Egremont Castle

Tucked away in the small town of Egremont in the west of Cumbria lie the remains of Egremont Castle. Originally the site of a Danish fort, the mound on which the castle sits occupies a strategic position above the River Ehen, guarding both the river crossing and the market place of the town.

In 1092 the Normans, led by William II (Rufus), conquered Cumberland and granted the land to his loyal henchmen in order to protect the border from marauding Scots. The First Lord of Egremont was William Meschin who constructed the castle we see today.

The castle is a classic Motte and Bailey design, favoured by the Normans, and was built between 1120 and 1135. While the Motte and Bailey style is common among Norman castles, the herringbone stonework used on the surviving west wall is not. It was a technique taken from the Romans and helped create maximum strength to a wall, within a short space of time.

Egremont Castle was a regular target during the Anglo - Scottish Wars and its ownership changed hands numerous times depending on whether it was in the possession of the English or Scottish Crown. In the mid-11th century, King David I of Scotland invaded Cumberland and took control of the castle, but it was won back by Henry II in 1157. In 1315 and 1322, following his victory at Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce attacked Egremont causing huge damage to the castle and population of the town.

One strange thread that runs through Egremont Castle's history is the regular failure of the male line. The Barony of Copeland was frequently passed down through the female heirs because the males either died young or without issue. While today this would be seen as quite normal and modern, back then it led to rumours the castle was cursed.

The most famous aspect of Egremont Castle revolves around the “Horn of Egremont Castle” legend, which was immortalised in a poem by William Wordsworth. Telling the story of two brothers, Sir Eustace and Hubert de Lucy, who left to fight in the Crusades. Eustace hung the horn on the castle gates and declared that only the true heir could sound it, and the cheeky Hubert decided he fancied a piece of the estate, so plotted to have his brother killed in the Middle East and raced home to claim his prize. Of course, he found he couldn't blow the horn, and after Eustace survived his plot and returned home, he gave the horn an almighty toot and sent Hubert running for the hills.

The end for Egremont Castle came in 1569 following the Rising of the North. Local nobles tried to depose Elizabeth I in favour of Mary Queen of Scots, and after the rebellion failed, Elizabeth ordered the castle be damaged to prevent it being used again. By the 1570s it was being used as a stone quarry for the town and was a ruin. A small room survived and was used as a courthouse until it too was destroyed in an earthquake in 1786!