Raby Castle
.JPG)
Raby Castle (grid reference NZ12912177) is situated near Staindrop in County Durham and is one of the largest inhabited castles in England.[1] The Grade I listed building[2] has opulent eighteenth and nineteenth century interiors[2] inside a largely unchanged, late medieval shell.[3] It is the home and seat of John Vane, 11th Baron Barnard, who is the present lord of the castle.[4] The castle is famed for both the size of the building and the artworks contained within it, including famous old masters and examples of portraiture.[5]
The castle was greatly fortified by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby in approximately 1360.[6] Cecily Neville, who was the mother of the Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England was born here. The Nevilles lost the castle after they led the failed Rising of the North in favour of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1569.[3]
Sir Henry Vane the Elder purchased the castle in 1626 and neighbouring Barnard Castle from the Crown, and as the Earls of Darlington and Dukes of Cleveland, a Gothic-style entrance hall and octagon-shaped drawing room were added.[3] From 1833 to 1891 they were the Dukes of Cleveland, and they retain the title of Lord Barnard.[4]
History
Early history
The first mention of the castle at Raby occurs in the reign of Cnut the Great[3] and its first recorded documentary mention is in a charter from Algar, the prior of Durham granting to Dolfin:
Staindropshire to him, the head of which honour of which was Raby Castle, originally the gift of Cnut the Great.[3]
This confirms a lord at Raby in 1131[5] at the latest.
Tradition is that the castle is built upon solid rock and that it occupies the site of a former palace belonging to Cnut.[3] The early castle’s ownership continued through the FitzMaldred line, until Robert FitzMaldred married the great Norman heiress Isabel Neville[5] upon which their son, Geoffery, changed his name to his mother’s maiden name of Neville, deciding to discontinue the use of the Saxon FitzMaldred.[3] This began the Neville occupation of the castle, which lated until 1570.
The Neville family
Robert Neville was a famous lord of the castle and was also the governor of Wark Castle[disambiguation needed], Nottingham Castle, Norham Castle and Bamborough Castle.[5] He was also warden of King John’s castles north of the River Trent[7] and Captain General of all the King’s forces in England.[3] His son, Robert Neville married the heiress of Robert FitzRanulph, gaining massive Yorkshire possessions.[5] Robert Neville did not occupy the position of lord of Raby for long, being killed in a “private quarrel”[7] at an early age. Unusually, Raby Castle did not pass to his son Ralph, but rather his grandson Robert Neville.[5] Robert had a great dispute with Antony Bek, the Bishop of Durham by refusing to obey his order to take the garrison at Raby to Scotland,[3] stating that:
My tenure is only to defend the patrimony of Saint Cuthbert and that you [the bishop] have no right to tell me to go beyond the Tyne or Tees.[7]
His son, also called Robert, was contemporaneously styled “Peacock of the North”[5] because of his arrogance and was killed in a fray on the boarder between England and Scotland by James, Earl of Douglas and his estates passed to his brother Ralph Neville who took the castle’s garrison to the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346 and was hailed a great hero in that battle.[5]
Ralph Neville became involved with another quarrel with the Bishop of Durham concerning the rent and terms of occupation of the castle.[7] The charter issued by Algar stipulated that an annual rent of £5 was paid for the castle, but a custom had developed that the lord of Raby offer the prior of Durham a stag on Saint Cuthbert’s Day[8] which was presented with “a fanfare of trumpets.” Ralph’s father insisted that he bring with him a great retinue of his personal servants to serve him at the meal that followed rather than making use of the prior’s servants.[8]
The prior would not accept the stag on those terms:[5]
[...] whereupon a great quarrel ensued [...] which did not end in words. The monks being unarmed, sized the huge altar candles [...] and forced Lord Neville’s retainers to retreat, leaving the stag behind them.[7]
The Lord of Barnard Castle sided with the prior and the conflict, but the two parties must had made peace as Ralph was buried in the Neville Chantrey in Durham Cathedral, the first lay man to be accorded that honour.[8] Although the Chantrey was abolished in the English Reformation[8] the tomb and effigy is still visible today.[8]
In 1154 no person was permitted to build fortifications in England without first obtaining a royal licence from the monarch.[8] The power to grant the licence in County Durham was held by the bishop.[8] In 1378 Bishop Hatfield granted such a licence to John Lord Neville:
To fortify, embattle and crenellate all the towers, houses, and walls in his manor at Raby [...][8]
Robert Surtees therefore attributes the building of Raby to John.[8] Other authorities, such as Owen Stanley Scott, claim that extensive buildings were already in situ as part of a feudal stronghold and the license was to extend the present buildings.[5] Notwithstanding this, the majority of the castle can be attributed to John.[8]
His son, Ralph, was created Earl of Westmorland by Richard II, but he subsequently sided with the Lancastrians in the War of the Roses and was instrumental in placing Henry IV upon the throne. He was also made a knight of the Order of the Garter and Earl Marshal of England.
