Armathwaite Castle

In the civil parish of Hesket. In the historic county of Cumberland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Fortified house and extension. Probably mid C15 with late C17 or early C18 alterations; late C18 extension with late C19 alterations. Extremely thick red sandstone block walls, the facade of dressed calciferous sandstone, all with cornice and solid parapet. Double-span hipped graduated greenslate roof within parapet; banded red sandstone chimney stacks. Extension of dressed calciferous sandstone walls under Mansard tile roof with banded calciferous sandstone ashlar chimney stack. 2 storeys over basement, 5 bays, with 2 -storey, 5-bay, left extension. Broad stone steps to central panelled and glazed door in quoined surround under keyed lintel with plain frieze and cornice. Later coat-of-arms of the Milbourne family over the entrance. Late C19 leaded casement windows in original stone surrounds; smaller attic sash windows with glazing bars in original stone surrounds. Straight joint in right return wall; the original medieval quoin stones with various masons' marks, suggest that the front of the house has been moved forward, but this is not altogether borne out by the thickness of the front basement wall. Windows similar to facade. Extension is of 2 builds, the right 3 bays earlier. Central stone steps to C20 door and overlight in stone surround. Casement windows in stone surrounds, and gabled attic dormer windows. Rear fenestration of 4 periods: blocked small chamfered-surround medieval windows; 2-light stone-mullioned windows with mullions removed; large C18 sash windows with glazing bars, and round-headed staircase windows, all in stone surrounds; some C20 windows in cement surrounds and plain reveals. Left return wall has small chamfered-surround medieval window, beside which is an C18 sash window in stone surround under a medieval relieving arch. Interior: no medieval features visible, apart from the splays of some windows, with masons' marks, and mural recesses thought to be the remains of newel staircases. Late C17 full-height oak staircase with heavy barley-twist balusters and moulded handrail. Some early C18 ceiling beams, moulded plaster cornices and fragments of panelling, otherwise altered after the 1939-45 war into a number of flats and now in the process of conversion back to one dwelling. Originally the land was granted in 1444 to John Skelton and passed to his son in 1461, his father having carried out building at great expense.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY50574587

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 12408
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 3845 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.ecastles.co.uk/armathwaite.html
• Books
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p194-5
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p15
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p34
    Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p29
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p82
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p179
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p32
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p61
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p343
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p295
• Journal Articles
  • 1923, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol23 p39-40
    1913, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol13 p343
    1886, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol8 p382-95
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cumbeng.html#cumb20]
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Perriam, D., Armathwaite Castle, the Building and its History