Middleham Castle
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Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, was built by Robert Fitz Ralph "Ralph De Glanville" 3rd Lord Of Middleham & Spennithorne in 1190, near the site of an earlier motte and bailey castle. In 1270 it came into the hands of the Neville family, the most famous member of which was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick - the "Kingmaker", a leading figure in the Wars of the Roses. Following the death of Richard, Duke of York at Wakefield in 1460, his younger sons, George, Duke of Clarence and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, came into Warwick's care, and both resided temporarily at Middleham with Warwick's own family. It was also at Middleham that their brother King Edward IV was imprisoned for a short time, having been captured by Warwick in 1469. Following Warwick's death at Barnet in 1471 and Edward's restoration to the throne, Richard married Anne Neville, Warwick's younger daughter, and it was at Middleham that they made their main home. It was also at Middleham that their son, Edward of Middleham, Prince of Wales, was born and died.
Richard became King as Richard III, but spent little or no time at Middleham in his two-year reign. After Richard's death at Bosworth in 1485 the castle remained in royal hands until the reign of James I, but it fell into disuse and disrepair during the 17th Century. It was garrisoned during the Civil War but saw no action. The ruins are now in the care of English Heritage.
External link
- http://www.r3.org/archives/ricardian_britain/middleham/index.html
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