DAY FOURTEEN: Dunstanburgh and Alnwick

Castle Crawl..... First stop, the invitingly poetic looking ruins of Dunstanburgh. 

On a remote headland  of cliffs and crashing waves the castle was built at a time when relations between King Edward II and his most powerful baron, Earl Thomas of Lancaster, had become openly hostile. Thomas of Lancaster was the eldest son of Edmund Crouchback, the 1st Earl of Lancaster.  Crouchback was the youngest son of King Henry III and brother of King Edward I. Henry III was the the eldest son of notorious King John, Richard the Lionheart's greedy (misunderstood?) brother.

Are you taking notes?


Lancaster began the great twin-towered keep on the wave-battered coastline in 1313 on a grand scale. It's believed he built it purposely to show off his threat and might, more as a symbol of his opposition to the king than as a true military stronghold. The castle can be seen from distant Bamburgh, home of the Northumberland king, and a daily reminder of Lancaster's presence in a "nyah nyah" kind of way. 

Unfortunately the earl failed to reach Dunstanburgh when his rebellion was defeated. He was taken and executed in 1322. 

The Chronicle of Lanercost: Edward "sent for the earl to come to Pontefract, where he remained still in the castle of the earl; and there, in revenge for the death of Piers de Gaveston (whom the earl had caused to be beheaded), and at the instance of the earl's rivals (especially of Sir Hugh Despenser the younger), without holding a parliament or taking the advice of the majority, caused sentence to be pronounced that he should be drawn, hanged and beheaded. But, forasmuch as he was the queen's uncle and son of the king's uncle, the first two penalties were commuted, so that he was neither drawn nor hanged, only beheaded in like manner as this same Earl Thomas had caused Piers de Gaveston to be beheaded. Howbeit, other adequate cause was brought forward and alleged, to wit, that he had borne arms against the king of England in his own realm;

Soon after Thomas' death, miracles were reported at his tomb at Pontefract, and he became venerated as a martyr. Afterwards, the castle passed eventually to John of Gaunt, who strengthened it against the Scots.

The focus of fierce fighting during the Wars of the Roses, it was twice besieged and captured by Yorkist forces, but subsequently fell into decay.

The view from its high perch over the coast and fields, still marked by medieval plow systems, is unsurpassed. Despite it's violent history it had a good feeling, maybe partly due to all the birds making nests in its sheltered niches. 

The Sea Thrift is Blooming! 

I don't know why I'm sort of obsessed with castle bathrooms. Maybe imagining the people living there with the same basic human need as us brings them into perspective. Dunstanburgh had mire than its share of garderobes. Along the sea wall it had 5 evenly spaced, within each tower were more. Was the owner incontinent? Did he worry about his inhabitants' comfort? I think it was constantly being guarded and the men on duty didn't go far from their posts. 

After having stayed at Langley Castle as actually sitting in the large window with cushions and views I could really understand the design of these seats.

Next stop, Alnwick. Pronounced Eh-nick, rhymes with "panic" - Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in the country (Windsor being first) and home to the Duke of Northumberland's family, the Percys, for over 700 years. The current 12th duke is Ralph Percy (born 1956).

I could see why it was used in the Harry Potter movies as Hogwarts School. Its brooding and dark medieval architecture and over the top Italianate accents makes it a mix of  time periods with melancholy even sinister  overtones. It was also used as  Brancaster Castle in Downton Abbey's Christmas specials . There was an exhibit of Downton clothing and props in the dinning room with its long table set for 80, complete with place cards. 

Besides the Disneyland attractions meant for families and children, Alnwick is home to medieval England's most celebrated knight: Harry Hotspur. I admit I'd never heard of him. 

Lots of Fake Stone Guards on the Battlements

Story Time! Henry Percy, son of the 1st Earl of Northumberland, is better known by the name given to him by his enemies due to the eagerness (and impetuousness) with which he would ride into battle: Harry ‘Hotspur’.  He never became Earl of Northumberland due to predeceasing his father. At the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, which took place partly under a solar eclipse, Henry IV dressed several of his knights in his attire and used them as a form of decoy; each time Hotspur killed one, he would think he had killed the King, only to find he hadn’t. Due to the swift re-enforcing arrival of the king’s son, the Prince of Wales, on the battlefield, Hotspur was effectively rushed into battle not fully prepared. He apparently left his sword behind. Oops. He was killed by an arrow in his eye . Hotspur was buried near the battlefield, but then exhumed, and his head was displayed on the walls of York as a warning to other potential rebels of what would happen to those who went against the king. His body was quartered, and the four pieces displayed in Newcastle, London, Bristol and Chester, again as a warning to others.

Important people are easily commemorated. 

I Like That Someone Made This Hidden Horse Tie

It was a challenge to dig beneath the  pompousness and find the roots of this fine castle. Dragon Quest, archery, talking mannequins, the Harry Potter magic show, learn to fly on broomsticks, be a knight.... I'm not one impressed by stuff, gilded stuff, china stuff. And Mr. Northumberland had a lot of stuff! His family had some avid explorers and archaeologists. What one hangs on to 700 years ago becomes valuable one day. They collected and there were many rooms turned into  museums from bronze age, Celts and Viking artifacts ( very cool) to state rooms of an army's worth of guns, powderhorns, works by Canaletto, Titian, Van Dyck, Turner, ; an extensive gallery of Meissen, Chelsea, and Paris porcelain; and the "priceless Cucci cabinets, originally created for Louis XIV of France".

Just imagine 700 years of immortal hoarding! I wasn't' supposed to take photos but I sneaked one of the china gallery.

You didn't miss the 52" flat screen and zebra print bean bag chairs. The Dukester is just a regular guy!



 What I like is the imagined life within the walls, the fantasy. 

Masons Marks

They were made by the stonemasons who cut the blocks that make up the walls, piers, arches and windows of castles and  churches.  Somebody built these things! They stand out from other stone "noise" because there are usually several examples of the same mark in close proximity, and by their decisiveness in cutting, since they were cut by people skilled in using sharp tools . The marks are a way for masons to identify which pieces of masonry they have produced,  to ensure they were paid for their work and as  quality control. There is no way to identify a particular name to a symbol, though sometimes a mason would have his mark put on his own gravestone. 

Here are some examples of masons marks.

It makes it all more human, doesn't it? After all, they were just like us.