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Bowes Castle is a medieval
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
in the village of
Bowes Bowes is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. Located in the Pennine hills, it is situated close to Barnard Castle. It is built around the medieval Bowes Castle. In 2021 the parish had a population of 442.Table PP002 - Se ...
in
County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Built within the perimeter of the former
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
of Lavatrae, on the
Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
that is now the A66, the early timber castle on the site was replaced by a more substantial stone structure between 1170 and 1174 on the orders of
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
. A planned village was built alongside the castle. Bowes Castle withstood Scottish attack during the Great Revolt of 1173–74 but was successfully looted by rebels in 1322. The castle went into decline and was largely dismantled after the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
. The ruins are now owned by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
and managed as a tourist attraction. There is free admission during daylight hours.


History


12th century

Bowes Castle was built within the ruins of the
Roman fort ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...
of Lavatrae. The route was one of the few upland passes to link England and Scotland and had remained strategically important during the medieval period. The castle site lay within the
Honour of Richmond The Honour of Richmond (or Richmondshire) was a feudal barony in what is now mainly North Yorkshire, England. The honour was two tiers below Yorkshire, the middle tier being the North Riding. Before the honour was created, the land was held ...
, a grouping of lands traditionally owned by the Counts of Brittany during the early medieval period, but the land itself was a
demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...
estate, owned by the Crown. Around 1136, Alan de Bretagne, the Count of Brittany, built a timber castle in the north-west corner of the old fort. The use made of the older Roman fort at Bowes was similar to that at the nearby castles of Brough and Brougham to the west, on the same Roman road over the Stainmore Pass across the
Pennines The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...
. Bowes Castle was inherited by his son, Conan, and when he in turn died in 1171, it was claimed by
Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
.Kenyon, p.36. Royal concerns over security led to Henry II investing heavily in a new castle structure on the site between 1171 and 1174. It was unusual for a new royal castle to be built in this part of England during the 12th century, and Henry appears to have been driven by the military threat from Scotland before and during the Great Revolt of 1173 to 1174. Henry II spent almost £600 on the castle between 1170 and 1187, most of it in the first few years, rebuilding the older structure under the supervision of the Count of Brittany's local tenants, Torfin, Osbert and Stephen of Barningham. The rebuilt castle featured a hall-keep, an uncommon design in English castles; built of stone, this was a three-storied structure long, wide and high. Internally the keep was divided to form a long hall and a solar and was lit by large, rounded windows. The keep had architectural similarities to various nearby castles in the region, but in particular to those at
Middleham Castle Middleham Castle is a ruined castle in Middleham in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. The castle was the childhood home of ...
in Middleham, and Pendragon Castle in Outhgill. A ditch formed an inner defensive bailey around the keep, with the ramparts of the old fort forming a larger, outer bailey. A mill, then an essential part of any castle, was built by the River Greta to supply flour for the garrison. The village of Bowes was built after the castle and formed a planned site running up to the castle, complete with a church and a market place; this form of planned village is again unusual in England. In England, the Great Revolt against Henry's rule involved a coalition of rebel barons, bolstered by support from the King of Scots and European allies. King
William the Lion William the Lion (), sometimes styled William I (; ) and also known by the nickname ; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Alba from 1165 to 1214. His almost 49 ...
pushed south from Scotland in 1173 and Bowes Castle was damaged in the raids; work was carried out in anticipation of further attacks the following year, including repairs to the chamber, gates and the construction of bulwarks around the keep.
Parishes: Bowes
', A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1 (1914), pp. 42-49, accessed 29 January 2012.
The next year William, King of Scots directly besieged the castle, but was he forced to retreat after the arrival of a relief force led by Henry's illegitimate son Geoffrey, then the
Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of Nort ...
.
Bowes Castle
', English Heritage, accessed 2 March 2012.


13th – 14th centuries

Henry II was successful in quelling the Great Revolt, capturing William the Lion at the Second Battle of Alnwick and imprisoning him until a peace treaty was agreed, extending Henry's authority north into Scotland. In the subsequent years the security situation in the north of England improved significantly. King
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
gave control of Bowes Castle to Robert de Vieuxpont, an important administrator in the north, in 1203 and he retained control of the fortification until 1228. John stayed there himself in 1206 and in 1212, and the castle was also used briefly to hold John's niece Eleanor of Brittany, who had been placed under the custody of Vieuxpont. Henry III granted it briefly to William de Blockley and Gilbert de Kirketon, until it was given to Duke
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
of Brittany in 1232, and then to William de Valence. In 1241 Peter II, the
Count of Savoy The titles of the count of Savoy, and then duke of Savoy, are titles of nobility attached to the historical territory of Savoy. Since its creation, in the 11th century, the House of Savoy held the county. Several of these rulers ruled as kings at ...
was made the Earl of Richmond and was then given Bowes by the king. The castle remained in the hands of the Earls of Richmond until 1322, by when it was in a poor state of repair.Pettifer, p.289;
Parishes: Bowes
', A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1 (1914), pp. 42-49, accessed 29 January 2012;
Bowes Castle
', English Heritage, accessed 2 March 2012.
Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...
then gave Bowes Castle to John de Scargill instead; the local tenants of the Earl of Richmond rebelled and attacked the castle. The lord of the castle was away at the time, and the attackers burnt part of a hall, drank four tuns of wine and stole armour,
springald A springald, or espringal, was a Torsion siege engine device for throwing bolts in medieval times. It is depicted in a diagram in an 11th-century Byzantine manuscript, but in Western Europe is more evident in the late 12th century and early 13th c ...
s and other goods. Conflict with Scotland led to further raids against the castle and the surrounding manor; the neighbouring fields were abandoned as a result and by 1340 the castle was in ruins and the manor worth nothing.


Later history

Still ruined, Bowes Castle was reclaimed by the Crown in 1361; between 1444 and 1471 it was controlled by the Neville family, powerful regional landowners, before reverting to the Crown once again. James I sold the castle in the early 17th century and most of the remaining fortifications were dismantled in the mid-17th century after the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
.
Parishes: Bowes
', A History of the County of York North Riding: Volume 1 (1914), pp. 42-49, accessed 29 January 2012;
Bowes Castle
', English Heritage, accessed 2 March 2012; Kenyon, p.36.
By 1928, the castle was in a poor condition, with little interest being shown in it from locals or its owner, Lady Lorna Curzon-Howe.Fry, p.15. Facing death duties on her estate, Curzon-Howe agreed to pass the castle into the care of the Office of Works in 1931. In the 21st century, the castle is controlled by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
and operated as a tourist attraction. The ruins of the keep survive, largely intact, and are protected as a Grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
and as a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
.


See also

* Castles in Great Britain and Ireland * List of castles in England


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *


External links


Bowes Castle
English Heritage {{Authority control Castles in County Durham English Heritage sites in County Durham Ruins in County Durham Scheduled monuments in County Durham Grade I listed buildings in County Durham Bowes