Barnard Castle, North East England

William II of England granted the lands at Barnard Castle to a Norman Baron, named Guy de Balliol, who had come to England with his father’s army and fought at Hastings.  The spot for de Balliol’s new castle was obvious, as the plateau on which the castle stands is above the River Tees and is naturally defended, on two sides, by high cliffs overlooking the river. De Balliol’s castle was probably a wooden castle with ringwork defences, an enclosure of ditches and banks, which would protect the north and west sides of the castle. When Guy de Balliol died in 1133, he was succeeded by Bernard, who was either his nephew, or his son.  Between the ownership of Bernard de Balliol, and his grandson, another Barnard de Balliol, the town was established and it took it’s name, Barnard Castle, from them. During this time, 1133-1205, the castle was also rebuilt in stone and the site was enlarged, with the castle wards being established. 

Barnard Castle was then inherited by Hugh de Balliol, who was an ally of King John.  Hugh defended the north against the Northumbrian Barons, who were supported by Alexander I of Scotland. King John came to the north to restore order, and put Hugh in charge of the uprising. King Alexander I of Scotland, advanced south in the summer of 1216, with the support of many northern Barons.  Barnard Castle soon found itself under siege.  During this time, Eustace Vesey, who was King Alexander’s brother-in-law, was killed by a crossbow bolt to the head after getting too close to the castle’s walls. The siege was unsuccessful and the castle remained in Hugh’s possession. King John died two months later.

Barnard Castle was the principal seat of the de Balliol family when Hugh de Balliol died in 1228, and was succeeded by his son John de Balliol. John married the heiress, Devorguilla of Galloway, who was the daughter of the Gaelic Prince Alan, Lord of Galloway and Margaret of Huntingdon, who was herself the niece of King Malcolm IV of Scotland. Their marriage brought him lands and titles, but it appears to have been a happy one, as after John’s death, Devorguilla had his heart embalmed and kept it in a casket of ivory, bound with silver.  It is said that at meal times, food would be served as if John was present at the table, but would then be given as alms to the poor afterwards.  The casket containing her husband’s heart would travel with her for the rest of her life. She also founded Sweetheart Abbey, in memory of her husband. On her death she was laid to rest at the Abbey, and the casket containing her husband’s heart was buried alongside her. Their son was John Balliol.

John Balliol inherited Barnard Castle upon the death of his father, in 1268.  In 1290, Margaret, the Maid of Norway, was betrothed to Prince Edward of Caernarfon, the son of King Edward I of England.  King Edward I, who had just conquered Wales, was planning to marry his way into the control of Scotland. Margaret was in the care of her father, King Eric of Norway, who negotiated with King Edward I for his daughter’s hand.  The Scottish nobles could do nothing to stop the arrangements. In this agreement, Margaret was to be sent to England by the 1st of November 1290. King Edward’s plans collapsed when Margaret became ill on the journey, and only made it as far as Orkney. She died in September of 1290.  

After Margaret died, there were many competitors for the Crown of Scotland and those competitors put forward their claims. One of them was John Balliol. His claim to the throne came from being the great nephew of King Malcolm IV of Scotland.  He was also from a family loyal to the English Crown.

A commission of selected noblemen, headed by King Edward I of England, was appointed to choose the new King and Edward chose John Balliol, on the proviso that he accepted Edward as his Overlord. Of course, King Edward used his influence over John to meddle in Scottish affairs, and treated Scotland as a vassal state. This caused the Scottish nobility to depose John Balliol, and appoint the Council of Twelve to rule instead. In retaliation, King Edward invaded Scotland and the Wars of Independence began. John sided with the Scots, and refused English control until, after the Scottish defeat in 1296, Balliol surrendered and abdicated, for which was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was eventually released to live out the rest of his days on his estates in France, as his English lands were forfeited to the crown. 

In 1307, just before King Edward I died, he granted Barnard Castle to Guy de Beauchamp, the 2nd Earl of Warwick. The Beauchamp’s rarely stayed here, as their main lands were in the Midlands.  Guy was thought highly of by Edward I, who Knighted him in 1296. He later fought with him at the Battle of Falkirk. After Edward I died, he went on to serve his son, Edward II, and carried the ceremonial sword at his coronation. Edward II’s favourite courtier, Piers Gaveston and Guy de Beauchamp did not get along, with Gaveston giving Guy the nickname the ‘Black Dog of Arden’, which might not mean much to us today, but Guy was one of the nobles who fought with the King over Gaveston.  He was also one of the men who captured Gaveston, and took him back to Warwick Castle where, at nearby Blacklow hill, Gaveston was executed. Guy was never forgiven by the King, and although he was given a pardon, he was kept away from the Court. He died in 1315 and was succeeded by his son Thomas, who was only two years of age.  During his minority, the castle was controlled by the Crown.  

