Penrith Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Stricklands Pele Tower

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

The ruins of the 15th century Penrith Castle together with a 14th century pele tower built by Bishop Strickland. The pele tower has external dimensions of 10 metres by 8.8 metres width walls 2.3 metres thick and over 1 metre high. A doorway in its south western side gives access into a substantial yard measuring 36 metres square internally which is enclosed by a high barmkin or curtain wall. This wall still stands virtually to its full height on the south east and much of the south west sides but is considerably reduced in height elsewhere. The yard would have contained timber buildings associated with the pele tower. The buildings of the later castle were constructed within this yard and against the curtain wall, thereby creating an inner courtyard, and survive as low stone walls. These internal buildings included a great chamber, a chapel, a private chamber and great hall, kitchens, and the White Tower. The castle was later extended beyond the north west wall of the barmkin and there are foundations of a garderobe turret, guard chambers flanking an elaborate entrance, and remains of the Red Tower at the northern corner. Surrounding the castle on all sides except the north west where it has been lost, is a dry moat up to 15 metres wide and 6 metres deep. There are foundations of a bridge abutment and later gatetower giving access across the moat's north eastern arm. In 1397 William Strickland obtained a licence to strengthen and crenellate his pele tower. Two years later a further licence was granted to build the barmkin. In the early 15th century Richard II gave the town and manor of Penrith to Ralph Nevill, Earl of Westmorland, and the new owner added the Red Tower, began construction of the internal buildings in stone. In 1471 Richard, Duke of Gloucester, continued the internal building and added a substantial outer gateway on the north western side, enlarging the structure into a royal castle. The moat was added in the late 15th century. (PastScape)
William Stickland did not become bishop until 1400, but had done much long civil and legal service to the bishop of Carlisle and to the Percys and Cliffords before then.
Perriam (2008) argues that Strickland is more likely to have built Hutton Hall (qv) on the bases of the 1397/99 licences, and that the castle was built by one of the Nevills, probably in 1386.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 72957)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY51342973

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
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 11975
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 2827; 2878 '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.visitcumbria.com/pen/penrithc.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/90/penrithcastle.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.157
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/penrith.html
    http://www.matthewpemmott.co.uk/2007/05/penrith-castle-penrith.html
• Books
  • Yates, Sarah (ed), 2002, Heritage Unlocked; Guide to free sites in the North West (London: English Heritage) p38-9
    Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) 212-3
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p80-1
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p168
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p237-9, 263
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p46
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p109-10
    Jackson, M.J.,1990, Castles of Cumbria (Carel Press) p80-1 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p89-90
    Clare, T., 1981, Archaeological Sites of the Lake District p58-63
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p274
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p155-8
    Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1975, The history of the King's Works, Vol3: 1485-1660 (part 1) (London) p226n, 403
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p175
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p189-90, 219-23
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p327-8
    Taylor, M.W., 1892, The Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland and Cumberland (CWAAS extra series Vol8) p244-52 http://www.archive.org/stream/oldmanorialhall00taylgoog#page/n360/mode/2up
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p357-9
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p420
    Lysons, Daniel and Samuel, 1816, 'Antiquities: Castles' Magna Britannia Vol4: Cumberland p. ccii-ccvi http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50673
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p48
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol1 p58-60 http://books.google.com/books?id=D01LAAAAMAAJ
• Journal Articles
  • Perriam, D.R., 2008, 'William Strickland's tower in Penrith: Penrith Castle or Hutton Hall?' English Heritage Historical Review Vol3 p36-45
    Petre, J., 1984, ‘The origins of Penrith Castle' The Ricardian Vol6.86 p371-3
    Craster-Chambers, M., 1984, ‘Penrith Castle and Richard Duke of Gloucester' The Ricardian Vol6.86 p374-8
    Bouch, C.M.L., 1947, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol47 p219-20
    Hudleston, F.,1930, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol30 p13-26
    Curwen, J.F., 1918, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol18 p174-88
    Haswell, 1907, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol7 p281-91
    Clark, 1871, The Builder Vol29 p1021
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1396-99) p66
    Calendar of Patent Rolls (1396-99) p524
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cumbeng.html#cumb18]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p96, 97
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p54 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ] [A reject of Thompson's suggestion this was a bishops palace]