Venue Type & Location
Overview
A handsome castle on a steep bluff overlooking the town of Appleby in the heart of the Eden Valley. Located on the main medieval road running NW from York to Carlisle.
The keep of the medieval sandstone rubble castle, along with the E gate and moats, which indicate an inner and 2 outer baileys, remains. The River Eden formed part of the defences, curving around the N and E sides.
Performance History
A possible performance venue. No medieval household records survive to prove that minstrels patronized by Thomas, 8th Baron Clifford, performed at home as well as elsewhere in the N in the 15th c.
Current Status
History of the Venue
ca. 1170 Square stone keep known as Caesar's Tower built, replacing early 12th c. motte and bailey castle
1268 Castle passed to Roger de Clifford via marriage to Isabel de Vipont.
14th c. Red sandstone hall block built at the E end within the bailey, incorporating 13th c. round tower and other remains.
ca. 1418 Gatehouse built by John, 7th Baron Clifford.
1454 Decaying hall block, the chapel, NE and SE towers rebuilt by Thomas de Clifford.
1539 Castle described by John Leland as ruinous.
1569 Roofs destroyed during the Northern Rebellion, leaving the castle uninhabitable.
1648 Castle taken by parliamentary forces and dismantled.
1651--3 Keep restored by Lady Anne Clifford. Stables and bee-house built.
1676 Inherited by Lady Anne's grandson Nicholas Tufton, 3rd Earl of Thanet.
1686--8 E range rebuilt by the 6th Earl of Thanet as a mansion in the classical style using stone from Brougham Castle.
1695 NW range added using stones from Brough Castle.
ca. 1784 4 turrets with lanterns added to the keep, Gothic S tower of E range added.
19th c. Further restoration.
1963 Sold by the descendants of the Tufton family.
Late 20th c. Converted into offices by Ferguson Industrial Holdings Ltd.
Record Source
REED York 1.66--7, 69, 71
Patrons who owned this venue
| Name | Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Clifford, Thomas de | 1414-1455 | Baron Clifford |
Bibliographic Sources
- Buck, Samuel, and Nathaniel Buck. [A Collection of Engravings of the Castles, Abbeys, and Towns in England and Wales]. 5 vols. London: The authors, 1726--52
- Curwen, John F. The Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North-of-the-Sands. Kendal: Titus Wilson, 1913
- Ferguson, R.S. 'The Earthworks and Keep, Appleby Castle.'. Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society os 8 (1885): 382--95.
- King, David J. Cathcart. Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. 2 vols. Millwood, NY, London and Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus International Publications, 1983
- Leland, John. The Itinerary of John Leland in or about the Years 1535–1543. 5 vols. London: Centaur, 1964
- Mackenzie, James D. The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure. 2 vols. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1896
- Perriam, D.R., and J. Robinson. The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria:
An Illustrated Gazetteer and Research Guide. Kendal: Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, 1998 29: - Pettifer, Adrian. English Castles: A Guide by Counties. Woodbridge: The Boydell P, 1995
- Pevsner, Nikolaus. Cumberland and Westmorland. Harmondsworth, Midd: Penguin Books, 1967
- Robinson, John Martin. A Guide to the Country Houses of the North West. London: Constable, 1991
- Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England. An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Westmorland. London: HMSO, 1936
- Simpson, Rev. Dr. 'Appleby Castle.'. Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society os 1 (1874): 242--54.
- Simpson, W. Douglas. 'The Town and Castle of Appleby: A Morphological Study.'. Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society ns 49 (1948): 125--33.
- Somerset Fry, Plantagenet. Castles of the British Isles. New York: Dorset P, 1990