Friday 20 April 2012

R is for Raby Castle, County Durham

The castle was built by John Nevill, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby about 100 years after they were called to Parliament as Barons of Raby, construction was completed by 1390.

Raby Castle from the south

Cecily Nevill, who was the mother of the Kings Edward IV (1442 – 1483) and Richard III (1452 – 1485), was born here.  Both brothers ruled during this turbulent period of history.


Richard’s defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses and is sometimes regarded as the end of the Middle Ages in England.  He is the subject of the eponymous play by Shakespeare.


Raby Castle set in its landscape  painted by
J.M.W. Turner at the beginning of  the 19th century
Over the next 170 years the Nevills became one of the powerful families in northern England, comparable to the House of Percy. 


The Nevills were Catholic and were leaders in the failed Rising of the North in 1569 against England’s Protestant Queen Elizabeth I.  The Nevills forfeited their lands to the Crown.


Treasures at Raby
Raby Castle was purchased by the Barnards in 1626, who also own the now ruined Barnard Castle nearby.  It is the home and seat of John Vane, 11th Baron Bernard, who is the present lord of the castle.

The Castle is known for its GREAT hall in which some 700 knights mustered for the failed uprising ...


Restored Medieval Kitchen

Every room in Raby, from the magnificent Barons’ Hall, where the knights gathered to plot the ‘Rising of the North’, to the medieval kitchen which was used until 1954, gives an insight into life throughout the ages.


Behind the powerful exterior of the towers and fortifications, Raby has splendid interiors and houses a fantastic art collection. 



Treasures include an important collection of Meissen porcelain, tapestries, furnishings and paintings by leading artists such as Munnings, De Hooch, Teniers, Van Dyck and Reynolds.



Then there is the Coach House containing 18th and 19th century coaches and carriages to look and marvel at, as well as the excellent display of harnesses and trappings in the Tack Room.


That is R for Raby Castle one of the finest medieval Castles in England, built in the beautiful countryside of Teesdale ... part of the ABC series Aspects of British Castles.


Bob Scotney’s castle yesterday was Quatford Castle, Shropshire



Some of the pictures came from the Raby Castle website; the main artworks are listed in the Wikipedia site, while information on the statue "The Greek Slave" by the American sculptor, Hiram Powers in 1844, has its own Wiki site - and I was going to post .. but forgot!

Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

39 comments:

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Having never been to County Durham this has shown me yet another wonderful English Castle.
Thanks Hilary, hope the weather is warmer where you are,

Yvonne.

Amanda Heitler said...

Not my castle, but a very near neighbour to it :) Raby is a lovely place to visit and I know it well.

Arthur Brill said...

What a fantastic series! One of my favorite new blogs I"ve some across!

It ties into my post for today. R is for Role Playing Games

http://mainstreetarts.blogspot.com/2012/04/role-playing-games.html

I've spent many hours "designing" castles!

Lynn said...

One can just imagine the knights' uprising at that castle. :)

Bob Scotney said...

Hi Hilary. I'm ashamed to say thatI have never been to Raby despite it being within easy reach of where we live. Being different again is giving me a list of places to go. I knew of the Nevilles of course, but it's the Percys that have appeared in a number of my castle posts. Well done again.

Paula Martin said...

Went to Raby once - on a day when it was closed, so only got to see the outside. One day I may get back there again.

Adura Ojo said...

I've never been to County Durham but hope to do so one day. Raby would be on my mind, having read your post - I'm sure. There's a wealth of information on your blog, Hilary, and some fantastic pictures too. Hope you got my email.

Chase March said...

Hi Hilary,

Hard to believe we're at "R" already. This is a great series and one that I've sent a few teachers towards that are covering medieval times. I even bookmarked it on my Pinterest page :)

I've heard of the War of the Roses but I thought it was a novel (work of fiction.) Guess I need to find out more about it.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Yvonne .. I haven't been sightseeing in County Durham - a place to go to I think. Yes - today is a little warmer.

