Edlingham Castle
Encyclopedia
Edlingham Castle is a small castle
ruin, having Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building status, in the care of English Heritage
, in a valley to the west of Alnwick
, Northumberland
, England. Edlingham
itself is little more than a hamlet with a church alongside the castle.
The ruins are mostly laid low though much of the solar
tower still stands despite an impressive crack running several stories down to ground level. The foundations and part of the walls of the hall house, gatehouse
, barbican
and other courtyard buildings are still visible, most dating from the 16th century.
The castle - more properly a fortified manor house
typical of many medieval
houses in the North of England
- guards one of the few approaches to Alnwick
through the hills to its west. Its fortifications were increased in response to the border warfare
which raged between England and Scotland
in the period from about 1300 to 1600.
By 1174, a manor house at the location was in the possession of a John of Edlingham. In 1294, a descendant, Walter of Edlingham sold it to William de Felton, who strengthened it by building strong ramparts and a gatehouse, fortifying the main hall and adding other buildings inside a courtyard. In 1396 Elizabeth de Felton inherited it, marrying Sir Edmund Hastings, who added a strong solar tower. Their descendants occupied the castle and estate until 1514; it was then it was purchased by George Swinburne; a constable of Prudhoe, whose family held it until the 18th century.
During this time it gradually fell into disrepair, with most of the buildings dismantled to build nearby farmhouses in the 1660s, but leaving the solar tower intact. In 1978 the Department for the Environment
acquired the site and conducted extensive archaeological
excavations, prior to which rubble filled the solar tower to a height of three metres.
The site is now in the care of English Heritage
and is easily accessible from the nearby church of St John the Baptist, Edlingham
. There is an interpretation board on-site, while more detailed leaflets are available from the church for a small donation.
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...
ruin, having Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building status, in the care of 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...
, in a valley to the west of Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England. Edlingham
Edlingham
Edlingham is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland in the north of England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 196. The road to Alnwick passes close by the village and the town of Rothbury is about away....
itself is little more than a hamlet with a church alongside the castle.
The ruins are mostly laid low though much of the solar
Solar (room)
The solar was a room in many English and French medieval manor houses, great houses and castles, generally situated on an upper storey, designed as the family's private living and sleeping quarters...
tower still stands despite an impressive crack running several stories down to ground level. The foundations and part of the walls of the hall house, gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
, barbican
Barbican
A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from medieval Latin barbecana, signifying the "outer fortification of a city or castle," with cognates in the Romance languages A barbican, from...
and other courtyard buildings are still visible, most dating from the 16th century.
The castle - more properly a fortified manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
typical of many medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
houses in the North of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
- guards one of the few approaches to Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
through the hills to its west. Its fortifications were increased in response to the border warfare
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
which raged between England and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the period from about 1300 to 1600.
History
During this time it gradually fell into disrepair, with most of the buildings dismantled to build nearby farmhouses in the 1660s, but leaving the solar tower intact. In 1978 the Department for the Environment
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
acquired the site and conducted extensive archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
excavations, prior to which rubble filled the solar tower to a height of three metres.
The site is now in the care of 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...
and is easily accessible from the nearby church of St John the Baptist, Edlingham
St John the Baptist, Edlingham
St. John the Baptist Church is a Mediaeval Church in Edlingham, Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The church is mostly 11th century, however the remarkable defensible tower is a 14th-century addition...
. There is an interpretation board on-site, while more detailed leaflets are available from the church for a small donation.
See also
- EdlinghamEdlinghamEdlingham is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland in the north of England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 196. The road to Alnwick passes close by the village and the town of Rothbury is about away....
- St John the Baptist, EdlinghamSt John the Baptist, EdlinghamSt. John the Baptist Church is a Mediaeval Church in Edlingham, Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The church is mostly 11th century, however the remarkable defensible tower is a 14th-century addition...
- HMS EdlinghamHMS EdlinghamHMS Edlingham was one of 93 ships of the of inshore minesweepers.Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Edlingham in Northumberland.-References:...
, a Ham class minesweeperHam class minesweeperThe Ham class was a class of inshore minesweepers , known as the Type 1, of the British Royal Navy. The class was designed to operate in the shallow water of rivers and estuaries. It took its name from the fact that all the ship names were British place names ending in -"ham"...
, named after the village.