Lancaster Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lancaster Castle |
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| Lancaster, Lancashire, England | |
Lancaster Castle as seen from the Ashton Memorial
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 Lancaster Castle
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| Coordinates | 54°02′59″N 2°48′20″W / 54.04981°N 2.80562°W |
| Type | Castle |
| Site information | |
Lancaster Castle is a very old castle in Lancaster, England. Its early history isn't fully clear. It might have been built in the 11th century on the site of an old Roman fort. This fort was in a good spot overlooking the River Lune.
In 1164, the castle became part of the King's lands. The Scots attacked England in 1322 and 1389, reaching Lancaster and damaging the castle. After that, it didn't see military action again until the English Civil War. The castle was first used as a prison in 1196. This role became much more important during the Civil War.
Today, the castle buildings belong to the British King or Queen as the Duke of Lancaster. They rent out part of the castle to Lancashire County Council. This part is used as a Crown Court. Until 2011, most of the buildings were used as Lancaster Prison. After that, the castle went back to the Duchy's (the King's) ownership. Now, the castle is open to the public every day. It is also being greatly improved. There's a big public area and a new cafe. A renovated building next to the cafe is used by Lancaster University as a city campus.
Contents
What is Lancaster Castle's Background?
Between 60 and 73 AD, the Romans built a fort at Lancaster. It was on a hill looking over the River Lune. Not much is known about Lancaster after the Romans left in the early 5th century. This was before the Normans arrived in the late 11th century. The town's layout was shaped by the Roman fort and the nearby settlement. The main road through town followed the path from the fort.
After the Normans took over England in the late 11th century, Lancaster became part of the Earldom of Northumbria. Both the kings of England and Scotland claimed it. In 1092, William II created a lasting border with Scotland by capturing Carlisle. People generally think Lancaster Castle was built in the 1090s. It was placed on the Roman fort site because it was a very important location. The castle is the oldest building still standing in Lancaster. Its exact building history is a bit unclear. This is partly because it was used as a prison for so long. This stopped detailed archaeological digs from happening.
A Look at Lancaster Castle's History
When Was Lancaster Castle Built?
There are no old papers that say exactly when or by whom the castle was started. But it's believed that Roger de Poitou was responsible. He was the Norman lord in charge of the Lancaster area. If Roger started it, the first castle would have been made of wood. It probably used the earth walls of the Roman fort for protection. We don't know what the first castle looked like. There's no sign of a mound (motte). So, it might have been a ringwork – a round, defended area.
Roger de Poitou left England in 1102. This was after he joined a failed rebellion against the new king, Henry I. Because of this, the king took back the Lancaster lands, including the castle. The ownership of the castle changed several times. Henry gave it to Stephen of Blois, his nephew, who later became king. When a civil war started in 1139, the area was in chaos. Stephen made his northern border safe by letting David I of Scotland take over the Lancaster area in 1141. David might have made the castle stronger at this time.
The war ended in 1153. It was agreed that after Stephen died, Henry Plantagenet (Matilda's son) would become king. Part of this deal was that the King of Scotland would give up the Lancaster area. After William's death in 1164, the Lancaster lands, including the castle, came under the King of England's control again.
When Henry II died, the castle went to his son, Richard the Lionheart. Richard gave it to his brother, Prince John, hoping to keep him loyal. Castles were also used as prisons. The first record of Lancaster Castle being used this way was in 1196. But this role became much more important after the English Civil War. Since the 12th century, the king appointed a sheriff to keep peace in Lancashire. This person was usually based at the castle.
In the late 12th and early 13th centuries, many wooden castles were rebuilt in stone. Lancaster was one of them. Building with stone was very expensive and took a long time. For example, a stone tower built in the late 12th century at Peveril Castle cost about £200. A much bigger castle, like Château Gaillard, cost around £15,000 to £20,000. It took several years to finish. We don't know the exact cost for many castles. But work on royal castles was often written down in official records. These records show that King John spent over £630 on digging a ditch outside Lancaster's south and west walls. He also paid for "the King's lodgings," which is probably what we now call Adrian's Tower. His son, Henry III, also spent a lot on Lancaster. He spent £200 in 1243 and £250 in 1254. This money was for work on the gatehouse and building a stone outer wall.
Lancaster Castle in the 14th and 15th Centuries
For the next 150 years, there are no records of building work. This might mean the castle wasn't important enough for big spending, beyond keeping it in good repair. This was because Lancaster wasn't near a border. Even though the area was mostly peaceful, the Scots invaded in 1322 and 1389. They reached Lancaster and damaged the castle.
