Mitford Castle

There were few if any stone castles in England prior to the 1066 Norman Conquest. After that date the land was held by Sir John de Mitford, whose only daughter and heiress, Sybilla Mitford, was given in marriage by William the Conqueror to the Norman knight, Richard Bertram. In the late 11th century Mitford Castle was an earthwork fortification of the Bertram family, and on record as William Bertram's oppidum in 1138. In 1215, it was seized by the English King John's troops. In 1315, Mitford Castle was used by Sir Gilbert for kidnappings and as a gaol for high-profile prisoners such as Lewis de Beaumont, Bishop of Durham, his brother Harry de Beaumont and two Italian cardinals who had been…

The castle ruins are of ashlar quality squared-stone construction. The inner ward was built in the early 12th century. The western section of the inner ward is on a stepped plinth and includes a large rounded archway. The eastern section of the inner ward wall has a round arch to the outer ward of 19th-century reconstruction. The inner ward contains an unusual pentagonal keep that stands to the first floor and dates from the early 13th century. The keep was built on the highest point at the northernmost area of the castle, with each of its five sides being of a different dimension, A cemetery was uncovered in 1939 north of the chapel with headstones dating to the 12th century. At least one…