Venue Type & Location
Overview
Situated not far S of the medieval route across the fells to York, the castle stood on high ground to the W of the River Eden, with Hartley Beck and Ladthwaite Beck winding round.
Nothing survives of the medieval residence apart from the earthworks and part of the vaulted cellar to the former kitchen.
Performance History
A probable performance venue. No Musgrave household records survive but a minstrel under Sir Richard de Musgrave's patronage performed at York in the mid-15th c.
Current Status
History of the Venue
1353 Sir Thomas de Musgrave, who had purchased the manor from Randolf de Neville, 1st Baron Neville (of Raby), received a licence to crenellate. Fortified stone tower built.
ca. 1600 Sir Richard Musgrave enlarged the medieval residence with wings on a quadrangular plan.
ca. 1650 Further additions made.
1677 Musgrave family abandoned Hartley for their residence at Eden Hall. The castle became ruinous.
early 18th c. Demolished by Sir Christopher Musgrave (d 1735) and replaced by 'a nondescript Georgian house' (Woodhouse, 'Smythson Revisited' 38).
Record Source
REED York 1.67
Patrons who owned this venue
| Name | Date | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Musgrave, Richard de | 0-1464 | Knight |
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
- Department of the Environment. List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Np: Npub, nd
- 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
- Machell, Thomas. Manuscripts of the Reverend Thomas Machell, vicar of Kirkby Thore (d 1698). 5 vols. Np: npub, nd
- 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
- Woodhouse, Adrian. 'Smythson Revisited.'. Country Life 185 (26 Dec. 1991): 36--9.