Kirkoswald Castle
Encyclopedia
Kirkoswald Castle is located in the village of Kirkoswald
Kirkoswald, Cumbria
The village, civil parish and former market town of Kirkoswald lies in the Lower Eden Valley of Cumbria, formerly Cumberland, about from Penrith. The village is usually referred to locally as KO....

, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

 . It is built from locally quarried "Penrith" red sandstone and is still partially standing.

History

A royal license to crenellate a manor house standing on the site (belonging to Hugh de Morvile
Hugh de Morville, Lord of Westmorland
Sir Hugh de Morville was an Anglo-Norman knight who served King Henry II of England in the late 12th century. He is chiefly famous as one of the assassins of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1170...

) was granted by King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...

 in 1201.

In 1314 it was destroyed by the Scots and rebuilt 3 years later in 1317. In 1485 it was greatly expanded and a moat was added.

After the death of Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
Thomas Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre of Gilsland, KG was the son of Humphrey Dacre, 1st Baron Dacre of Gilsland and Mabel Parr; great-aunt of queen consort Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII of England.-Early career:He was born in Cumberland...

 in 1525 the stained glass, panelling and beamed ceilings were moved to Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle
Naworth Castle, also known as, or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England near the town of Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69 about two miles east of Brampton. It is on the opposite side of the River Irthing to, and just within sight of, Lanercost Priory...

.

It was dismantled between 1610 and 1688.

Present Condition

The site exists on farm land with the moat and some of the buildings, including a tower, still visible. A public footpath runs next to the site, which should not be entered for reasons of safety.
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