Brougham Castle was one of five castles that spanned in a close series the Western Marches. One of the border areas of England which were for centuries contested land. Cumbria had been under Scottish fiefdom until 1157. But opportunistic raiding parties, mainly issuing from the direction of Scotland into England continued to be commonplace in medieval times - stealing cattle, burning villages, rape, pillage, capturing castles in order to destroy them, were just some of the things that were got up to. So the maintenance of this line of fortresses running from Penrith Castle in the North, through Appleby Castle, Brough Castle, Brougham Castle, Pendragon Castle, down to Skipton Castle in the South, was a vital line to hold. Until of course it wasn't. Once James VI of Scotland also became James 1st of England, raids no longer had royal approval, and so the whole raison d'etre for them fell away.
All but one of these six fortresses ( Penrith Castle ) were in the hands of the wealthy and well connected Clifford Family. At various points all these castles had been attacked, elements burnt or destroyed. Five castles all in close proximity to one another could not have all been fully inhabited or adequately maintained and defended simultaneously. And by the succession of James 1st their viability as a defensive deterrent was also diminishing. In the coming age of peace, the elegant stately home and estate, rarely fitted a castle's lofty prominence, cold stone walls, floors, and draughty castle towers. One by one they'd fallen into disuse and bad repair. They faced the future as a romantic ruin.
Brougham Castle guards a strategic river crossing. Built in red sandstone,and partially broaching onto the previous site of a Roman fort. It was constructed in the early 13th century by Robert de Vieuxpont, acting on behalf of King John. The solid massive keep he built still stands and can be climbed up to near its original height. From there you can see the River Eamont beneath and for miles in any direction you look. The Clifford's, as Lords of Cumberland and Wardens of the Marches, further developed the castle's defenses. The double gatehouse that runs along the entire length of one side of the keep is one unique survival of its medieval fortifications. By the late sixteenth century these castles were already becoming militarily semi-redundant edifices, more easily captured and damaged by powerful cannons and explosives. They began not to be well maintained and were considered more of a drain on the Clifford finances.
And this was how it had remained until Lady Anne Clifford. At her father's death in 1607, though only fifteen, she should have inherited his whole estate. Instead her father passed it to his brother Francis, and he to his only son Henry. Though she continued to fight for her inheritance. It was only after Henry's death in 1643 that she was finally able to fully claim her rightful inheritance. At this point she went on a spending spree, executing philanthropic good works in the local towns. Renovating churches and more importantly repairing and redeveloping each of the castles she owned. Brougham being just one.
Afterward, once these restorations were completed, she was on a constant circular progress, visiting each castle in turn, three months here, six months there. This proved to be the last flowering of Brougham Castle, as one of Lady Anne's favourite places to live. She seemed a very determined person, with her own particular eccentricities. A woman who appeared to prefer living outside the fashions and trends of her own era. After her death in 1676 at the age of eighty six, the previous neglect and slow decline of the castles simply resumed. Two and a half centuries later the remaining ruins were passed into the hands of the governments Ministry of Works & Monuments in 1928, the predecessor of English Heritage which now manages and maintains the site.
No comments:
Post a Comment