Greenhalgh Castle is a castle, now ruined, near the town of

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,268; ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, England.

Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG (1435 – 29 July 1504) was an English nobleman. He was the stepfather of King Henry VII of England. He was the eldest son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley and Joan Goushill. A landed magnate of imm ...

, had the castle built in 1490 to provide defence for his estates around

. He was also allowed to enclose a park and have in it '

free warren A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, u ...

and chase'. The land on which the castle was built is said to be a gift to Stanley from his stepson Henry Tudor for his assistance in defeating Richard III 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 Au ...

. In the 16th century John Leland described it as a 'pretty castle of the lords of Derby'. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

the castle was garrisoned by

James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, KG (31 January 160715 October 1651) was an English nobleman, politician, and supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Before inheriting the title in 1642 he was known as Lord Strange. He was ...

in support of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. It was one of the last two

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

strongholds in Lancashire to succumb following a bitter siege during 1644/45 by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

's forces. The other was

Lathom Lathom is a village and civil parish in Lancashire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Ormskirk. It is in the district of West Lancashire, and with the parish of Newburgh forms part of Newburgh ward. The population of the civil par ...

. The siege was led by Colonel Dodding and Major Joseph Rigbie. The garrison at Greenhalgh Castle eventually surrendered in May 1645 provisional on their being granted safe conduct to return to their homes unharmed. Thereafter, demolition teams partially destroyed the castle to ensure that it could not be used again for military purposes. Following continued deterioration of the ruins, the only remains of the original four towers is the lower portion of one. Many of the local farmhouses, including the neighbouring Castle Farm which was built in the 17th century, have incorporated the stones from the castle ruins into their buildings. In 1772

Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (14 June OS 172616 December 1798) was a Welsh naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales. As a naturalist he h ...

described it as 'the poor remains of Greenhaugh Castle'.

References

Other sources

*Collinson, E. (1993), ''Greenhalgh Castle, Garstang and The Earls of Derby'',

External links

"Greenhalgh Castle History"
at greenhalgh-web.co.uk, accessed 15 May 2008. Castles in Lancashire Buildings and structures in the Borough of Wyre Tourist attractions in the Borough of Wyre Ruins in Lancashire Ruined castles in England Scheduled monuments in Lancashire {{England-castle-stub

See also

References

Other sources

External links