Carlisle Castle: A History Through the Ages
Carlisle Castle. Modern look
“I like to go to medieval castles:
Their gloomy silence pleases my heart,
I love the sharp rise of their black-gray roofs,
Gloomy battlements on towers and gates,
Squares of glass in lead bindings,
Niche openings, where the unknown hand
I cut the saints and warriors for centuries"
T. Gauthier. "Middle Ages". Cup. Ballads, tales, legends. M, 1958, p. 53
Their gloomy silence pleases my heart,
I love the sharp rise of their black-gray roofs,
Gloomy battlements on towers and gates,
Squares of glass in lead bindings,
Niche openings, where the unknown hand
I cut the saints and warriors for centuries"
T. Gauthier. "Middle Ages". Cup. Ballads, tales, legends. M, 1958, p. 53
Ancient castles and fortresses. There are castles, which, despite their formidable appearance, almost never participated in hostilities. And there are those who are "lucky" to be in their center for a number of centuries. And even today something "military" remains in them. One such castle in England is Carlisle Castle. We will talk about it today...
Carlisle Castle. View from above. The well-preserved donjon is clearly visible, the Captain's tower with a semicircular battery, two lonely cannons on the wall on the right
The Romans have come, the Romans have gone
And it so happened that in 72 AD, on the site of this castle, the Romans had already built a large fort, though not stone, but in the typical Roman tradition - from turf and wood. He provided support for the garrisons stationed on Hadrian's Wall and for the troops sent to fight in Scotland. As happened very often, the fort became the core of a prosperous city called Luguvalium, and this city itself, by the middle of the XNUMXnd century AD, had become one of the most important military bases in Roman Britain.
Hadrian's Wall, preserved to this day, the stability of which was supposed to be a fort in Carlisle
But then the Romans left. But Carlisle remained and, very possibly, even became the capital of the Romano-British kingdom of Reged. In the XNUMXth century, it is quite possible that the abbey was founded by the kings of Northumbria, which became one of the religious centers of the country.
The castle changes owners...
The first castle in Carlisle was built by King William II the Red (r. 1087-1100) over the remains of the first Roman fort after defeating the local commander Dolphin in 1092. He appreciated the fact that this place was only 16 kilometers from the Scottish border, which means by fortifying it, he could always use this castle as a base for an invasion of Scotland.
Reconstruction of Carlisle Castle as it may have looked around 1400. © Historical England (illustrated by Liam Wales)
However, the very first castle, most likely, was a simple fence made of earth and wood, but with a deep moat, for protection from the south. Then came the time of Henry I Beauclerk (r. 1100-1135), who visited Carlisle in 1122 and ordered "fortify it with a castle and towers". The construction of the stone fortress proceeded rather slowly; work was still going on in 1130.
David I and Malcolm IV (miniature from a manuscript in Carlisle Castle)
As soon as Henry I died, in 1135 Carlisle was captured by David I, King of Scotland (r. 1124-1153), and ... also began to build a "very strong fortress" here. Most likely, he completed the work begun by Henry I, but, nevertheless, the question of dating the castle remains open to this day.
Henry II of England (r. 1154-1189) visited Carlisle in 1186 and ordered the construction of "palace» complex in the courtyard. The construction of the castle was continued by King John (r. 1199-1216), so that the construction there, one might say, went almost continuously.
What has been preserved from those distant years? The donjon, the “big tower”, has been preserved, which today is both the largest and most impressive part of the castle
Together with the gatehouse, this is at the same time the earliest surviving part of the castle, although its interior has changed over the centuries in the most serious way, and the roof was removed from the donjon in the XNUMXth century.
Samuel Bowe (1822–1878) "Edenside Cricket Match", Carlisle 1912
Sieges and battles
In 1296, King Edward I Longshanks (r. 1272-1307) made Carlisle his headquarters for three months in the early stages of his war against the Scots. The inner chamber, which by that time already housed a large hall, was expanded to accommodate his courtyard. In 1308, a residential tower, known as the Tower of Queen Mary, was rebuilt in the castle, and it immediately became more comfortable to live in.
An octagonal stair tower that once gave access to the Queen Mary Tower. The tower itself was demolished in 1825
The Scots, naturally, did not like a strong fortress at their borders, and they besieged both the city itself and the castle as many as seven times between 1173 and 1461. One of the most decisive sieges was launched in 1315 by Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, who had previously defeated the English at the Battle of Bannockburn. But no matter how hard they tried, they could not take the castle.
Gate leading to the castle
Entrance gate. Outside gatehouse
The siege of 1461 was one of the bloodiest episodes of the War of the Scarlet and White Roses, in which the houses of Lancaster and York fought for the English throne. The combined army of Lancastrians and Scots finally managed to recapture the castle from the Yorkists, and thanks to the early use (as reported by the British annals) of artillery. However, the winners did not destroy its towers and walls, so thanks to this, many structures of that time have survived to this day.
You can find out what rooms were in the donjon here ...
"Stormy Ages": XV and XVI
In the 1483th and 1485th centuries Anarchy reigned in England. The border clans no longer felt the firm hand of the king and went about their favorite business: they began to settle local scores and rob those who were weaker. In order to somehow establish a peaceful life, the border region was divided into three "marks", which were assigned to the Lord Warders, who were representatives of the English crown. Carlisle Castle became the seat of the Lord Keeper of the West Mark, and among the famous figures who held this position was Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later known as Richard III (r. XNUMX-XNUMX), who lost the battle of Bosworth and lost his field and crown , and life.
Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) ordered to check the defenses of Carlisle and, if necessary, to strengthen the castle. The result was the largest castle building campaign since the XNUMXth century, led by the Moravian engineer Stefan von Haschenperg. The castle received cannons mounted on it in various places, the thickness of the inner walls of the chamber was increased, and a closed battery was built in front of the Captain's Gate.
The captain's tower, and in front of it is a battery. Initially, the battery was high enough off the ground that its cannons could fire on the outer fence, but in the XNUMXth century so much earth was piled around it that it was lower than its level!
Today she looks like this. See how she's sunk into the ground
Carlisle - residence of Queen Mary
When Mary, Queen of Scots (d. 1587) fled from her rebellious subjects to England in May 1567, she was placed for several weeks in the Watcher's Tower, in the southeast corner of the courtyard. So for the last time the castle became a royal residence. Maintaining her small court cost Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603) an average of £56 a week, which was spent on food and wine.
Captain's tower, view from the courtyard. The graceful pattern above the gate is a rare example of the decor of the castle of the XIV century
Castle during the Civil War
Carlisle Castle lost its military importance after the unification of England and Scotland in 1603. But when a civil war began in the country in 1642, it increased again, and they began to fight for its possession.
Many rooms in the castle resemble prison cells.
Carlisle, which was garrisoned by Royalists in 1642, was one of the few places in the north that remained loyal to the king after the defeat of his main northern army at Marston Moor in July 1644. Therefore, already in October of the same year, an army of parliamentarians surrounded Carlisle and besieged it, hoping to starve the city to death.
Inside the donjon there were four floors, three of which were residential, but in the thickness of the walls there were pantries, stairs and latrines.
The siege continued until the spring of 1645. Food began to run out: all the horses were eaten, then it was time for dogs and rats. But after the defeat of the royalists at the Battle of Naesby in June 1645, there were no hopes for salvation, and on June 25 the city surrendered.
One of the castle's spiral staircases
Last siege
The city and the castle were again in the spotlight during the second Jacobite rising in 1745-1746, when an attempt was made to restore the exiled Stuarts to the throne. Prince Charles Edward Stewart (d. 1788) led his army south, reaching Carlisle on November 9, 1745. Five days later, the city and castle surrendered.
The Jacobite army then moved south, but, finding no support, deployed to Derby. On 20 December he retreated across the border to Scotland, leaving a garrison of 400 men at Carlisle Castle to hold off the pursuit of an English army led by the Duke of Cumberland, who took the castle in its tenth and final siege. The British artillery was at its best, so that it was already possible to capture it on December 30, 1745.
Plan of the Siege of Carlisle by the army of the Duke of Cumberland, begun on December 21, 1745. After the siege, many Jacobite soldiers were imprisoned in the castle, and nine of them were executed on October 18, 1746.
Army barracks and ... a monument
After 1746, the castle gradually fell into a state of dormancy and neglect. At first, French prisoners of war were kept here. And in the 20s of the XIX century, Carlisle Castle became an army barracks. Little by little, it began to be completed and expanded with low buildings made of red brick.
Here they are!
In 1832, a hospital was built here, which is called "worst army hospital» to Britain.
The army continued to expand and develop castle buildings until the 1835th century. Moreover, over the years of active military use, many important historical sites have been destroyed or changed beyond recognition. For example, the Queen Mary Tower was demolished in 2000. And, although the castle has been transferred to the English Heritage Center since XNUMX, it still has several “military installations”, and, in particular, the Museum of Military History of Cumbria.
Here it is, this museum!
The mystery of castle graffiti
There are many interesting things to see in the castle. For example, a large fireplace, which has remained in it since the Middle Ages.
Some believe that the dimensions of the then fireplaces made it possible to put a seat in them and ... bask directly by the fire. But judging by the way this castle fireplace looks, it was possible to do this only at the risk of clothing and life!
On the second floor of the donjon there is another truly remarkable monument of that distant time. These are wall graffiti. Some are nothing more than scratches, while others are intricately carved and may be the work of one person.
Here is an explanation for them, but even if you enlarge it, translate it and read it, unfortunately, you won’t learn much about them. So the veil of secrecy will remain on them
The images are in relief, slightly recessed into the masonry, and are obviously randomly placed. Previously they were calledcarvings of prisoners”, but it is known that this room was not a prison, and if so, then a completely natural question arises - who cut them out and why?
The so-called "prisoner carvings" can be dated to around 1480, as they include the boar badge of Richard III and the white rose of the House of York.
The images contain the coats of arms of the House of York and the local families Dacre and Percy, which, together with some other details, indicate the year 1480. There are several religious icons, including a crucifix, "IHS" or the name of Christ, and a figure with a wheel that may be Saint Catherine. So, most likely, soldiers of the garrison or the household of the owner of the castle were engaged in this carving out of boredom, thus expressing loyalty to the lord overseer and influential local families.
There is also a place for those who like to take pictures near the old cannons…
Photos of the site english-heritage.org.uk were used for design
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