Historic Carlisle - Carlisle Castle
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One of a series of caches in historic Carlisle. Micros aren't really our thing but Carlisle is such an interesting place, some locations are worth sharing
Ask most people to describe a castle and images of tall turrets, gothic arches and drawbridges would immediately spring to mind. Very few people would describe the squat, sandstone keep of Carlisle Castle. But for all its lack of decorative and romantic splendour, the castle has a long and proud role in many historical episodes of British history. As Carlisle is situated on the border between England and Scotland, it has been a city of both Countries and been the centre of many wars and invasions. The castle has never fallen out of use since its foundation in 1092 by King William II (William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror). Determined to drive the Scots out of Cumberland and claim the land for England, he chose the site of an old Roman fort to build a Norman style motte and bailey castle. This defensive stronghold was to keep the extended northern border of England secure from invasion by the Scots. Carlisle occupied such a strategic position on the border that in 1122, Henry 1 ordered a more robust stone castle to be built. After Henry I’s death in 1135, Carlisle and Cumberland were retaken by David I of Scotland who completed the work begun by Henry I. Over the next 700 years, the castle and the city changed hands many times making Carlisle the most frequently besieged place in the British Isles. During these periods of violence and siege, many additional improvements were made to the initial buildings and walls In 1296, King Edward I (“The Hammer of the Scots”) made Carlisle his headquarters for three months in the early stages of his war against the Scots, developing the inner ward buildings to create accommodation for himself, his wife Queen Margaret and his court. During the 15th and early 16th centuries, violence continued throughout the whole border region of Cumberland, Westmorland and Northumberland (in England) and Dumfries, Selkirk, Roxburghshire and Berwickshire (in Scotland). It was so bad that the law totally broke down. Family groups, on both sides of the border formed into armed bands of ‘reivers’, who raided and robbed their neighbours on a regular basis. As a way of trying to quell the lawlessness, the area was divided into “marches” and Lord Wardens were appointed by the Crown to manage the problem. Carlisle Castle was the seat of the Lord Warden of the West March Henry Percy, nicknamed ‘Harry Hotspur’, Richard Nevill Earl of Warwick, ‘the Kingmaker ’and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later King Richard III all filled the role. The castle was used as a prison for the reivers and one of the most famous escapes in its history was the rescue of the notorious reiver William Armstrong of Kinmont in Scotland, known as ‘Kinmont Willie’, from the castle. In April 1596, a large armed group of his friend broke into the castle using ladders and freed him Although he never visited the city, Henry VIII also influenced the castle’s history as he ordered that Carlisle’s defences be strengthened and converted the castle for artillery,. He employed the engineer Stefan von Haschenperg. To carry out the work which included lowering the keep and constructing an artillery platform on its roof, thickening the walls of the inner bailey, and the construction of the Half-Moon battery. Von Haschenperg also built the original citadel at the far (southern) end of the city by the railway station For a few months in 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned within the castle, in a tower in the southeast corner which was demolished in 1835 as it was becoming dangerous and derelict. It cost Queen Elizabeth I an average of £56 a week to pay for Mary’s food and wine while she was imprisoned there. During 1644/45, during the English Civil War, the castle was held under siege for eight months. In October 1644, a Scots army supporting the Parliamentarians surrounded the city with guns and earthworks and settled down to starve the city out. In the spring of 1645, English Parliamentarian troops joined them. Food began to run out so all the horses were eaten, followed by the dogs and rats. After the battle of Naseby in June 1645, the city surrendered finally and was described as ‘the model of misery and desolation. Many important battles for the city of Carlisle and its castle were also fought during the second Jacobite rising in 1745. Bonnie Prince Charlie, (Prince Charles Edward Stuart) travelled south from Scotland into England, marching into Carlisle along the current Cavendish Terrace with his 100 pipers in November 1745. The castle was seized by the Jacobites but the Duke of Cumberland fought back and the castle was recaptured in December following the 10th siege of the city. Several Jacobites were jailed in the castle and subsequently executed. Following this final battle between Scotland and England, the castle passed into a more peaceful existence. Some parts of the castle were demolished and the Army moved in to control the castle. It was the home of the former King’s Own Border Regiment until 1959. The castle is now managed by English Heritage.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf n fznyy oynpx cbg. Vg vf uvqqra haqrearngu gur pbeare bs gur fgrcf