The military might of the Neville family grew during the feudal era, but during Elizabethan times the family’s wealth and power declined. The family lost its possessions in Yorkshire and the family was described as “in rapid decline” in contemporary sources, “being much in debt” and selling off their many of their lands.
The Rising of the North
Seven hundred Knights, retainers all
Of Neville, at their Master’s call,
Had sate together in Raby’s Hall.[9]
- – William Wordsworth
- The White Doe of Rylstone or; the Fate of the Nortons
On 13 November 1569 the nobility of the north and knights under the Lord of Raby assembled in the great hall of the castle and decided to mount an armed insurrection against the Protestant Elizabeth I and in favour of the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, known as the Rising of the North.[10] Some of the nobles managed to persuade the council to abandon the ill-fated enterprise.[10] As the meeting was about to break up, the Countess of Westmorland, wife of the Lord of Raby, entered the room[8] and:
[...] thew herself into their mist, weeping bitterly, and with taunting words spurring them anew into the course which had such fatal results.[8]
After the failed coup d'état the Lord of Raby escaped with his life, but surrendered the castle the Crown. He died in Holland, “a very old man, forsaken and forlorn.”[8][10] His wife was granted a pension[10] from the queen and died in 1593.[5] The confiscation of the castle saw the end of the house of Neville at Raby.[5]
The House of Vane
After the Rising of the North the castle became the property of the Crown for over forty three years, before being bought by Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington who previously resided at Barnard Castle in County Durham.[8] He was impressed by the size and lands, opposed to that at Barnard which was hemmed in by the surrounding town.[5] The House of Vane were responsible for much of the modernising of the castle, especially the interior. These include renovation of the mediaeval chapel and famous drawing room. The family also were responsible for the driving of a carriage way though the castle, causing much damage to the castle’s mediaeval fabric.[5] In 1848, the chapel was renovated by Burn with his customary disregard for antiquity.[5] The present family are responsible for the great collection of artworks in the castle.[4]
In 1890 the former 4th Duke of Cleveland died, leaving the line of succession to the castle, and its vast estates, unclear.[4] The case was decided in 1891 when the Committee of Privileges of the House of Lords held his relative, Henry de Vere Vane to be the 9th Baron Barnard and inheritor of the vast estates of Raby. He did not, however, inherit the title of Duke of Cleveland which became extinct.[11]
Christopher Vane, 10th Baron Barnard was the last great landowner who inhabited the castle. This came to an end when, during his decline, he divested himself of all but 1,713 acres (693 ha) of the 53,000-acre (21,000 ha) Raby estate.[12]
The present Lord Barnard can trace his ancestry back to the House of Neville, thus making the lordship of the castle one of the longest dynastic lordships in English history.[13]
Lords of the castle
There have been twenty-six lords of Raby Castle from the time of the first building on the site until the preset day.
The Houses of Gospatric and FitzMaldred[5]
- Uehtred, son of Gospatric
- Dolfin[14]
- Maldred
- Robert FitzMaldred
The House of Neville[5]
- Geoffrey Neville[15]
- Robert Neville
- Robert Neville [II][16]
- Robert Neville ‘Peacock of the North’[17]
- Ralph Neville
- John Lord Neville
- Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland
- Cicely Neville ‘The Rose of Raby’
- John Neville[disambiguation needed], "knight of England"
- Charles Neville[18]
The Crown
After Charles Neville was deprived of the castle and its estate for the ill-fated Rising of the North it became the property of the Crown by Act of Parliament in 1570 for forty-three years, the monarch becoming the lord of Raby. The castle's lordship was then translated to James II's favourite, Robert Carr.
