Brough Castle
Encyclopedia
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the village of Brough, Cumbria
Brough, Cumbria
Brough, sometimes known as Brough under Stainmore, is a village and civil parish in the Eden district of Cumbria, England, on the western fringe of the Pennines near Stainmore. The village is on the A66 trans-Pennine road, and the Swindale Beck, and is about south east of Appleby-in-Westmorland...
, England. It is currently administered by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. The Castle consists of a large mound, on which there is an extensive range of buildings, with a circular corner tower, and the remnants of an older four storey keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
.
Verterae
Brough was the site of the RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
fort
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
of Verterae or Verteris. Verterae was built to control the lands of the Brigantes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
and guard the Roman road linking Carlisle with Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
(the modern A66
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...
. The Roman fort covered a much larger area than the present castle and is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
The Early Castle
The first castle was built by William Rufus in the 1090s, as a stone motte and bailey in the north part of the former fort. One of the first stone castles to be built in Britain, the walls show the herringbone pattern typical of Norman architectureNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. Brough Castle first came under serious attack in 1174, during a raid on England by the Scottish king William the Lion
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
, in support of the Revolt of 1173–1174. The castle's defenders eventually surrendered when William burned it down, destroying all but the base of the keep.
The current keep dates from the 1180s, when Theobald de Valoignes rebuilt the remains of the castle. King John gave the castle to Robert de Vieuxpont
Robert de Vieuxpont
Robert de Vieuxpont or Robert de Veteriponte was an Anglo-Norman landowner and administrator in the north of England.He was born the younger son of William de Vieuxpont and his wife Maud de Morville....
in 1203, and he continued to refortify, constructing an upper hall over the courtyard.
The Cliffords
Baron de Clifford
Baron de Clifford is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1299 for Robert de Clifford. The title was created by writ, which means that it can descend through both male and female lines. The de Clifford family settled in England after the Norman conquest and were a notable family in...
, who also owned Brougham Castle
Brougham Castle
Brougham Castle is a medieval building about south-east of Penrith, Cumbria, England. It is a Scheduled Monument and open to the public. Founded by Robert de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century on the site of a Roman fort, it sits near the confluence of the rivers Eamont and Lowther...
in the area. Robert Clifford began to enlarge and improve the castle, building the circular tower at the south east corner, known as Clifford's Tower, around 1300. A new upper hall, and associated chambers, was built by his grandson Roger
Roger de Clifford, 5th Baron de Clifford
Roger de Clifford, 5th Baron de Clifford, ninth Lord Clifford, fifth Baron of Westmoreland , was the son of Robert de Clifford, 3rd Baron de Clifford , second son of Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford , the founder of the northern branch of the family. His mother was Isabella Roger de...
around 1350. The Cliffords lived here until Christmas 1521, when fire again destroyed the castle.
After lying derelict for nearly 140 years, Lady Anne Clifford
Lady Anne Clifford
Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford was the only surviving child of George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland by his wife Lady Margaret Russell, daughter of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford...
began a programme of repairs and rebuilding at Brough in 1659. A stone plaque commemorating her efforts was erected in 1663. She spent considerable periods of time here, but after her death in 1676 the castle ceased to be occupied.
Decline
Following the death of Anne Clifford, the castle passed to the earls of ThanetEarl of Thanet
Earl of the Isle of Thanet, in practice shortened to Earl of Thanet, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Nicholas Tufton, 1st Baron Tufton. He had already succeeded as second Baronet of Hothfield in 1631 and been created Baron Tufton, of Tufton in the County of Sussex,...
, who made their home at Appleby Castle
Appleby Castle
Appleby Castle is in the town of Appleby, Cumbria overlooking the River Eden . It consists of a 12th-century castle keep which is known as Caesar's tower, and a mansion house. These, together with their associated buildings, are set in a courtyard surrounded by curtain walls...
in Appleby-in-Westmorland
Appleby-in-Westmorland
Appleby-in-Westmorland is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, in North West England. It is situated within a loop of the River Eden and has a population of approximately 2,500. It is in the historic county of Westmorland, of which it was the county town. The town's name was simply Appleby, until...
. Brough castle began to decline accordingly. A sale was held in 1715, raising £55 from the auctioning of the roof and fittings. Much of the stone was plundered, mostly in 1763 when Brough mill was built. Even the commemorative plaque was reused, under the water-wheel.
An engraving of 1739 by the Buck Brothers
Samuel and Nathaniel Buck
Samuel and Nathaniel Buck were brothers who lived in England in the 18th century and were engravers and printmakers. Samuel did much work on his own but, when the brothers worked together, they were usually known as the Buck Brothers. More is known about Samuel than about Nathaniel.Samuel Buck...
shows Brough Castle still standing, but by the time it came under the protection of the Ministry of Works in 1920, it was only just saved from total collapse. It is now cared for by English Heritage.