@ Amanda - I didn't think it was your castle - are you Richmond? Good to have a first-hand account that Raby is lovely to visit .. thanks!

@ Arthur - good to meet you - and thank you very much. Oh good I might use your expertise for some ideas I have on XYZ .. I'll be across to see you shortly ...

@ Lynn - 700 knights in full armour .. would be a daunting sight - then they lost after all that - actually I'm quite glad they did - history would be very different otherwise.

@ Bob - yes I was glad to see we'd managed to do different ones - tomorrow's will be interesting ...

The interesting this is that the Raby website calls them Nevills (without the E), while Wikipedia uses the E .. so I went without the E from their site, except for the French version of Baron Neville de Raby ..

The Percy's are all over the place - as too the Nevills .. and I've noticed your take on history is better than mine - I get flummoxed with all the wars etc

@ Paula - oh I am sorry - going to things when they're closed is totally frustrating .. time for another visit sometime? The outside looks impressive - but I imagine you couldn't wander round either ...

@ Adura - good to meet you (after our meet up on Denise's blog where she's highlighting fellow bloggers childhoods - fascinating read about Nigeria) ...

Many thanks about the blog - yes we've sorted emails out and all is well now!

@ Chase - many thanks for directing some teachers over .. crumbs - thank you re Pinterist - I know nothing about pinning .. so have sort of steered clear for now!

The Wars of the Roses - there's a comprehensive article in Wikipedia - it looks quite good .. so you could read that to start with! So could I ....

Cheers everyone - thank you so much for coming over - it's lovely seeing you all .. have good weekends - though I'll see you tomorrow .. Hilary

Diane said...

Another great post. I have never been anywhere in that direction at all. So this was interesting and something completely new to me. Diane

T. Powell Coltrin said...

ooh love the coach house. The 700 Knights uprising failed... caught my eye. How can 700 Knights fail or an uprise fail because of them. Sorry, I'm still asleep.

Teresa

Jo said...

Hubby was born in Co. Durham, but sadly doesn't remember Raby. He came south at 2 yrs. That is supposed to be a lovely area and the castle is very interesting. Thanks for sharing Hilary. Only 7 more to go.

writing and living by Richard P Hughes said...

Interesting history.

Unknown said...

I have commented before about this, but I LOVE this whole series you are writing!!! :)

Inger said...

I was always sort of fond of Richard III, Shakespeare's version. And I have recently read about the northern uprising, so a very interesting post for me.

Tara Tyler said...

it must be amazing and inspiring to be surrounded by so much history!

i was married at a renovated coach house =)

Suze said...

Had to pop over and see if you had profiled Amanda's castle. :)

Amanda Heitler said...

Mine is Richmond :)

Heather Murphy said...

I love the interesting history of this one! I can't imagine a building that has seen as much as this one has!

Tracy said...

You know, I just can't even imagine living in anything that spectacular! ReallY? people actually lived in those things? wow!

Bish Denham said...

I love taking these tours with you and Bob Scotney. I'm learning so much!

Unknown said...

It's like a battle station! Cool pics. WOuld love to see it someday.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Diane .. I've been through and had a lovely holiday with my father at Arundel - the Duke of Percy's castle ..but this looks as though I really should stop here next time.

@ Teresa - Isn't the coach house special with its exhibition of coaches, carriages, tack etc ..

The Rising of the North was the failed uprising by the Catholics (supporting Mary Queen of Scots) against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I - which due to better preparation, more men, and the support of Royalty ensuring that Queen of England would reign supreme and not be usurped. So 700 catholic supporting knights could and did fail ...

@ Jo - I've driven through and the area is stunning .. glad you're enjoying my castling journey ..

@ Richard - many thanks ..

@ Melody-Mae - really appreciate your comment .. thank you!

@ Inger - I'm sure you could enlighten us on the northern uprising?! I'd better drum up my knowledge .. glad you enjoyed the post though - thank you.

@ Tara - we can easily 'ignore' it - not intentionally, but I think the Brits quite often forget.