The House of Carr
The Crown (reverted)
Carr had the castle removed from him after falling out of favour with the king. The castle was reverted to the Crown and subsequently was "divested for [...] the augmentation and support of Charles, Prince of Wales, to Sir Francis Bacon and others, for ninety-nine years, with power to lease for three lives [...]"[20]
- James I (reverted)
- Charles, Prince of Wales
- Sir Francis Bacon (by proxy)
The House of Vane[4]
- Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington
- Henry Vane, 2nd Earl of Darlington
- William Henry Vane, 1st Duke of Cleveland
- Henry Vane, 2nd Duke of Cleveland
- William John Frederick Vane, 3rd Duke of Cleveland
- Harry George Powlett, 4th Duke of Cleveland
- Henry de Vere Vane, 9th Baron Barnard[21]
- Christopher Vane, 10th Baron Barnard
- (Harry) John Neville Vane, 11th Baron Barnard
Exterior
Defences
Tradition is that the castle is built upon solid rock,[7] which can be observed when the water is low in the lake,[8] and that the stone used to build the fortifications were quaried from base rock of the site.[5] However, no archeological studies have been conducted to lend support to this theory. Notwithstanding this, physical evidence to support the theory can be gained from the deep fosse surrounding the walls of the castle.[8] Before the complex was de-fortified this fosse formed the castle’s moat.[10]
The only access that can be had into the enceinte of the castle is through the gatehouse.[10] In former times the gatehouse was intended to guard the drawbridge.[10] No drawbridge remains at the present day, it having been replaced by a flagged causeway.[5] The gatehouse originally contained three portcullis, evidenced by the groves still visible used to work them.[8]
Two stone figures on the battlements were brought from the chapel tower during the reign of Edward III.[8] These figures are almost unique in the north of England[2] and are intended to to be a semi-figure to stand at the top of the merlons (which would conceal a man below the waste), and lead the attacking party to believe that the garrison was on alert, and at their post on the walls, when viewed at a distance.[3]
The two smaller towers beside the gatehouse have no defensive function and were added during the renovations of Henry Vane, 2nd Earl of Darlington.[5]
Access to the gatehouse is gained by a door through the enclosing wall of enceinte,[3] which rose to a height of thirty feet from the waters of the moat.[2] This is strengthened periodically by buttress towers[2] and formed the second line of defense, the moat being the first.[10] The passage along the parapet was the ancient chemin de ronde (allure) on which guards were posted.[3] Similar passages can be found at York Castle and around the city of Oxford.[2]
Towers
The castle has nine distinct towers and it is noted that no two towers are of the same height, shape or size.[2] Ranging in height from 61 feet to 80 feet,[5] they were all built for defense rather than ornamental reasons,[3] although some have been beautified when the castle was de-fortified.[2]
| Name of tower | Height in feet[5] |
|---|---|
| Clifford’s Tower | 80 ft. 0 ins. |
| Kitchen Tower | 77 ft. 8 ins. |
| Mount Raskelf | 70 ft. 8 ins. |
| Chapel Tower | 73 ft. 3 ins. |
| Bulmer’s Tower | 76 ft. 6 ins. |
| Nevill or Neville Tower | 62 ft. 6 ins. |
| Watch Tower | 75 ft. 9 ins. |
| Keep | 65 ft. 0 ins. |
| Joan’s Tower | 61 ft. 6 ins. |
Interior
The proportions of the kitchen of Raby castle are virtually unaltered since it was built in 1360. The Garrison Room has walls up to twenty feet thick. where in times of danger men-at-arms (and their horses) lived and slept; and most magnificent of all, the breath-taking grandeur of the Baron's Hall where 700 knights gathered in 1569 to plot the "Rising of the North" in support of Mary, Queen of Scots, a doomed enterprise that brought about the fall of the House of Nevill.
