| Penrith Castle | |
|---|---|
 Exterior of Penrith Castle and remains of moat, 2008 | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Controlled by | Westmorland and Furness Council |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Website | English Heritage webpage |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 54°39′44″N2°45′26″W / 54.6621°N 2.7573°W /54.6621; -2.7573 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1399–1437 |
| Materials | New Red Sandstone |
Penrith Castle is a now-ruinedmedieval castle located inPenrith, in thenorth-west of England, a few miles to the east of theLake District National Park.
The site of the castle, in the west of the town[1] is likely to have been a Roman encampment, as it has an irregular and quadrilateral layout.[1]
Penrith Castle was built between 1399 and 1470 as a defence against Scottish raids; it has been said that, unlike so many of its counterparts in the north, 'the building exhibits no indication of very ancient date.'[1] The lordship of Penrith was created in 1397 as a grant to the newly createdearl of Westmorland, and the castle was mentioned in a grant of 1437. Previously believed to have been first built byWilliam Strickland who later becomeBishop of Carlisle, the lateness of this reference, it has been suggested, indicates that the most likely builder wasRichard Neville, Earl of Salisbury. However, it is not known whether this was 'new work on a fresh site, or whether he simply utilized Strickland's works as the core of his building.'[2] It is now considered more likely that Strickland built Hutton Hall, near the church in Penrith, instead, and furthermore that a 'tenurial reconstruction shows that he [Strickland] did not hold the castle site.'[3] There is a possible reference to a construction in the site of the castle as early as 1412,[4] and Westmorland is known to have granted the building of a tower there, from hiscomital seat atRaby Castle, the next year.[5] Either way, it seems most unlikely that 'it was built not by a baron, but by the inhabitants themselves, for their own defence,' as was once stated.[6]
The liberty and castle of Penrith became the most important offices held by theNeville family in the fifteenth century,[8] and their most important source of patronage locally.[9] By 1441 and until 1444, Salisbury, who was then Warden of the West March, was sub-letting the lordship of Penrith toLumley, bishop of Carlisle,[10] and ProfessorA. J. Pollard has estimated that 'the Nevilles' Penrith estates were worth approximately £350.'[11]
Following Salisbury's death in1460,Richard, Earl of Warwick, the 'Kingmaker,' inherited the Castle and Lordship, but was himself slain at theBattle of Barnet without leaving a male heir, so they reverted to the crown. They were granted in 1471 toRichard, Duke of Gloucester by King Edward IV, who used Penrith as a base whilst 'taking effectual measures' against the Scots, and also 'enjoyed the revenues of the estates' of the Forest of Cumberland.[12] It was at the same time that the duke was appointed sheriff of Cumberland five consecutive years, being described as 'of Penrith Castle' in 1478.[13]
Following Gloucester'susurpation of his nephew's throne and then hisdeath (1483–85), the castle and the town remained part of the Crown Estate until the reign ofWilliam III, who gave it and most other Crown property inCumberland to his friendHans Willem Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland in 1696. The castle was sold by theEarls and Dukes of Portland to theDukes of Devonshire in 1787. They later sold it to theLancaster & Carlisle Railway Company who builtPenrith railway station; its remains are opposite the railway station today. It later passed into the ownership of thePenrith Urban District Council, who in the 1920s converted the grounds into a public park and built housing nearby. The few ruins that remain today were described in the nineteenth century as not "very interesting in respect of their antiquity, or their present appearance."[14] Also, very much as they stand today:
The castle is maintained byEnglish Heritage, and is recorded in theNational Heritage List for England as a designated Grade Ilisted building.[15]
54°39′44″N2°45′26″W / 54.6621°N 2.7573°W /54.6621; -2.7573
