Etal Castle is a ruined
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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
fortification in the village of
Etal
Etal ( )not is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England, in the civil parish of Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and includes the substantial ru ...
,
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 ...
, England. It was built around 1341 by Robert Manners, and comprised a residential tower, a
gatehouse
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mo ...
and a corner tower, protected by a
curtain wall. The castle was involved both in local
feuding and the
border wars between England and Scotland. There was a battle between the rival Manners and Heron families outside the walls in 1428, and in 1513 it was briefly captured by King
James IV of Scotland during his invasion of England.
The castle passed into the hands of
the Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
in 1547 and was garrisoned as part of the border defences, but fell into disrepair and was abandoned as a military fortification after 1603. In the 18th century it ceased to be used as a domestic dwelling and became ruinous. In the 21st century the castle is owned by the
Joicey family, but managed 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, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
. Open to the public, it is protected under UK law as an
ancient monument
In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The ''Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 ...
and a
Grade I listed building
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 ...
.
History
14th–15th centuries
Etal Castle was built around 1341 by Robert Manners in the village of
Etal
Etal ( )not is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England, in the civil parish of Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and includes the substantial ru ...
, after Robert was granted a
licence to crenellate
In medieval England, Wales and the Channel Islands a licence to crenellate (or licence to fortify) granted the holder permission to fortify his property. Such licences were granted by the king, and by the rulers of the counties palatine within th ...
by King
Edward III in order to defend the location against the Scots.
[; ] The Manners family had owned the manor since at least 1232.
![Etal Castle 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Etal_Castle_2.jpg)
The earliest part of the castle was its residential tower.
This tower may have been built around 1341 on the site of an older, unfortified house owned by the family on the same site, incorporating part of the structure into the new, crenellated tower.
Alternatively, the central tower may have been built at some point between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, complete with crenellations, in which case the licence from Edward III served only to allow Manners to extend the perimeter fortifications.
By the 1350s, the castle was surrounded by a
manor which included mills for
corn and
fulling
Fulling, also known as felting, tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven or knitted cloth (particularly wool) to elimin ...
,
lime kiln
A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is
: CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2
This reaction can take p ...
s and
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
s.
Work continued under Robert's son, John Manners, who inherited the property as a minor in 1354. In 1355, when Sir Edward de Letham acquired the
wardship
In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court".
Overview
The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient ...
of the property, the site was described as a ''fortalice'', a weakly defended location, but by 1368, when the wardship passed to Joan, his widow, it was considered to be a fully-fledged castle. De Letham was a powerful regional figure, and may have been granted the wardship by Edward III in order to retain his loyalty in the face of military advances by the Scots; he and his wife allegedly ran down the surrounding estate, resulting in a commission being established to investigate the abuses.
![Etal Castle 20100922 gatehouse from west](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Etal_Castle_20100922_gatehouse_from_west.jpg)
John Manners died in 1402, probably leaving the castle to his son, Robert, who in turn left the property to his own son, another John Manners. John was involved in a long-running feud with the neighbouring Heron family, who owned the neighbouring
Ford Castle
Ford Castle is a Grade I listed building situated at a shallow crossing point on the River Till, Ford, Northumberland, England.
The castle dates from about 1278. The owner Sir William Heron was granted a licence to crenellate the castle in 133 ...
, and on 20 January 1428 there was a fight between the two sides outside Etal Castle, in which William Heron died. The precise events are unclear and formed the basis of a subsequent lawsuit, but John argued that William had assaulted the castle, during which attack he had died, and that John had no direct involvement in his death.
William's widow blamed John and his eldest son, also called John, for William's death and demanded compensation.
After arbitration by the Church, eventually John agreed to pay for 500
masses for William's soul, and to give 250
marks
Marks may refer to:
Business
* Mark's, a Canadian retail chain
* Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain
* Collective trade marks, trademarks owned by an organisation for the benefit of its members
* Marks & Co, the inspiration for the novel ...
to his widow.
In 1438, another of John Manners' sons, Robert, inherited the castle and the estates. The lands had fallen in value considerably over the preceding years, as a result of the wars with the Scots, the feuding with the Herons and the poverty of the lands. Robert's son, another Robert Manners, inherited the property in 1464, and passed the castle onto his son, George, on his death in 1495. George inherited the title of
Baron de Ros
Baron de Ros (; ) of Helmsley is the premier baron in the Peerage of England, created in 1288/89 for William de Ros, with precedence to 24 December 1264. (The spelling of the title and of the surname of the original holders has been rendered di ...
from his mother's side of the family and the castle was abandoned as a residence by the family around the end of the 15th century when the Manners moved closer to the royal court.
16th century
![Etal Castle, Northumberland, by Girtin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Etal_Castle%2C_Northumberland%2C_by_Girtin.png)
In the absence of the Manners, Etal Castle was managed by the Collingwood family, who gradually became the castle's hereditary constables, renting the
demesne lands on the estate from the family as well. The castle was heavily involved in the
border wars with Scotland, usually holding a garrison of 100 men and forming an important strategic defensive location, one step removed from the fortifications along the border itself.
In August 1513,
James IV of Scotland invaded England with a large army; equipped with modern artillery, he took the border castles of
Norham
Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland.