Artworks
The castle is famous for its works of art, mostly collected by the House of Vane, including old masters and family portraiture. Some noted artists who's work is in the castle's collection include Titian, Canaletto and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Private apartments[5]
There are several works of note in the private apartments of the family, including two depictions Venetian scenes painted by Canaletto and Marieschi as well as several family portraits executed by notable artists of the day.[5] The apartments also contain a selection of fine Chinese porcelain, including vases and plates.[5]
| Artist or medium | Title or description of subject |
|---|---|
| Jacopo Marieschi | On the Grand Canal, Venice |
| David Teniers the Elder and Jacques d'Arthois | Landscape with Figures |
| Giovanni Antonio Canal (known as Canaletto) | On the Grand Canal, Venice |
| Carlo Dolci[22] | The Madonna in Prayer |
| David Teniers the Elder | The Gipsy Encampment |
| Giovanni Paolo Panini | An Architectural Composition |
| Spanish School | Portrait of a Man |
| David Teniers the Younger | Habour Scene |
| Jacopo Marieschi | A Public Square in Venice |
| The School of Nicolas Poussin | Landscape with Figures |
Library[5]
The pictures in the library, with the exception of two architectural pieces executed by Panini above the fireplace, are all portraits of the family or figures associated with them.[5] Of note are depictions of the younger and older Sir Henry Vanes wearing the Order of the Garter. The room also contains a pastel drawing of the former Lady Barnard by Ellis Roberts[5] which she considered to be her best work.[23]
| Artist or medium | Title or description of subject |
|---|---|
| Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt | Henry Vane, 1st Earl of Darlington[24] |
| The Hon. John Collier | Sir H. M. Vane |
| Robert Walker | Sir Henry Vane the Younger |
| Pompeo Batoni | Sir William Meredith, 3rd Baronet[25] |
| Allan Ramsay | Lady with Feather Fan |
| Giovanni Paolo Panini | An Architectural Composition |
| Unknown artist | Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, KG |
| Peter Lely | Lady Mary Sackville[26] |
| Unknown artist | A boy[27] |
| Ellis Roberts[23] | Sylvia Mary Straker[28] |
| Unknown Artist | Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton[29] |
| Peter Lely | Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth |
| In the style of John Hoppner[30] | Henrietta Elizabeth Frederica[31] |
| Autotype[32] | Oliver Cromwell |
| Maria Chalon | Lord Harry Vane |
Anti-Library[5]
The pictures in the Anti-Library are chiefly of the Dutch school of painting with some notable examples by Lorrain and Titan.[5] The room also contains portraits, mostly members of the family.
| Artist or medium | Title or description of subject |
|---|---|
| Thomas Gainsborough | Elizabeth Wood[33] |
| Claude Lorrain | The Embarcation of the Queen of Sheba |
| George Romney | The Hon. Charles Vane |
| Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (known as Titian) | The Holy Family[34] |
| Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg | Interior of an Italian Church |
| Pieter de Hooch | In interior |
| Jan Steen | Dutch interior |
| Willem van Mieris | A woman huxtering fish |
| David Teniers the Younger | In an artist’s studio |
| Jan Steen | Inside a Tavern |
| Adriaen van Ostade | Dutch Interior |
| Unknown artist | Sophia[35] |
| Sir George Hayter | Henry Vane |
| After R. Crossway RA | Henry Vane |
| Unknown artist | The Hon. Anne Vane |
| David Teniers the Younger | A Country Tavern |
Dining Room[5]
The dining room contains some of the castle’s most impressive paintings, such as Joshua Reynolds, Anthony van Dyck and Rembrandt.[5] The subjects of the paintings in this room are mostly of portraiture of members of the family or associates and still lives.[5]
| Artist or medium | Title or description of subject |
|---|---|
| Sir Godfrey Kneller | Alexander Pope in his 28th year[36] |
| The School of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo | Joseph Interpreting the Dream of Pharaoh’s Chief Baker |
| William Hoare | The Hon. Charles Vane |
| Sir Godfrey Kneller | William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield[37] |
| Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg | William Talbot[disambiguation needed][38] |
| Unknown artist | An unknown gentlemen[39] |
| Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt | Sir Henry Vane the Elder |
| Jan van Huysum | A Composition of Fruit and Lobsters |
| Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (known as Rembrandt) | Head of an Old Man[40] |
| Ludolf Bakhuizen | Storm Coming On: A Sea Piece |
| Unknown artist | Sir Henry Vane the Younger |
| Jacopo da Ponte (known as Jacopo Bassano | A Vegetable and Fruit Market |
| Robert Walker) | Oliver Cromwell |
| Gerard Dou | A Burgomaster |
| Aert van der Neer | River Scene at Midnight |
| Either Sir Anthony van Dyck or Sir Peter Paul Rubens | A Group[41] |
| Sir Anthony van Dyck | James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton |
| Sir Anthony van Dyck | John Finch, 1st Baron Finch |
| Sir Joshua Reynolds P.R.A.[42] | Lady Margaret Powlett |
| Allan Ramsay | William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath |
| Luca Giordano | Manius Curius Dentatus Jumping into the Gulf |
| Unknown artist | Joseph Addison |
| Thomas Barker | The Woodman Returning |
| The School of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (known as Raphael) | The Holy Family |
Grounds
A Deer Park of 200 acres (0.81 km2) surrounds the Castle.[6]
Tourism
The Castle is open to the public and contains many works of art, including the original 1844 version of Hiram Powers' The Greek Slave.