However, when Henry, Duke of Lancaster, became King Henry IV in 1399, he quickly started building a huge gatehouse. Another attack on the town, like in 1389, would have been embarrassing for the new king. His expensive building project at the castle helped protect against this. The gatehouse Henry replaced was probably simple. The new one was as strong as the main tower. Records show that between 1402 and 1422, over £2,500 was spent on building. Most of this went to the gatehouse. Some might have been used to change the top floor of the main tower. Since then, the castle has belonged to the Crown (the King or Queen).
After the Scottish attack in 1389, Lancaster Castle didn't see any more fighting until the English Civil War. A check in 1578 led to repairs on the main tower costing £235. With the threat of a Spanish invasion, the castle was made stronger in 1585. After Queen Elizabeth I was removed from the church in 1570, she said that Roman Catholic priests were guilty of serious crimes. Any found in Lancashire were taken to Lancaster Castle for trial. Between 1584 and 1646, fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith. The famous Pendle witches trial also happened at Lancaster Castle in 1612.
The Civil War and Lancaster Castle
When the Civil War started, Lancaster had only a small number of soldiers. A small Parliamentary army captured the castle in February 1643. They set up a base and built earth walls around the town. In response, the Royalists sent an army to take Lancaster back. The outer defenses fell in March. A siege of the castle lasted only two days. This was because more Parliamentary soldiers were coming to Lancaster from Preston. The Royalists tried to take Lancaster back in April and again in June, but they failed. The town and castle stayed under Parliament's control until the war ended.
Orders were given to "throw down all the walls" around Lancaster Castle. But this didn't happen. In August 1648, the town held off a siege from the Royalist Duke of Hamilton. He led an army south from Scotland. King Charles I was executed in January 1649. Soon after, Parliament again ordered the castle to be partly destroyed. They only wanted to keep buildings needed for running the area and for use as a county prison.
The monarchy was restored in 1660. King Charles II visited Lancaster on August 12 and freed all the prisoners in the castle. Local officials asked the king to repair the castle. The buildings were checked, and repairs were estimated to cost £1,957. After parts of the castle were destroyed, including the Well Tower, it was no longer useful for military defense.
Lancaster Castle as a Prison
In 1554, the brave George Marsh was held at the castle before his trial. Some Quakers, like George Fox in 1660, were also held at the castle. This was because they were seen as politically dangerous. County prisons like this one were meant to hold prisoners for short times, right before their trials. The castle also served as a debtors' prison, holding people who owed money. In the 18th century, it became more common for county prisons to hold prisoners for longer periods. Because of this, they started to become very crowded.
Prison reformer John Howard visited Lancaster in 1776. He wrote about the conditions in the prison. His efforts led to changes across the country. Prisoners were separated by gender and by the type of crime they committed. Improvements were also made to cleanliness. In the 18th century, more people died from prison fever than from hanging.
In the last 20 years of the 18th century, about £30,000 was spent rebuilding Lancaster's county prison. Architect Thomas Harrison was hired for the job. He designed the Gaoler's House in 1788 in a Gothic style. Separate prisons were built for men and women. The Shire Hall and Crown Court were finished by 1798. Harrison had to work on both Lancaster and Chester Castle. Work at Lancaster slowed down, partly because of less money due to war with France. Harrison was let go because the local officials felt it was taking too long.
In 1802, the castle got more money. Joseph Gandy was hired to finish the inside of the Shire Hall and Crown Court.
Before about 1800, people sentenced to death at the castle were usually taken to Lancaster Moor to be hanged. After the castle was rebuilt in the Georgian style, it was decided to do executions closer to the castle. The spot chosen became known as Hanging Corner. Lancaster has a reputation for sentencing more people to death than any other court in England. This is partly because until 1835, Lancaster Castle was the only main court in the whole county. It covered fast-growing industrial cities like Manchester and Liverpool.
Between 1782 and 1865, about 265 people were hanged at Lancaster. Thousands of people often came to watch these executions in the churchyard. The Capital Punishment Amendment Act 1868 ended public executions. It said that criminals had to be put to death in private. After this, six executions happened inside the castle. At first, they were from the Chapel steps, then later in a special execution shed. This shed stayed until the mid-20th century. The prison closed in 1916. This was because there were fewer prisoners across the country. However, for part of the First World War, it held German civilians and prisoners of war.