Lucky you to be married in a renovated coach house - the setting must be stunning .. and you'll have very happy memories of the day.

@ Suze - thankfully Amanda came over to enlighten us - her castle is Richmond (I thought it was - but couldn't quite remember!).

@ Amanda - thanks for reminding me!!

@ Heather - I think all the castles have had as much action - I haven't 'buried' us in history - but highlighted various aspects! I didn't want anyone getting bored!!

@ Tracy - yes in 'them' days - whole settlements would have lived within the castle and its compounds, while there would have been supporting settlements just outside the walls. So it wasn't just one family - they might have had the pick of the rooms ... and even now the Castle will support many - as Windsor does .. it has 500 live in workers even now.

@ Bish - delighted you're visiting both of us - thanks so much ..

@ Clarissa - it would have been on the day those knights mustered! Great - we'd love to have you visit ..

Many thanks everyone - so wonderful to get all your interesting and appreciative comments .. cheers Hilary

Denise Covey said...

Hi Hilary. Just finished reading Windsor as well. Both so interesting. Such treasures in these old walls.

Denise

Anonymous said...

I LOVE that coach house! But I love everything here. This is an AMAZING castle. Lords of the castle -- so romantic. Such treasures, as Denise says, and such beautiful flowers in the last photograph.
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror & Other Memoirs

Lynn Proctor said...

wonderful castle--i would be interested in the art gallery especially all of the tapestries

Chuck said...

What a history there is in that castle. How great it would be to go back in time and just experience the vibe of this place.

~Sia McKye~ said...

What a sight to see. The castle seems to spring forth from the water and stand stalwart.

I love the last picture.

Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Denise - great to see you .. and you are so right .. so much treasure and history in these old walls.

@ Ann - isn't the Coach House great .. it does look a fascinating Castle as so much has been saved and restored. A place to visit I think.

@ Lynn - good to see you .. the art, tapestries and sculptures look to be special - views to behold.

@ Chuck - that I can imagine would be a magnificent experience .. to see the hustle and bustle and how it all worked.

@ Sia - the walled garden looks lovely doesn't it with its cottage plants and border planting. While the Castle rises magnificently from the landscape - almost floating on the moat and lake ...

Thank you so much everyone - lovely to see you .. now for some catching up .. cheers Hilary

Juliet said...

700 knights in one hall! You certainly convey the scale of this castle. Thank you Hilary.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Juliet - it sort of boggles the mind doesn't it - all that armour, swords etc and testosterone! Cheers Hilary

Anonymous said...

Hi Hilary! That's quite a castle. Is it completely surrounded by water? I couldn't tell by looking at the picture.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Almost 700 years old ... it's mind-boggling.

Nick Wilford said...

What an interesting looking place, I thought I was a history buff but I didn't know about the Rising of the North. Thanks for the lesson!

Glynis Peters said...

I never did get to visit this castle while visiting family there. Shame.

Sandra Tyler said...

that map's pretty impressive.

Robyn Campbell said...

I finally made here, Hilary. Forgive my absence. I can imagine the Knights standing in the Great Hall. And in the Baron's Hall where they gathered to plot. I can see all of this in my minds eye. :-)

Love these tours.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I've been to this one. :)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Susanne - yes it's a moat .. a protection against invaders.

@ Joylene - and it's not the oldest - there was plenty of castle building going on!

@ Nick - history isn't (wasn't!!) my strongest subject - so I've been stretched a little ..

Glad you appreciated the Rising of the North part ..

@ Glynis - it does look a shame - as it looks wonderful now.

@ Sandra - Turner's paintings were iconic - so I'm glad you enjoyed the photo of it.

@ Robyn - me too .. I'm way behind (again). Delighted my post brings the Knights' gathering to life .. the swords, armour jangling .. with tankards, meat and bread to succour .. and big warming fires .. must have been a sight to see ..

@ Sharon - ah ah - the well travelled American - thought you might have visited here .. must be lovely.

Cheers everyone .. and thanks so much for visiting and commenting .. Hilary