Barden Tower is a ruined building in the Parish of Barden, in

Wharfedale Wharfedale ( ) is the valley of the upper parts of the River Wharfe and one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated within the districts of Craven and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, and the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire. It is ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. The tower was used as a hunting lodge in the 15th and 16th centuries, and despite a renovation in the 1650s, it fell into disrepair in the 18th century. The tower is now part of the Bolton Estate and is listed as a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

fortified tower. Along with other buildings on the Bolton Estate, it is a focal point and many people visit the tower. It is also a way marker on the

Lady Anne's Way Lady Anne's Way is a hiking route between Skipton and Penrith in Northern England. The trail is punctuated by houses and towers once owned by the Clifford family, but is named after Lady Anne Clifford who renovated and repaired the buildings ...

long distance path.

History

The tower is located equidistant between Bolton Bridge on the

A59 road The A59 is a major road in England which is around long and runs from Wallasey, Merseyside to York, North Yorkshire. The alignment formed part of the Trunk Roads Act 1936, being then designated as the A59. It is a key route connecting Merseysi ...

to the south, and the village of

Burnsall Burnsall is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, and is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The village is approximately south-east from Grassington ...

to the north ( each way). A lodge of sorts had been located in the Forest of Barden since early

Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in batt ...

times, but it was rebuilt in stone 1485–1490 by

Henry Clifford Henry Clifford may refer to: *Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland (1493–1542) *Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland (1517–1570) *Henry Clifford (died 1577), MP for Salisbury and Great Bedwyn *Henry Clifford, 5th Earl of Cumberland (1591– ...

, who was also known as the ''Lord Shepherd''.This was a legend borne out by the supposition that as a boy, Clifford was at risk from his father's enemies and so was raised in shepherd's houses in and around Craven and

. Modern scholars have cast doubt on this tale, although it is generally agreed that he was disinherited from his father's titles and estates after John Clifford was killed before the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

. Henry Clifford was awarded the estates back after King Richard was killed in 1485 at the

Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 Augu ...

. Clifford chose the area around Barden as his main residence over his castle at

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

. Barden Tower was one of six forest lodges which were in the possession of the Clifford family between the 14th and 17th centuries. Besides Barden, the Cliffords had lodges at Drebley, Gamsworth, Howgill and Laund. The sixth lodge at a site known as Ungaine, has not yet been identified.Speight lays claim to Ungaine (Ungayne) being directly east of the Priory at Bolton on the left bank of the river. The tower became the focal point for the hamlets and farmhouses in the area; because there was no nuclear village to gather to, the tower became a de facto village centre. The tower, along with the chapel next to it and

Skipton Castle Skipton Castle is a Grade I Listed medieval castle in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron, and has been preserved for over 931 years. History The castle was originally a motte and bai ...

, were renovated and rebuilt by Lady Anne Clifford in the 1650s. The tower had been "de-roofed" during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

; the roof was believed to have been made of thatch (a request from the 15th century states a claim for "soddes for the towre toppe"). It was in the 16th and 17th centuries that the outbuildings of a farmhouse and chapel were built next to the tower. The priesthouse has been tentatively dated to 1513, and was reputedly built by Henry Clifford for his private chaplain when the Clifford household were in residence at the tower. After Lady Anne's death in 1676, the estates and Barden Tower were taken over by the

Earls of Cork Earl of Cork is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, held in conjunction with the Earldom of Orrery since 1753. It was created in 1620 for Richard Boyle, 1st Baron Boyle. He had already been created Lord Boyle, Baron of Youghal, in the County ...

and fell into disrepair in the 18th century. The tower has been in a ruinous state for over 200 years. During the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

, a band of militia were garrisoned at the tower to defend the area against the Scots army, should they so be needed. 150 men with pikes, staffs,

halberts A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

and drums were recorded as being present at the tower. Whilst the Jacobite Army did go through Yorkshire, there is no record of Barden Tower being involved in any skirmishes. The second roof was made out of lead, and it was de-roofed again 1800, but the buildings were still the focal point for those who lived around it, which had become easier since the opening of Barden Bridge in 1659. There was a school and a chapel at the site, which were both used well into the 20th century (the chapel was last used in the 1960s for

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

worship). Baptisms and burials were not permitted to take place at the chapel next to the tower, but marriages were conducted there. In 1881, a steam ship was named ''Barden Tower'' on the

River Tyne The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Wate ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. She sank in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

in 1893. All three historical buildings on the site were

grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1954. The Priesthouse part of the buildings was converted in 2016 into a restaurant and wedding venue. The whole area around the tower, the land underneath the buildings and the tower, are listed together collectively as an ancient monument. It is a popular location for tourists and visitors, and is well signposted from the walks in the area, particularly those along the River Wharfe.

Gallery

File:Barden Tower rear - geograph.org.uk - 188601.jpg, Barden Tower rear File:Barden Tower from Barden Scale - geograph.org.uk - 1157687.jpg, Barden Tower from Barden Scale File:Barden Tower - geograph.org.uk - 1651276.jpg, Barden Tower File:Barden Tower - geograph.org.uk - 1651297.jpg, Barden Tower File:Peter DeWint - Barden Tower, Yorkshire - Google Art Project.jpg, Peter DeWint - Barden Tower, Yorkshire

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

{{commonscat, Barden Tower
Image of the tower on Historic England
Tower houses in the United Kingdom Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire Castles in North Yorkshire Ruins in North Yorkshire Towers in North Yorkshire Grade I listed castles Grade I listed towers 16th-century establishments in England Wharfedale