Middleham Castle is located in Wensleydale in North Yorkshire. It was built in the 12th century by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne. The castle is built near the site of a wooden motte and bailey castle built in 1069 by Alan Rufus, a nephew of William the Conqueror. It was built to guard nearby Coverdale and to protect the road from Richmond to Skipton. By 1086, when the Domesday Book was written, Middleham was granted to Ribald, the brother of Alan Rufus, but was abandoned when construction began on the current castle by Fitzrandolph, Ribald’s grandson.
Current Castle
Construction on Middleham Castle began in 1170 and completed in 1190. The castle’s keep is one of the largest in England, with twelve-foot thick walls and three floors. The keep contained a great chamber, kitchen, chapel, and accommodations for the lord and his family.
King Richard III
A number of powerful lords called Middleham Castle home during the 15th century, including the Earl of Salisbury, the Earl of Warwick and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who became King Richard III. Middleham was Richard’s favorite castle. The round tower in the southwest corner, is known as Prince’s Tower and, according to legend, is where Richard’s son, Prince Edward, was born. Unfortunately, Edward was in the tower when he died ten years later.
Disrepair
After Richard’s defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Middleham Castle became the property of King Henry VII. It fell into disrepair under the Tudors. In 1604, King James I granted the castle to Sir Henry Linley who lived there until his death in 1610. Linley’s daughter, Jane Linley, inherited the castle from her father. In 1613, Jane married Edward, 2nd Viscount Loftus and the couple lived at Middleham until 1644.
During the Civil War, the castle was used as a prison, but in 1646, Parliament ordered much of the castle destroyed, leaving it in ruins. In 1662, Edward Wood bought the castle and his family owned the castle until 1889. It was them sold to Samuel Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Lord Masham.
Middleham Today
In 1925, the Office of Works, later known as English Heritage, acquired the castle. Today Middleham Castle is open to the public. It is open seven days a week.
For more information:
“Brief History of the Castle” Middleham Online
“Middleham Castle” English Heritage
Phillips, Charles, et al. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Castles, Palaces, and Stately Houses of Britain and Ireland. London: Hermes House, 2007.
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