Brougham Castle, North West England

Brougham Castle has much in common with Brough Castle. They are not far from each other, and both were built on sites of former Roman forts. Brougham’s site was known to the Romans as Brocavum. They were both owned by the same family, but as Brougham is the younger, it was built by Robert de Vieuxpont, who obtained the lands in 1214. The site was important for it's location next to the River Eamont. The keep originally had a wooden palisade surrounding it. In 1300, Edward I stayed at Brougham during his travels to Scotland. In the 1380’s, Roger Clifford further enhanced the castle by adding a new hall. This was one of the last alterations.

In 1388, James, the 2nd Earl of Douglas, led the Scots in an attack on northern England. One part of the force advanced and were confronted by Henry Percy, the 2nd Earl of Northumberland, nicknamed Harry Hotspur.  This encounter became known as the Battle of Otterburn, where the Earl of Douglas was killed.  A second force raided to the west, and Brougham Castle was briefly captured and damaged by the Scots. Although restored in the early 15th Century, by the time of the English Civil War it was falling into disrepair.  Brougham was then rescued and restored by Lady Anne Clifford. She died at Brougham in 1676, in the same room where her father had been born. She was the last to love Brougham, and after her death the castle slowly became a ruin.