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Castles

Hermitage Castle – a study in belligerence

March 1, 2022 by David Pike Leave a Comment

Hermitage Castle in the Liddlesdale Valley was once described as the embodiment of ‘sod off’ in stone.

It’s a wonderful description. Take a walk around its walls, still standing four-square against all-comers amid wild and remote countryside, and it’s obvious this structure was built to defy.

What’s more it has a history to match.

Originally a wooden defence, first mentioned in 1242, it was replaced in the late 1300’s by the imposing stone fortification now standing; a response to ever more hostile exchanges along the English-Scottish border.

The unusual architecture, designed to allow wood fighting platforms to run the length of the tops of the wall added to its all round aggressive appearance.

Over the years its been a home for William de Soulis, so hated by the locals he was boiled alive, and a tomb for Alexander Ramsay who was starved to death by Sir William Douglas in protest to his royal appointment as Sheriff of Teviotdale.

King David ll, it seems, took the hint and awarded Sir William the post!

In 1566, Hermitage, then the seat of the fourth Earl of Bothwell became entangled in in the muddled love life of Mary Queen of Scots.

On hearing the earl had been injured in a clash with border reivers, she rode 25 miles from her residence in Jedburgh, to be at his side. If walls could whisper what secrets Hermitage could tell.

Hermitage Castle is now a Historic Scotland property and well worth a visit. But, it’s a castle with many steps and is not easily accessible to visitors using wheelchairs.

Please check Historic Scotland website for opening times.

Filed Under: Border Towns, Castles, Hawick, Historic Borders, Out and About Tagged With: Hawick, Hermitage Castle, Mary Queeen of Scots, Scottish Borders

Bamburgh – a castle to upstage them all

March 1, 2022 by David Pike Leave a Comment

If there was an Oscar for a best supporting role for castles in films, Bamburgh would surely be a superstar.

It has undeniable screen presence, the perfect backdrop for historic blockbusters and has been a must for a host of award winning directors and actors over the years.

Hollywood giants Richard Burton and Peter O Toole filmed on the beach below the castle for Becket (1964), Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren walked the ramparts in El Cid (1961) while Elizabethan history has been represented here by Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Queen of Scots (1971) and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I (1998).

Pioneering director Ken Russell selected Bamburgh as the backdrop for his controversial shocker The Devils in 1971, while Roman Polanski filmed a blood drenched Macbeth the same year.

More recently it has provided a dramatic backdrop for Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) and The BFG (2016).

Standing on the castle ramparts, glowering over the North Sea, it’s easy to see how this building has cast its spell over so many. The sense of history and dominance is intoxicating. Seeing it in all its glory as you drive into Bamburgh is a draw dropping experience.

For centuries the basalt outcrop on which Bamburgh Castle was built was a royal seat of power dating back to the native Britons. Records of a fortification on the site go back to 547AD when it was taken by the Anglo Saxon king Ida of Bernicia. His son Hussa and then grandson Æthelfrith established the powerful kingdom of Northumbria.

Æthelfrith, recognised by historians as the first Northumbrian king, passed the site, known then as Din Guiare, to his wife Bebba, from whom the early name Bebanburgh was derived

Vikings destroyed Bamburgh’s original fortification in 993 and not until the arrival of the Normans was a new castle constructed on the site; a structure which was to form the core of what we see today.

Bamburgh became the property of Henry II, who is thought to have built the impressive castle keep. In 1464 during the Wars of the Roses, it became the first castle in England to be defeated by artillery during a nine-month siege led by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick.

The castle then entered a deserved period of peace with the Forster family of Northumberland in residence for over 400 years. The family retained ownership until Sir William Forster was posthumously declared bankrupt, and his estates, including the castle passed to Lord Crew, Bishop of Durham, under an Act of Parliament in 1700.

The castle deteriorated but was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. However, it was Victorian industrialist William Armstrong who finished the job and left his own unmistakable stamp on the building.

As a tribute to Armstrong the castle now houses the fascinating Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum.

Whether you are a tourist appreciating its beauty, a student reading its history or celebrating a wedding in its historic confines, Bamburgh Castle has something for everyone.

The credits are destined to roll for many centuries to come on this Northumbrian icon.

Filed Under: Castles, Historic Borders Tagged With: Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland

True grit – Northumbrian style

March 1, 2022 by David Pike Leave a Comment

Whatever elements you find yourself battling against when taking the coastal way to Dunstanburgh Castle one thing is for sure – getting there will be worth it.

Stepping through the kissing gate that sets you on your way from the fishing village of Craster – world famous for its kippers – the panorama that greets the visitor is testament to two things: the ever changing beauty of nature and the defiant permanence of history.

The coastal path runs parallel to the North Sea for about a mile from Craster to the castle which dominates the headland of Cullernose Point, an outcrop of Great Whin Sill (hard black basaltic rock) and itself a feature of great interest to geologists.

But it is Dunstanburgh Castle that steals the show.

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that the area has historic roots going back to the Iron Age as the site of a promonotory fort and where Roman pottery finds have been made as evidence of later occupation.

No further significant footprint was made on the site until today’s building started life as a showpiece 14th century des-res for Thomas 2nd Earl of Lancaster: a stronghold that became a focal point for political intrigue, rebellion and plots against Edward II.

A cousin to Edward, Thomas was, through inheritance and marriage, second only to him in terms of land and wealth. Master of five earldoms he owned many key fortesses of which Pontefract Castle and Dunstanburgh Castle were the jewels.

At the start of King Edward’s reign Thomas was a loyal subject, but as the conflict between the king and nobles wore on, Lancaster’s allegiances changed. Following the King’s defeat at Bannockburn in 1314, a weakened Edward submitted to Lancaster, who in effect became ruler of England.

Lancaster was deposed four years later. In response a second rebellion led by Lancaster was launched but was met with complete annihilation at the battle of Boroughbridge. Thomas was taken prisoner on his way north, presumably to his northern stronghold, convicted of treason and executed near Pontefract Castle in 1322

The turbulance of the 14th century has prompted much debate about Dunstanburgh. History suggests it switched from an extravagant enclave to a formidable fortress on the back of Thomas’s ambitions. Vague remnants of a medieval dock below the support the theory that Dunstanburgh became a place of strategic retreat.

The fortress passed into the Royalist hands of John of Gaunt, ‘Lieutenant of the Marches towards Scotland’ where its defences were soon to be tested by fierce Scottish Border attacks in 1384. Following this period Dunstanburgh was held for the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses, before falling to the Earl of Warwick.

It was its strategic location that persuaded the Ministry of Defence to use Dunstanburgh as a top secret Battle of Britain radar station, protected by barbed wire and a minefield (now removed).

The castle is now owned by the National Trust and in the care of English Heritage. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and lies within the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is home to a wide variety of local flora and fauna.

And along the path from Craster there’s the endless joy of rockpooling (children optional!) amongst the numerous boulders and coves.

This wonderful stretch of the fabled Northumbrian coastline was a favourite of the artist Turner who painted Dunstanburgh many times.

Once the prized possession of a mediaeval aristocracy, Dunstanburgh Castle now belongs us all and is an outstanding part of Northumberland’s rich history and heritage.

A joy to visit – whatever the weather.

Photographs: Lisa Beale

Filed Under: Castles, Historic Borders Tagged With: Craster, Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland borders

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