windows began to appear in churches and priories in England and other countries. Perhaps the best example of medieval stained glass in England today can be seen in Canterbury Cathedral dating from around 1180.

For a wonderful list of countries and their churches where medieval stained glass can be seen click here.

The countries incude:

England

France

Germany

Switzerland

At Lanercost Priory in Cumbria, it is a little different and indeed unusual ... the priory is of course medieval having played host to King Edward I in the winter of 1306. However, its stained glass windows are famous not for being medieval but for being designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, one of the great English Pre-Raphaelite artists who became involved in the rejuvenation of the tradition of stained glass art in England during his lifetime.

A friend of the aristocrat and artist George Howard at Naworth Castle near Lanercost Priory, Burne-Jones also create some wonderful stained glass windows for St Martin's Church in nearby Brampton as well as for Birmingham Cathedral.