Kirkoswald Castle is located to the southeast of the village of
Kirkoswald,
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. C ...
, England. It is built from
Penrith red sandstone and is still partially standing.
History
A royal
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 ...
a manor house standing on the site (belonging to
Hugh de Morvile) was granted by
King John in 1201. In 1314 it was destroyed by the Scots and rebuilt 3 years later in 1317. In 1485 it was greatly expanded and a moat was added. After the death of
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gilsland, KG (25 November 1467 – 24 October 1525) was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland and Mabel Parr, great-aunt of queen consort Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King He ...
in 1525 the stained glass, panelling and beamed ceilings were moved to
Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle, also known or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England, near the town of Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69, about east of Brampton. It is on the opposite side of the River Irthing to, and ...
.
It was dismantled between 1610 and 1688.
The castle was first listed on 27 December 1967.
Present Condition
The site exists on farm land with the moat and some of the buildings, including a tower, still visible. A public footpath runs next to the site, which should not be entered for reasons of safety.
The ruins are recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
as a designated Grade II
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 the ruins together with the
moated site on which they stand are a
Scheduled Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Kirkoswald, Cumbria
*
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 ...
References
English Heritage Pastscape Number 12421
*Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, ''The David & Charles Book of Castles'', David & Charles, 1980, p. 249.
External links
Castles in Cumbria
Ruins in Cumbria
Grade II listed buildings in Cumbria
Kirkoswald, Cumbria
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