History
Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ...
and
Wark
Wark or WARK may refer to:
*Wark (surname), including a list of people with the surname
*Wark (river), a river in Luxembourg
*WARK (AM), talk radio station in Hagerstown, Maryland
*Wark on Tweed, a village in Carham parish, in the north of Englan ...
, and then moved south against Etal Castle. Etal surrendered quickly in the hope of avoiding being pillaged by James' army, but nonetheless it was at least partially
slighted
Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative or social structures. This destruction of property sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It is ...
- deliberately damaged to prevent it being used as a defence.
After the English victory at the
Battle of Flodden
The Battle of Flodden, Flodden Field, or occasionally Branxton, (Brainston Moor) was a battle fought on 9 September 1513 during the War of the League of Cambrai between the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland, resulting in an English ...
the following month, the castle was retaken, garrisoned and used by
Lord Dacre to store the captured Scottish artillery, under the guard of Sir Philip Tilney. Lord Dacre went on to use the castle extensively in 1515 and 1516.
In 1541, a royal commission reported that the castle and its buildings were "in very great decaye", recommending that the fortification should be repaired.
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
bought the castle from the Manners in 1547 in exchange for other estates in England, putting Sir John Elleker in charge of the property, along with a garrison of 100 horsemen and 200 foot soldiers. Within two years, however, the Collingwoods were once more acting as the castle constables, a position they would retain for the rest of the century.
The castle remained important to the defence of the border but fell into in poor repair: in 1564 it was described as in poor condition, "scant able to lodge the captain"; in 1580 another report reiterated similar problems; and in 1584 commissioners wrote that the poor maintenance over many years had left it need of repairs in the order of £200.
[; ]
17th–21st centuries
In 1603
James VI of Scotland inherited the kingdom of England, uniting the two thrones, and Etal Castle lost its military value and soon passed into private ownership.
In the 18th century it ceased to be used as a residence, and the ruins were painted in
watercolour
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
by
Thomas Girtin
Thomas Girtin (18 February 17759 November 1802) was an English watercolourist and etcher. A friend and rival of J. M. W. Turner, Girtin played a key role in establishing watercolour as a reputable art form.
Life
Thomas Girtin was born in Sou ...
in 1797, based upon his visit to the castle in the autumn of 1796.
Lord Joicey bought the castle in 1908, and by 1922 the ruins had been cleaned of ivy and
repointed
Repointing is the process of renewing the pointing, which is the external part of mortar joints, in masonry construction. Over time, weathering and decay cause voids in the joints between masonry units, usually in bricks, allowing the undesirable e ...
. The castle was placed into the guardianship of the state in 1975, and
archaeological excavations and surveys were carried out on the site in 1978, 1983, 1994 and 1998.
[; ; ] In the 21st century it is managed 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, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, and protected under UK law as a
Grade I listed building
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 ...
and as an
ancient monument
In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The ''Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 ...
.
Architecture
![Plan of Etal Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Plan_of_Etal_Castle.png)
Etal Castle originally overlooked a bridge over the
River Till, and was protected by the steep banks running to the river. The castle forms a rectangular enclosure, approximately , protected by a well-made, but relatively thin, stone
curtain wall, mostly thick. Most of the wall above ground has since been destroyed, with only the foundations remaining.
The residential tower in the north-east corner was entered by a forebuilding, unusual in this region, 17 feet 6 inches by 7 feet 10 inches (5.33 by 2.39 m) in size and protected by a
portcullis.
[; ] Four storeys tall, each floor of the tower was reached by a
spiral staircase
Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...
and comprised two rooms, one large and one small chamber.
The tower is built from
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
; the forebuilding and uppermost floor are made of a lighter sandstone than the lower floors and may have been added retrospectively.
The ground floor is and originally had a vaulted ceiling.
The upper floors were well-lit with large,
transomed windows, complete with
window seats; the first and second floors were probably used by the Manners family and had large fireplaces, with the third floor used by the castle staff. The tower was possibly linked to a neighbouring hall complex by a doorway on the first floor, although any such complex has since been lost.
The gatehouse in the south-east corner is square, and its vaulted passageway was originally protected by a portcullis, gate and a
drawbridge. On either side of the passageway were two vaulted guardrooms, long and up to wide. On the first floor, since lost, there was a large chamber, wide, with an ancillary room, square, and a doorway that led onto some form of forebuilding or platform. The gatehouse has what architectural historian Anthony Emery has described as "flamboyant window tracing", and the Manners'
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
are carved above the entrance to the gatehouse.
The north-west corner tower is 14 feet by 10 feet 6 inches (4.3 by 3.20 m) across on the inside, with an entrance door on the east side, and originally had a loft floor. It remains uncertain if there was a second corner tower built in the south-east corner of the castle complex; excavations in 1978 in one possible location failed to find any traces, and a
geophysical survey
Geophysical survey is the systematic collection of geophysical data for spatial studies. Detection and analysis of the geophysical signals forms the core of Geophysical signal processing. The magnetic and gravitational fields emanating from the E ...
in 1998 proved inconclusive.
[; ; ]
See also
*
Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 1050 ...
*
List of castles in England
This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a li ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
English Heritage's visitor website
{{coord, 55.6481, N, 2.1207, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Castles in Northumberland
English Heritage sites in Northumberland
Grade I listed buildings in Northumberland
Scheduled monuments in Northumberland
Ruins in Northumberland
Ford, Northumberland