Richmond Castle Yorkshire England River Swale Norman Conquest Saxon barbican barrack bridge
Richmond Castle in Richmond, North Yorkshire, England, stands in a commanding position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'. The castle was constructed from 1071 onwards as part of the Norman Conquest of Saxon England as the Domesday Book of 1086 refers to 'a castlery' at Richmond in that year. William the Conqueror had put down the 1069 rebellion at York which was followed by his "harrying of the North" - an act of ethnic cleansing which depopulated large areas for a generation or more. As a further punishment he divided up the lands of north Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. Alain Le Roux de Ponthievre of Brittany received the borough of Richmond and began constructing the castle to defend against further rebellions and establish a personal power base for one of the most extensive Norman estates in England which covered parts of eight counties - the Honour of Richmond. The Dukes of Brittany became the owners of the castle though it was often confiscated for various periods by English Kings. The original stone Norman castle appears to have lacked an obvious final refuge or 'keep' but a 100-foot (30 m)-high keep of honey-coloured sandstone was constructed at the end of the 12th century by Duke Conan the Little. This keep was probably completed by King Henry II and had 11-foot ( m)-thick walls. Modern visitors can climb to the top of the keep for magnificent views of the town of Richmond. At the same time that the keep was probably completed, Henry II considerably strengthened the castle by adding towers and a barbican. Henry III and King Edward I spent more money on the site including Edward's improvements to the keep interior.
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Photo credit: © SOTK2011 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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