This brings in another story which I only have one source for, but that source is English Heritage, who are generally trustworthy, and although I cannot find it repeated anywhere, it is none the less interesting. The story tells us that during the minority of Thomas Beauchamp, when Barnard Castle was under Crown control, a man named John le Irreys was appointed to control Barnard Castle, and that during his appointment, he raided Bowes Castle and abducted the widowed Lady Matilda Clifford, bringing her back to Barnard Castle, where he raped her.  Edward II, on hearing of this, retaliated by sending an army to rescue the lady, and deprive le Irreys of his command.  Lady Matilda later married one of the knights who the king had sent to her rescue. This is a little past the date when it was common to abduct wealthy ladies, but it certainly could have happened.

Thomas Beauchamp came of age in 1330 and he held Barnard Castle until his death, in 1369.  He was succeeded by his son, also named Thomas. Thomas, the 12th Earl of Warwick, fought against the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndwr, and at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. During his lifetime, he requested permission from King Henry IV to transfer the ownership of Bernard Castle to his son, Richard Beauchamp, the 13th Earl of Warwick. 

Richard’s son Henry, 14th Earl of Warwick, inherited next. He was a childhood friend of Henry VI and held the castle until 1446, when he died without a male heir. His young daughter only lived a short time after his death, and this meant that the Earldom of Warwick was inherited by his sister, Anne Beauchamp, Countess of Warwick. Anne was a substantial heiress and she married Richard Neville, who became the 16th Earl of Warwick, but is better known to history as ‘The Kingmaker’, for his part in the Wars of the Roses.

Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, known as the ‘Kingmaker’ after the Wars of the Roses, was also the nephew of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, and the mother to King Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence, and Richard of Gloucester (later Richard III).  When Edward IV came to the throne in 1461, his younger brothers, George and Richard, were put in the household of the Earl of Warwick, for their studies and training as was common at the time.  This was an honour for the Earl, and showed the level of trust that Edward IV had placed in his cousin. George and Richard would have been between the ages of 10 and 14 at the time.  The Earl of Warwick also had two daughters, Isabel and Anne, who were just a few years younger than George and Richard.  It is safe to assume that the children would have all known each other. When Richard was 16 everything changed, the Earl of Warwick had fallen out with King Edward IV. George sided with Warwick and was married to his daughter Isabel, without the King’s permission while Richard stayed loyal to his brother, King Edward IV. Eventually, Anne was married to Edward of Lancaster, the son of the deposed King Henry VI of England. When Edward of Lancaster died at the Battle of Tewkesbury, Richard chose to marry Anne and was granted permission by Edward IV. George, Duke of Clarence, had reconciled with his brother, the King, and after many squabbles over the estates which belonged to the Earl of Warwick, it was finally decided that Richard and Anne would keep most of the northern estates, which included Barnard Castle.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and his wife Anne, continued to live in the north of England and moved between their estates. After Richard became King Richard III in 1483, he started making alterations to Barnard Castle. Although many of these were never realised, due to his death in 1485, it is assumed that the oriel window at Barnard Castle, with overlooks the river, was added in the 15th Century. The lintel above the window has a carving of a boar, which was his emblem, although the carving is very worn today. In total, five such carvings have been identified in the fabric of the castle.  Barnard Castle is the only one of Richard III’s castles where any such carvings have been found.

The castle grounds also had a fishpond and a dovecote, which was the privilege of the Lord of the Manor.  Both would provide an easy source of fresh meat throughout the winter. In 1600, it was written that: 

‘no man need ever have an ill provisioned house if there be but attached to it a dovecot, a warren and a fishpond wherein meat may be found as readily at hand as it were stored in a larder.’

The dovecote would have housed pigeons, which were not just used for their meat and eggs, as apparently pigeon poo was potent fertilizer, and was recommended for growing hops and barley. It was also used in tanning, to soften leather hides. The feathers and down would have been used to fill pillows and mattresses.  It was said that those who lived on pigeon feathers, would live to a good age.