Middleham Castle

Middleham Castle is one of my favourite places on Earth. Luckily, my family and I love Yorkshire so, although a long way from home, it is somewhere we visit regularly.

My fascination with Richard III began when I was about 8 years old. I found a copy of Paul Murray Kendall’s book on the bookshelf and was quite horrified that my dad should have a book about a man who (the majority of my historical knowledge had come from R J Unstead at this point) had murdered two little boys in the Tower of London. When I challenged him, dad said, ‘But he (Murray Kendall) doesn’t think he (Richard) did…’ and from that point, I was hooked.

Although there had been a castle on this site previously, in 1270 the new Middleham Castle came into the hands of the Neville family and the 16th Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville, became known to history as the ‘Kingmaker’, for the role he played in the Wars of the Roses. Following the death of Richard, Duke of York, at Wakefield in December 1460, his younger son, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III, came into Warwick's care, and lived at Middleham with Warwick’s family.

It was at Middleham that Richard learned how to be a knight and also where he met his future wife, Anne, Warwick’s younger daughter. Following Warwick's death at the Battle of Barnet in 1471 and Edward's restoration to the throne, Richard married Anne and they made Middleham their main home. This was where their son, Edward who became known as Edward of Middleham, was born some time between 1473 and 1476, and also died there in April 1484.

The castle is a glorious ruin, perfect for exploring with little ones or wandering at a more leisurely pace. Now managed by English Heritage, a statue of Richard stands in the bailey, close to the entrance. Having visited both before and after this made an appearance, I am never sure how I feel about it. Apparently, the sculptor, Linda Thompson, has tried to portray Richard as both the good king and the Shakespearian villain with a dragon-like creature- or possibly a basilisk- behind him, its tail curling over his right shoulder to form part of his collar.

A small museum by the entrance gives visitors plenty of fascinating information about the site, including an exact replica of the Middleham Jewel. In 1985, a metal detectorist searching on a path near Middleham Castle discovered a remarkable 15th-century jewelled pendant. The pendant is made of gold with a blue sapphire on one face. Both are carved with intricate Biblical scenes and the faces of saints and a panel on the reverse slides away to reveal an inner chamber. When this was opened, the inner chamber was found to hold small pieces of silk embroidered with gold thread, presumed to be holy cloth.

Whether interested in Richard III or not, Middleham Castle is a wonderful place to visit, with stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Middleham Castle,

Castle Hill,

Middleham,

North Yorkshire

DL8 4QG