Northumbrian Gunner: Warkworth Castle

Warkworth Castle is located on the Northumbrian coast within a loop on the River Coquet, a mile and a half upstream from the mouth where it enters the North Sea at Amble.

Warkworth Castle

Warkworth Medieval map

History of Warkworth Castle and Hermitage | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)

The origins of Warkworth Castle is thought to be a motte and bailey fortification built by Henry the son of David I, King of Scotland, when he became the Earl of Northumberland in 1139. The current castle structure may have been built in the 1150s to consolidate Henry II’s repossession of Northumberland in 1157. Major construction between 1199 and 1214 defined the castle's format.

Warkworth Castle plan

Warkworth Castle southern wall

Warkworth Castle Entrance Gate

Warkworth Castle Outer and Inner Ward

Medieval Warkworth Castle

Warkworth Castle Medieval singers

Warkworth Castle IJ

Warkworth Castle VM

The castle was prominent in the long running conflict between England and Scotland. It passed to the Percy Family in 1332. In 1405 Harry Hotspur, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, quarrelled with Henry IV who marched north and laid siege to Warkworth with cannon, forcing its quick surrender. During the War of the Roses, the 2nd and 3rd Earls of Northumberland supported the Lancastrtians, and after they were killed St Albans (1455) and Towton (1461), Warkworth became a headquarters for he Earl of Warwick, leader of the Yorkist forces. From Warkworth he supervised the sieges of Alnwick, Bamburgh and Dunstanburgh castles, which remained centres of Lancastrian resistance.

The fortunes of the castle fluctuated with periods of building and decay. After the gunpower plot in 1605, the 9th Earl of Northumberland was imprisoned owing to his links to one of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot. In his absence it was leased to Sir Ralph Gray, who let the buildings deteriorate further. During the English Civil War Parliamentarian forces garrisoned the castle and when they withdrew they weakened the fortifications so it could not be used in a war. In the 19th century, stone form the castle was used to build houses in Warkworth, and the castle was left in a ruinous state. Some work was later carried out to restore the castle wall and the great tower. Rooms were maintained for the use of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, who would bring guests from Alnwick Castle for picnics in the summer.