Kendal Castle is a medieval fortification to the east of the town of

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

, in northern

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The castle, which is atop a glacial

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

, was built in the 13th century as the Caput baroniae for the

Barony of Kendal The Barony of Kendal is a subdivision of the English Historic counties of England, historic county of Westmorland. It is one of two ancient barony (county division), baronies that make up the county, the other being the Barony of Westmorland (al ...

. By the 15th century, the Parr family owned the castle. Kendal_Castle_From_Above,_Sept_2015

History

The castle was built in the late 12th century as the home of the Lancaster family who were Barons of Kendal. The best-known family associated with the castle was the Parr family; including

Queen Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

, the sixth wife of King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Her family had lived at Kendal since her ancestor Sir William Parr married the heiress of Kendal, Elizabeth Ros, during the reign of

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

. By the time Catherine Parr was born, the family had long deserted the castle which was already falling into disrepair. Catherine's father preferred to live in the centre of court in London. Sir Thomas's father seems to be the last of the Parrs to have lived at Kendal Castle. Queen

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (she signed her letters as Kateryn; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Cathe ...

was once thought to have been born at the castle; however, modern research has shown that it was in great disrepair by the 16th century and she was most likely born in

Blackfriars, London Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London. Blackfriars Priory The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...

Today

The site, which has been a ruin since

Tudor times The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England that began with t ...

, is accessible to the public and managed by the

South Lakeland South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. The population of the non-metropolitan district was 102,301 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 103,658 at the 2011 Census. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes ...

District Council.

Gallery

Image:Kendal Castle at sunset.jpg, Kendal Castle at sunset, August 2003 Image:Kendal Castle by David Medcalf.jpg, Kendal Castle, October 2005 Image:Kendal Castle by Sue.jpg, Kendal Castle, April 2007 Image:Kendal Castle by Adie Jackson.jpg, Kendal Castle, July 2007

References

External links

BBC Cumbria: Oil painting of Kendal Castle in 1650; fantasy picture 2007.Kendal Castle 2The Cumbria Directory - Kendal Castle
{{coord, 54.32492, N, 2.73644, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SD522924), display=title Castles in Cumbria Ruins in Cumbria Archaeology of the United Kingdom Kendal

History

Today

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links