See also
References
- ^ aboutbritain.com. "Raby Castle". Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h English Heritage (January 1952). "Raby Castle". The Listed Building Register. English Heritage. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Hodgson, J. F. (1880 to 1895). English Medieval Architects; J.F. Hodgson, 'Raby in Three Chapters'. Durham, UK: Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland. pp. Vols II and IV 1 et seq.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|year=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) Cite error: The named reference "Harvey" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e Hammond, Peter W. (1998). The Complete Peerage or a History of the House of Lords and All Its Members from the Earliest Times, Vol. XIV. Shroud, UK: Sutton Publishing. pp. 30–32. ISBN 978-0750901543.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) Cite error: The named reference "Comp.Peer" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Scott, Owen Stanley (1906). Raby: Its Castle and Its Lords. Barnard Castle (UK): A & E Ward, Printers, &c. p. 1, et seq.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Raby Castle at AboutBritain.com
- ^ a b c d e f Dugdale, William (1693). Monasticon Anglicanum, or, The history of the ancient abbies, and other monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches in England and Wales. With divers French, Irish, and Scotch monasteries formerly relating to England. London: Gregg Publishing; New impression edition (Dec 1970). p. 183. ISBN 978-0576785372.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Surtees, Robert (1820). The History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham: volume 2 –– Describes the 21 parishes and chapelries of Chester ward in the north of the county, including Gateshead, Jarrow and other parts of present-day urban Tyneside. London: Institute of Historical Research. p. 220.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Wordsworth, William (1994). The Collected Poems of William Wordsworth. London, UK: Wordsworth Editions Ltd; New edition. pp. 1000, et seq. ISBN 978-1853264016.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Thornton, George (2010). The Rising in the North: The Rising of the Northern Earls. Unknown: Ergo Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978-0955751080.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ The Official Gazette of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Durham 1908 to 1919. Durham Freemasons. 1919. p. 172.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ The Correspondent for Obituaries (Tuesday 20 October 1964). "Lord Barnard". The Times of London.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help);|author=has generic name (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Raby Castle (2008). [ttp://www.rabycastle.com/categoryRender.asp?categoryID=3906 "The Lord Barnard"]. Biography of Lord Barnard. Raby Castle Estate. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
- ^ The Prior of Durham issued a charter in 1131 granting: “Dolfin, son of Uehtred, son of Gospatric the manor of Raby, [...] as was the gift of Canute the Great.” The charter is in the possession of Durham Cathedral Library.
- ^ Born Geoffery FitzMaldred but used his mother’s surname in place of his original Saxon surname.
- ^ Was killed in a private quarrel at an early age.
- ^ Grandson of the previous incumbent. He inherited the estate by the Will left by his grandmother.
- ^ Deprived of the castle due to the Rising of the North.
- ^ Took possession in 1570 in compensation for 'the great treasure she expended in suppressing the north."
- ^ National Archives, London (UK): Chancery: The Court Rolls of James I of England.
- ^ Claim admitted 1892 by the House of Lords.
- ^ Attributed to Dolci, but unsigned.
- ^ a b Whitehead, John (1995). The Art of Somerset Maugham (Saturday Review of Literature). New York (USA): Routledge. pp. 245–256.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Known as Henry Vane ‘the Elder.'
- ^ Believed to have been painted in Rome.
- ^ The daughter of Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset.
- ^ Supposed to be William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath.
- ^ The wife of Christopher Vane, 10th Baron Barnard.
- ^ Depicted in this portrait as a boy.
- ^ A photograph.
- ^ The daughter of the Hon. Charles Vane and wife of Sir William Langham, Bart.
- ^ Reproduced from the portrait in the possession of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
- ^ Wife of the Hon. Charles Vane.
- ^ On the frame are the arms of the Torriano family.
- ^ Daughter of the 2nd Duke of Cleveland.
- ^ Engraved by John Smith
- ^ Was Lord Chief Justice of England.
- ^ Was successively Bishop of Oxford, Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Durham, he was also Chancellor of the Order of the Garter
- ^ Possibly one of the sons of Gilbert Vane, 2nd Baron Barnard.
- ^ Signed and dated 1635.
- ^ Believed to be either (i) Jakob Jordans and his wife or; (ii) Syders and his wife.
- ^ Engraved by J. R. Smith
External links
- Raby Castle - Official site
- English Heritage: Images of England, listing and architectural details
- Structures of the North East
54°35′27″N 1°48′7″W / 54.59083°N 1.80194°W