Between 1931 and 1937, the castle was used by the county council to train police officers. Lancaster was again used as a prison from 1954 onwards. This was when the council rented the castle to the Home Office. The last main court sessions were held at Lancaster in 1972. Because the court and prison were so close inside the castle walls, Lancaster was used for very important trials.
The castle officially opened as HM Prison Lancaster in 1955. It became a Category C prison for men and a Crown Court. In July 2010, the Ministry of Justice said it planned to close the prison. They said it was old-fashioned and too expensive. The prison closure was confirmed for March 2011.
What is Lancaster Castle Like Today?
The Crown Court still operates at the castle. The prison's closure means the castle can now be fully opened to visitors and tourists. While you can't yet go into the main tower, other towers, walls, and dungeons, the castle offers guided tours every day. The Castle Courtyard opened to the public in May 2013. It now has a cafe called NICE @ The Castle. Regular events happen there every month.
To celebrate 400 years since the Pendle witches trials, a new long walking path called the Lancashire Witches Walk was made. Ten special markers, designed by Stephen Raw, are along the route. Each has a verse of a poem by Carol Ann Duffy. The tenth marker is here, showing the end of the walk.
Recent Improvements at Lancaster Castle
A big project to improve the castle has been going on since 2011. In 2016, Historic England studied the wood from oak and pine trees in the main tower and gatehouse. The oak wood in the main tower's basement was cut in the 1380s. The wood from the Great Hall was probably cut a bit later, around the late 14th or early 15th century. The oak wood in the Gatehouse was likely cut around 1404.
The latest phase of work started in September 2017 and finished in November 2019. This opened up the old prison kitchen yard. This phase created a new teaching center. It also made over 5,000 square feet of space. The Duchy has rented a part of the old kitchen to a local coffee and tea company, J. Atkinson & Co., to run a cafe.
How is Lancaster Castle Laid Out?
The main tower, called the keep, is the oldest part of the castle. We don't know exactly when it was built, but it's probably from the 12th century. It was where the castle lord lived. If the castle was attacked, the keep was the last place to defend. It is 20 meters (66 feet) high and has four floors. Each floor is divided into two rooms. The outer wall is 3 meters (10 feet) thick. There are strong supports (buttresses) at each corner and in the middle of each wall. Like most Norman keeps, Lancaster's would have been entered on the first floor. Building it from stone would have been very costly and taken about five years, costing around £1,000. The medieval hall was south-west of the keep. It was taken down in 1796 when the castle was changed. The Shire Hall, built in the late 18th to early 19th century next to the keep, is a large ten-sided room.
In the castle's south-west corner is a round tower called Adrian's Tower. People used to say it was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. But the tower was actually built in the early 13th century, probably when King John was ruling. Even though the outside was redone in the 18th century, you can still see medieval stonework inside.
The main entrance is through a 20-meter (66-foot) high gatehouse. It was built at the start of the 15th century. King Henry IV started it. But a popular story says John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster from 1362 to 1399, was responsible. Two towers with eight sides each stand next to a passage. This passage was protected by a portcullis, a heavy gate that could be lowered. Battlements stick out over the gatehouse. These allowed defenders to drop things on attackers right below. Above the gate is a special spot that would have held a statue of a saint. On either side would have been the coat of arms of the kings of England. Because of the story, a statue of John of Gaunt was put in the empty spot in the 19th century.
The gatehouse has three floors. The apartment on the ground floor was probably used by the Constable of the castle, who was in charge of it. The two floors above had three rooms each. After the English Civil War, most of the gatehouse rooms were filled with people who owed money. The gatehouse is so well-built that John Champness, who wrote a book about the castle, said it is "perhaps the finest of its date and type in England."
During the Roman times in the 4th century, the fort was surrounded by the "Wery Wall." This name is thought to mean 'green wall'. The wall was described as a 3-meter (10-foot) thick 'unbreakable mass' with a defensive ditch. Now, you can only see parts of the wall on the east side of Castle Hill. In his book The Historic Lands of England, Sir Bernard Burke suggested the wall might have been visible in more places 100 years before he wrote in 1849. However, it's not clear where the wall would have been. The remaining Wery Wall measures 4m × 3m × 3m. It is only rubble now because its outer stones were used elsewhere.
Images for kids
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The courtyard of Lancaster Castle (2021)
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