The 12th century keep is 100 feet high

The castle walls and towers seen from the Keep

Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire, England, stands in a breathtaking position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county in 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 The River Swale is a River in Yorkshire, England and a major tributary of the River Ure, which itself becomes the River Ouse, emptying Richmond is a Market town on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire It was constructed in 1071 as part of the Norman Conquest of England and as a direct result of the slaughter of the Norman garrison at York in 1069 by English rebels. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.

William the Conqueror William of Normandy before he conquered England put down the 1069 rebellion in the "harrying of the North" and as a punishment divided out the lands of north Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages The Harrying (or Harrowing) of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror, in the winter of 1069 &ndash 1070 Alain Le Roux de Ponthievre of Brittany received the borough of Richmond for his part in the victory over King Harold at Hastings in 1066,^[1] and began constructing the castle to defend against further attacks from the north. Alain Le Roux (c 1040-1089 known in Latin as Alanus Rufus and in English as Alan the Red, was a probable companion of William the Conqueror in the Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice Harold Godwinson, (c 1022 &ndash 14 October 1066 also known as Harold II, is widely regarded as the last Anglo-Saxon King of England before the The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. The original castle had a French keep (Scolland's Hall) but this was superseded by a 100-foot-high keep constructed at the end of the 12th century by Conan the Little and completed by King Henry II. This keep, which has stood the test of time very well, was constructed on solid rock and has a very robust design with 11-foot-thick walls. It was built solely for military needs, as Scolland's Hall was retained for living quarters in the south part of the castle. Today's visitors can climb to the top of the keep for magnificent views of the town of Richmond.

At the same time that the new keep was built, Henry II considerably strengthened the castle by adding walls, towers and a barbican. A barbican (from medieval Latin barbecana, "outer fortification of a city or castle" a general Romanic word perhaps from Arabic or Richmond Castle has remained quite well-preserved over the centuries because it never saw any serious military conflict and because it was built almost entirely of stone, locally abundant.

The castle gradually fell into decay over the centuries. However, it became the headquarters of the North Yorkshire Militia in 1855, with a military barracks constructed in the great court yard. Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Barracks are living quarters for personnel on a Military post The castle was used extensively during the First World War, primarily as the base of the Non-Combat Corps made up of conscientious objectors. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All A conscientious objector (CO is an individual who on religious moral or ethical grounds refuses to participate as a combatant in war or in some cases to take any role that would support The barracks in the great court yard were destroyed in 1935 but the castle was still used by the army in the Second World War. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

Today the castle is looked after by English Heritage. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of

References

External links

• Richmond Online website - plan of the castle layout and more photographs and information