Cawood Castle
| Cawood Castle | |
|---|---|
| North Yorkshire, England | |
 Banqueting hall and gatehouse at Cawood Castle |
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 Shown within North Yorkshire
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| Type | Quadrangular castle |
| Coordinates | grid reference SE573376 |
| Construction materials |
Stone |
| Current owner |
Landmark Trust |
| Open to the public |
For holiday let |
Cawood Castle was a palace for the Archbishops of York. The remains of the castle are located in Cawood, a village in North Yorkshire, England.
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[edit] History
The Saxon King Athelstan probably built the first fortification at Cawood on the site of the present castle ruins. The castle's presence was first mentioned in 1181 before being converted into a quadrangular castle during 1374 and 1388. It was visited by many kings, including King John, who hunted game in nearby Bishop's Wood in the 13th Century. Numerous documents show that the palace regularly changed inhabitants and was often improved. Among these improvements was the gatehouse, which was constructed by Archbishop John Kemp. It was constructed with stone from Huddlestone which supplied stone for York Minster.
On January 15, 1466, George Neville held a feast at the castle in celebration of becoming Archbishop of York. The Earl of Warwick, the Archbishop's brother, aided in the preparation of the feast and is said to have wanted a feast larger than the King's coronation feast. Guests included the Duke of Gloucester, the King's brother. The feast lasted several days and became known as the "Great Feast of Cawood" due to the size of it. Records from the feast show that a substantial quantity of food was consumed, including 104 oxen, 6 wild bulls, 400 swans, 1000 capons and 104 peacocks; 25,000 gallons of wine were consumed with the meal. One year later, in 1467, Lawrence Booth became the Archbishop of York. Henry Bowet became Archbishop of York in 1407, until his death in 1423.
Cardinal Wolsey came to Cawood as Archbishop of York in 1530 and made himself popular with the villagers by putting right years of neglect. However, before he was installed as Archbishop in York, the Earl of Northumberland arrested him on charges of high treason; Wolsey fell ill at Leicester on his way to London, and died. He therefore fulfilled Mother Shipton's prophecy, that he would see the towers of York Minster but would never be enthroned there.
In 1642, the English Civil War began and the village and castle were identified as a Royalist stronghold. The castle was captured by the Parliamentarians from the Royalists, however the Earl of Newcastle briefly recaptured it for the Royalists in 1644. Shortly after, however, Lord Fairfax recaptured it and it was used as a prisoner of war camp. Once the war ended the castle was abandoned and destroyed, with only the farm buildings and parts of the wall remaining. The cellar was filled in with rubble and soil.
[edit] Current status
The only remaining parts of the castle are the gatehouse and the banqueting hall. Stones from the destroyed castle were used in the construction of surrounding houses. The foundations of some other structures do remain as well as the castle's cellar which was excavated in the 19th century.
Cawood Castle is now owned by the Landmark Trust, who operate it as a "holiday let". In 1932, the gatehouse was converted into a courthouse for the local people before being used as an officers' mess and a building for the Home Guard during World War II. The Castle Garth was bought by the Parish council in order to keep it as an open space in the heart of the village. At its centre is a pond, built as a skating pond in the 19th century. There are also remains of the medieval fish ponds.
The castle is now in the ownership of the Landmark Trust who restored it, however the banqueting hall still has no lighting. Outside the banqueting hall can be seen remains of other structures - there were more modern farm buildings and a wall along the road, which were removed when the Landmark Trust took over the Castle and restored it. Within the last ten years, there were cows grazing in the garth.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Landmark Trust properties |
- Landmark Trust Website
- History of castle
- The Gatehouse gazetteer
- Local Heritage Initiative
- History of village and Castle
Coordinates: 53°49′53″N 1°07′51″W / 53.83151°N 1.13086°W
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