Wakefield Castle, Lowe Hill or Lawe Hill was a castle built in the 12th century on a hill on the north side of the River Calder near

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

, England. Its name derives from the Anglo Saxon ''hlaew'' meaning a mound or cairn, possibly a burial mound or barrow. The mound, situated a quarter mile from the river, was separated from the town by flat swampy land and was seen as a good site for a fortification.

History

The remains of the motte and bailey castle are located in Thornes Park, in the centre of Wakefield overlooking the River Calder. It consists of the motte and two baileys. The motte is about nine metres high and 25 metres in diameter surrounded by a ditch that has been filled in. The inner bailey encloses the motte in a rough square of around forty metres across. There is a smaller outer bailey to the north-east. There has been little disturbance to the site since excavations in 1953 which indicated that the castle was probably an

adulterine castle Adulterine castles were fortifications built in England during the 12th century without royal approval, particularly during the civil war of the Anarchy between 1139 and 1154. Details During the civil war of the Anarchy, fought between the facti ...

, built without permission, and abandoned unfinished. English Heritage granted permission for a geophysical (earth resistance) and topographical survey in 2015/16.

William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey (11196 January 1148) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, member of the House of Warenne, who fought in England during the Anarchy and generally remained loyal to King Stephen. Elisabeth van Houts, 'The Warenne ...

probably started to build the castle, an earthwork motte and bailey structure during the Anarchy, the civil war between Stephen and Matilda. William had supported Stephen's claim. Wakefield Castle and neighbouring

Sandal Castle Sandal Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Sandal Magna, a suburb of the city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, overlooking the River Calder. It was the site of royal intrigue and the setting for a scene in one of William Shakespeare ...

were granted to

Thomas, Earl of Lancaster Thomas of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl of Derby, ''jure uxoris'' 4th Earl of Lincoln and ''jure uxoris'' 5th Earl of Salisbury (c. 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman. A member of the House of Pl ...

in 1318 and in 1324

King Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to the ...

committed them to the care of Richard Moseley. At what time the castle was destroyed is not known but a ''great gale'' in 1330 which caused much damage in Wakefield may have been the cause. This story was retold by the antiquarian, John Leland in his book, "The Itinerary of John Leland", a recollection of his travels around England between 1535 and 1543: The earliest records of the castle are from 1170 in a list of constables of the area. There are suggestions that the hill may have been built in Roman times and even that the layout of the site shows signs of being from Danish settlement. In July 1558 a

beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

was lit on Lowe Hill to warn the population that the Spanish Armada had been sighted off

The Lizard The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

References

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External links

The Friends of Clarence, Holmfield and Thornes Parks - Site of Lowe Hill
Buildings and structures in Wakefield Castles in West Yorkshire Ruins in West Yorkshire Scheduled monuments in West Yorkshire