Raby Castle facts for kids
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Raby Castle is an amazing medieval castle found near Staindrop in County Durham, England. It sits within a huge deer park that's about 200 acres big. A powerful noble named John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, built this castle between 1367 and 1390.
Many important people have lived here. For example, Cecily Neville, who was the mother of Kings Edward IV and Richard III, was born at Raby Castle. Later, in 1569, the castle was taken over by the royal family after Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, led a rebellion called the Rising of the North. This rebellion supported Mary, Queen of Scots.
In 1626, Sir Henry Vane the Elder bought Raby Castle. His family, the Vanes, still own it today! They added many new parts to the castle, like a grand entrance hall and a special drawing room. Raby Castle is famous for its large size and its incredible art collection, which includes paintings by very old and famous artists. Today, Raby Castle is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historical site. You can visit it during certain times of the year.
The castle is still a private home for the Vane family, who are known as the Barons Barnard. The current owner, the 11th Baron, has done a lot of work to fix up and restore the castle since he inherited it in 1964.
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Exploring Raby Castle's History
The Neville family owned the land of Raby starting in the 1200s. Even though they didn't have a fancy title at first, they were important enough to be called to Parliament as Barons of Raby from 1295.
Ralph Neville, 1st Baron Neville de Raby, was the first Neville to be called to Parliament. His son, John Neville, became part of the household of the Earl of Lancaster. This started a strong connection between the Nevilles and the Earls of Lancaster. Raby was the main home for the Neville family. There might have been a smaller, fortified house here around 1300.
In the late 1300s, the Nevilles started rebuilding many of their homes in northern England. Raby Castle was one of these, with construction happening between 1367 and 1390. By the end of that century, the Nevilles were one of the most powerful families in northern England.
Building the Castle
In 1378, the Bishop of Durham, Thomas Hatfield, gave John de Neville permission to make his home at Raby stronger. John passed away in 1388, and his son, Ralph, took over. We don't have many old papers from this time, so we learn about the castle's building mostly from how it looks. Historian Anthony Emery said the work changed it from a "defendable house into a palace-fortress."
Ralph Neville became the Earl of Westmorland in 1397. This was a reward from King Richard II for his loyalty. However, the Neville family had always been close to the Earls of Lancaster. So, when Henry Bolingbroke (from the House of Lancaster) invaded in 1399, Neville supported him. Neville helped convince Richard II to give up his throne, and Henry became King Henry IV. Neville was given important roles, like Earl Marshal of England.
The Rising of the North
Henry Neville, 5th Earl of Westmorland, died in 1564, and his son, Charles, became the next Earl. The Nevilles were Catholic, and Charles was one of the leaders of a rebellion in 1569. This rebellion, called the Rising of the North, was against England's Protestant Queen Elizabeth I.
The rebellion was a serious threat to the Queen. More than 800 rebels were executed. Charles Neville and another leader, Thomas Percy, had to escape to other countries. In 1571, Charles Neville lost all his lands and titles to the Crown.
The Vane Family Takes Over
After the Rising of the North, Raby Castle belonged to the Crown for over 43 years. Then, Henry Vane the Elder bought it. He was very impressed by its size and the large lands around it. The Vane family made many changes to the castle, especially inside, to make it more modern. They updated the old chapel and the drawing room.
The family even built a carriageway right through the castle! This caused some damage to the old medieval parts. An architect named William Burn made more changes between 1843 and 1848. He added new roofs to the great hall and chapel and a drawing room to one of the towers. The Vane family living there today is responsible for the amazing art collection you can see in the castle.
In 1849, William, who was then the Prince of Orange, was a guest at Raby Castle when he became the King of the Netherlands.
In 1890, the 4th Duke of Cleveland passed away. It wasn't clear who would inherit the castle and its huge estates. In 1891, it was decided that his relative, Henry Vane, would become the 9th Baron Barnard and inherit Raby Castle. However, he did not inherit the title of Duke of Cleveland, which ended.
Castle Layout and Defenses
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Raby Castle has a unique shape with nine towers around its edges. The main way to get in was through the Neville Gateway on the west side, which is four stories tall. To reach this gate, you would have crossed a drawbridge, but now there's a stone path. The gatehouse originally had three portcullises (heavy grates that could be lowered), and you can still see the grooves where they moved. Two smaller towers next to the gatehouse were added later and weren't for defense.
You enter the gatehouse through a door in the curtain wall. This wall was 30 feet tall and rose from the moat's water. It was made stronger by buttress towers and was the second line of defense after the moat. Guards would walk along a path on top of the wall called the chemin de ronde (or allure). You can find similar paths at York Castle and around the city of Oxford. The castle buildings surround a central courtyard. On the east side is the great hall, also known as the Baron's Hall. The old medieval kitchen and the main tower (keep) are still mostly as they were.
Raby Castle on Screen
Raby Castle has been used as a filming location for movies and TV shows.
- In the 1998 film Elizabeth, Raby Castle pretended to be different royal houses. Raby Lake even stood in for the River Thames during a night party scene!
- In 2023, the American TV show Billions used the castle as the home of a character named Bobby Axelrod. You can see it in Season 7, Episode 2, called "Original Sin."
Amazing Art at the Castle
Raby Castle is famous for its incredible art collection. Most of these artworks were collected by the Vane Family over many years. The collection includes paintings by very old and famous artists, as well as portraits of family members.
Some of the well-known artists whose work is at the castle include Giordano, Van Dyck, and Sir Joshua Reynolds. In the Small Drawing Room, you can find a great collection of paintings about sports, which shows the family's interests. These include works by artists like Ben Marshall and Sir Alfred Munnings.
The library also has some beautiful paintings. There are two special paintings called capriccios (which are imaginary landscapes with buildings) by Marco and Sebastiano Ricci, and another by Antonio Joli. You can also see many portraits, including two by Sir Peter Lely and a portrait of William Bankes by Pompeo Batoni. There are also portraits of family members like Sir Henry Vane the Elder and Sir Henry Vane the Younger.
In the ante-library, you'll find paintings mostly from Dutch and Flemish artists. These include works by Pieter de Hooch and David Teniers the Younger. The dining room holds some of the castle's most impressive paintings, including more works by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Anthony van Dyck. Most of the paintings in this room are portraits of family members or people connected to them.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Raby para niños
