Dunstanburgh Castle - Dunstanburgh, Northumberland (EH)
This dramatic ruin standing overlooking the sea was the work initially of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (c1278-1322). In 1313 he commenced building on the grand scale, and in the latest style. His reasons for wanting such a large castle were partly defensive - the Scots were making raids south over his land around Embleton and thus endangering his income - but also, it was a politically driven desire for a powerful base for this leader of the Barons. Unlike many other castles of his time, there had been no previous fortification here, so Thomas was free to make of the headland a highly impressive defensive statement of power.
His involvement in the death of his cousin King Edward II's lover, Piers Gavaston, had resulted in a tension which never entirely dissipated, and although the King granted official approval for the castle's construction in 1315, and also gave Thomas command over his forces in the north, relations remained strained between the two richest men in the kingdom.
This dramatic ruin overlooking the sea was the work of Thomas,
Earl of Lancaster
One approach to the castle today takes you on a walk across the fields it once protected, passing underneath the massive Lilburn Tower, once both look-out post and residence for soldiers. The entrance is through the Gatehouse, which when complete must have been a potent symbol of Thomas' power and wealth. At the front are two massive D-shaped projections, with four floors originally, topped by a parapet-walk and two turrets, high enough to see Warkworth Castle, about ten miles away.
Originally there was a fore-building in front of the Gatehouse, making entrance even harder for any attacker. As you enter through the archway, some mason's marks can be seen on the ribs of the vault. Some identical marks can be seen at Alnwick Castle, the same mason working on both buildings. You can also see the grooves for the portcullis. The rooms inside the Gatehouse reveal its primary function of defence. On the first floor you can see where the portcullis was raised from, and also two holes in the floor at the front, from which to observe and fire missiles at the enemy, and also to pour water should they have set fire to the wooden gates below. Looking across to the west tower, you can see the shoulder-headed door from which the parapet crossed over the entrance. The quality of the stonework is as high up here as down below; the corbels supporting the turret show the clever construction of the gatehouse.
The entrance is through the Gatehouse, a potent symbol of Thomas'
power and wealth.
Lilburn Tower, at the opposite end of the enclosure from Thomas' gatehouse, was probably completed by Thomas' retainer, John de Lilleburn, who took over as keeper of the castle in 1323, a year after Thomas' final rebellion and execution. Principally a watchtower, this building had turrets about 60ft from the ground and was used as a residence as well.
Thomas' heir, his nephew Henry, died in 1361, and the title and estates passed to the famous John of Gaunt on his marriage to Henry's only child Blanche. When the bad relations in the north deteriorated into war in 1384, the lords of the north had already set their defences in order, including John of Gaunt's castle at Dunstanburgh. As well as general repairs and maintenance, he had built two new gatehouses and an enclosing wall. Little now remains of the buildings of this period, once a barbican, portcullis, spiral staircase, postern and apparatus for the bridge. As early as 1431 the gatehouse is reported to be on the point of collapse. John's plan was for a more conventional castle layout, with an inner and outer courtyard, dominated by Thomas' original gatehouse now used like a keep.
Lilburn Tower
There are remains of other parts of the castle, the surrounding wall to keep the Scots out and the livestock in, and parts of the residences built in John of Gaunt's time, although many of the interior buildings would have been wooden, leaving no trace on the surface. Egyncleugh Tower, possibly built or substantially repaired sometime around 1450, gave access by drawbridge over a moat in front of it, to the coast and port to the south. Two of Henry VIII's fleet sheltered at Dunstanburgh in 1514. Further along the curtain wall is the Constable's Tower, a high quality residence befitting the importance of the keeper of the castle in the absence of the lord. Both the first and second floor rooms have fireplaces, and a fine south-facing window has double lights and window seats.
Dunstanburgh came into the hands of the crown when Henry IV, John of Gaunt's son, usurped the throne. During the Wars of the Roses, it was besieged, although not attacked in 1462, and after eating their horses, the garrison, under the command of Sir Ralph Percy, were starved into surrender.
The state of the castle today is the result of Yorkist slighting after the siege, some shoddy building, years of neglect and bad weather and the removal of stone and lead for building elsewhere. As early as 1538 only the original gatehouse was inhabited. When the crowns of England and Scotland were united in James I and VI, the castle's defensive purpose and ability had long been out of use. It was sold and successive owners battled with the continuing decay. In 1929 it was given into the guardianship of H M Office of Works, later English Heritage. During the Second World War, it unexpectedly saw military use again briefly; a small Royal Armoured Corps detachment was installed in the ruins and mines laid along the shore.