Dunstanburgh Castle lies on a spectacular headland on the coast of Northumberland in northern England, between the villages of Craster and Embleton (grid reference NU258220). Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Craster is a small Fishing Village on the Northumbrian coast of England. Embleton Village ( in the English county of Northumberland is about half-a-mile from the beautiful bay which carries its name The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude
The castle is the largest in Northumberland[1] and the site shows traces of much earlier occupation before the erection of the castle was started in 1313 by the Earl of Lancaster[2]. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The title of Earl of Lancaster was created in the Peerage of England in 1267, merging in the crown in 1399.
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History
Recent evidence suggests that the site of the castle was occupied in prehistoric times: however, the principal remains date from the 14th century. In 1313, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, cousin of Edward II of England began construction of a massive fortress. For the play see Edward II (play. For the film see Edward II (film. By the time of his execution in 1322, the castle was substantially complete. John of Gaunt improved the castle in the late 14th century as the Duke of Lancaster. John of Gaunt 1st Duke of Lancaster (second creation 1st Duke of Aquitaine (6 March 1340 &ndash 3 February 1399 was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the third There were several Dukes of Lancaster in the 14th and early 15th Centuries
The castle did not play a significant part in the border warfare against Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In the Wars of the Roses the castle was held for the Lancastrians in 1462 and 1464. The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485 were a series of dynastic Civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York The House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. The damage done was not made good and the castle fell steadily into decay. A report in 1538 mentioned it as being a "very reuynus howsse and of smalle strength" and another source in 1550 described it as in "wonderfull great decaye". It continued to deteriorate and was robbed of stone for the building of other places in the area.
The castle is now owned by the National Trust and in the care of English Heritage. The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organization in England, Wales English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building. In the United Kingdom, a Scheduled Monument is a 'nationally important' Archaeological site or historic building given protection against unauthorised change A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance It lies within the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Northumberland Coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB covering 39 miles of coastline from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to the River Coquet
Turner painted Dunstanburgh many times, usually rising at dawn to do so. Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and
Description
The castle occupies a prominent headland about one mile north of Craster. On the south side there is a gentle slope towards the castle. The northerly approach is much steeper and the northern perimeter juts into Embleton Bay forming a 150-foot cliff. The headland itself is part of the Great Whin Sill, a geological formation stretching across Northumberland. Whin Sill is a tabular layer of Igneous rock or sill, in County Durham and Northumberland, in the Northeast of England.
There are signs of medieval rig-and-furrow on the slopes near to the castle - possible evidence of subsistence farming for the castle inhabitants. Rig and furrow was a type of cultivation practised in upland areas of the British Isles which differs slightly from the more common Ridge and furrow in that it appears
Aug2005.jpg/300px-DunstanburghCastle(ChrisMcLean)Aug2005.jpg)
The present castle encloses the entire 4. 5 hectare headland. The southern approach is protected by a long enceinte wall punctuated by two rectangular towers (the Constable and Egyncleugh towers), two turrets and a large twin-towered gatehouse at the western corner. From the gatehouse, the wall carries northward along the hilltop to a rectangular turreted watch tower, known as the Lilburn Tower.
The twin-towered gatehouse served as the principal residential block of the castle. Under John of Gaunt, the gateway was blocked, and the entrance to the castle carried around to the left via a mantlet wall and tower, rendering the gatehouse a more secure traditional keep. A keep is a strong central Tower which is used as a dungeon or a fortress The area at the rear of the twin-towered gatehouse was enclosed in a courtyard by walls and a tower to form an inner ward, with access on the east side.
Composed of two tall D-shaped towers, the gatehouse-keep is a masterpiece of 14th century castle design. Each tower was of four stories, and was originally capped by four turrets about 80 feet (24 m) above ground level. The long gate passage was protected by gates at each end and two soldiers' barracks line the passage at ground level. On the first floor the gatehouse was divided into three rooms, with the central one controlling the portcullis mechanism. A portcullis is a latticed Grille or Gate made of wood metal or a combination of the two On the second floor above ground level there was a large room running across the entire width of the gatehouse, comprising a hall and chambers. The arrangements of the other stories and above have not survived.
The castle has a very high standard of masonry, comfort and design, and was likely intended to house Earl Thomas and his entire retinue. Well-lit residential chambers furnished with fireplaces may be found in the Lilburn and Constable towers as well as in the gatehouse. The large, apparently unused land in the middle of the castle may have served as a billeting area for troops.
Recent evidence suggests that there may have been an additional defensive enceinte of the castle, enclosing the low flat land around the foot of the main fort. Evidence has been found of a wall originating on the north near the Lilburn tower and extending around, anticlockwise, to the coastline on the east, where there may have been a medieval port.
References
- English Heritage (1993). Dunstanburgh Castle - Guide. London: English Heritage, 36 pp. ISBN 1 85074 350 9.
- (Albion Press, 2002) Glen Lyndon Dodds, Historic Sites of Northumberland & Newcastle upon Tyne, pp 79-84
External links
- Visit Northumberland - The Official Visitor Site for Northumberland from Northumberland Tourism
- Dunstanburgh Castle information at the National Trust
- Dunstanburgh Castle information at English Heritage
- CastleXplorer Dunstanburgh page
- Archaeologists Unlock Hidden Past of Dunstanburgh
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