Welcome!
Never having visited Scarborough Castle before we din’t know what to expect however we drew up to the gate. A steep entry between two towers.
A Staff member came out to me and I shewed her my disability badge and National Heritage membership. A very helpful lady who directed my wife and I where to park. We drove up through the castle which was lovely to do and were directed to park on a grassy area where it was quite level.
The castle when you look down from it high above seems to drape itself down the hillside flowing into nooks and crannies with lots of secure places to hide and protect oneself from would be enemies. The view over the Town and the coast from the top is amazing with it’s many, many house tops, the shinning sea, brilliant white waves and breakers. It makes you want to stop and look for hours but the wind dissuades you very quickly.
AT THE TOP
We were directed to drive past the Master Gunners House (Centre), The Tea and Coffee shed, past the conveniences to a little area to the right of the photo. Although the site was undulating it was manageable though some of the steps up to the outer wall of the castle were too much for myself and my wife that day. The wind on the castle Mound is cutting and quite icy at times especially in the shade. In the Sun and out of the winds blast it was very pleasant. We were wishing that we had brought gloves with us and this was June.
Characters
Whenever we visit somewhere such as Scarborough Castle it is always so nice to meet their staff especially those who have a good sense of humour.
The lady who greeted me at the gate on day one was such a person, warm, welcoming and helpful, made us feel really welcomed.
The Catering Manager was such another gentleman, nothing was to much trouble for him and we found out just how much he enjoyed working for English Heritage.
Coffee Spilling
We parked the car and decided to buy coffee. Sitting down on the bench beside the Coffee shed. The weather was cloudy and the wind was cold. Lily, our little dog was only interested in walking. She hadn’t come to sit about especially as there was no food on offer. In her eagerness to be off and she jolted my wife’s arm. She in turn spilt her coffee down her jeans. That meant a visit to the to Conveniences to try to dry a little of damp off her clothing.
I waited outside placing my coffee on the arm of the bench and with the dogs lead in one hand I promptly knocked my coffee off the bench. It went everywhere, down my trousers, but worst of all up the arm of the gentleman seated on the bench next to our bench. I was so apologetic, as he wiped the spill off his waterproof trousers and his arm he said, “Was it Coffee?” I replied, “I’m afraid it was!” He said, “Did it have sugar in it? I replied sheepishly, “I’m afraid so!” His reply was so gracious, “Oh good, I only like Coffee with sugar in it!” and laughed. What a nice man!
A very large rain cloud came over making us all damp and we left. I warned the catering Manager That we would return the following day (the weather was supposed to be better) when I would probably wreak more mayhem.
The Following Day
We made our way up to the same parking spot as yesterday and I parked the car backing it up to the perimeter wall. I went to buy Coffee’s and saw the Catering Manager, looking at him very seriously and troubled I said,
“I’m afraid that I’ve reversed into the perimeter wall and there’s a large crack in it!”
He stared in unbelief but then slowly realised that I was pulling his leg and broke out into a laugh, he said,
“For a moment I believed you.”
NO COFFEE SPILLAGE TODAY!
Anchors Aweigh (but where too?)
As we walked toward this work of art placed on it’s own mowed plot of land. The Anchor seemed to shimmer in the sun. The dog was a little afraid of it until I sat on one of the arms then she was more enquiring but not impressed. I honestly cannot say that I was impressed by it as a piece of modern sculpture, but then that’s me.
Inner Castle Walls
The wonderful stonework, the arches, slit windows, fire places, various floor levels are quite awe inspiring. Sad that the Germans had to use it for target practice in the war.
The cold winds, rain and snow would have been hard to keep out of such vast rooms. The walls hung with tapestries and the light shut out and a fire inside would have helped some but not much.
The Roman Fortlet
The outline of the fortlet at Scarborough.
A Roman Fortlet or Fire Station one of many used as a marker along the coast.
A depiction of the Fire Station or Tower.
Personally I would like to know how they could possibly stoke a tower like the one in this depiction. It doesn’t seem practical and the Romans were very practical. The amount of wood needed would have been immense. It would have had to be transported to the tower and then the tower stoked. Below is, to my mind, a more logical depiction of what the tower might have looked like. Not so dramatic but much more logical.
A Fortlet With Fire Bucket Clearly Visible From The Sea.
Our Lady’s Chapel
The Chapel Well
The wells are believed to be fed by fresh water springs which is quite amazing and they must go down a very long way.
The Roman Well
The Chapel has long since gone but the sign on the wall to the well announces it’s presence still. There doesn’t seem to be a footprint of the Chapels walls.
The Ghost!
This is supposed to be the Ghost of Piers Gaveston who delights in attempting to push people from the battlements. His story is worth the telling whether the spectre exists or not because it is a part of the Castles history. I have left out dates generally speaking just to tell the story. His story is riddled with holes but the salient facts are believed to be correct.
Piers Gaveston,
came to Britain when he was a young man accompanying King Edward the First. His father was a Gascon nobleman and vassal of the King, he was renowned for his fighting skills and his manners and king Edward thought that he would be a good role model for his own son the future king Edward the second and they were similar age.
After a while, the King did not like Piers Gaveston’s influence and wanted to keep his son apart. Personally, I suspect that he thought Piers would usurp his sons role as heir so he had him exiled.
When he was dying King Edward the First supposedly charged some of his closest followers – Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, Guy de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke and Robert Clifford – to keep watch over his son, and particularly to make sure that Gaveston did not return from exile.
There were rumours about the Gaveston and the prospective King Edward the Second being lovers.
When Edward first died, Piers Gaveston was returned from exile by the new King who made him Earl of Cornwall and arranged a prestigious marriage with Margarete De Clare, sister of the powerful Earl of Gloucester.
This was all that King Edward the First had not wanted; Gaveston had been given a position usually retained for members of the Royal Household and grafted into nobility.
Gaveston was a very skilful man in combat, in ruling and was loyal to his King however, he was also very arrogant and proud and used his position to insult King Edward the First’s loyal nobles by giving them nicknames. Gone was his chivalry toward them, it is even recorded according to the ‘Polistorie of Christ Church’ – he forced the earls to get on their knees in order to speak with him, a most demeaning act for a, ‘foreign interloper’.
king Edward II visited to France to Marry the French Kings Daughter, Isabella, while he was away Gaveston was given the role of Kings Regent, another stab in the side for the nobles of the land.
When the king returned with his new bride it is said that he spent more time with Gaveston at the Royal banquet than with his new Queen and her entourage walked out of the celebrations in disgust.
The attitudes toward King Edward the Second (apoor ruler) and Gaveston became hostile and the nobles decided to deal with them by laying out a set of ordinances.
Gaveston was exiled on two more occasions, one where he governed Ireland and did so very well, but each time Edward the second brought him back again.
At about this time Gaveston was excommunicated by Archbishop Winchelsey at Saint Paul’s.
Things came to a head and the nobles drew up armies against the king and Gaveston. King Edward took refuge in York with Isabella and Gaveston in Scarborough Castle which he began to fortify.
Scarborough was besieged, food ran out and Piers Gaveston was taken prisoner, he was taken to York where negotiations with King Edward were held. The nobles wanted Gaveston exiled once and for all. The king would agree to all of the nobles ordinances except Gaveston’s exile.
The Earl of Pembroke had promised Gaveston when he was taken prisoner that he would be safe and if no agreement was reached with the King he would be returned to Scarborough Castle.
No agreement could be reached with the King but Gaveston was taken by the earl of Pembroke to the Priory/Rectory Deddington, Oxfordshire, for his own safekeeping.
The Earl of Warwick, Guy De Beauchamp learning of Gaveston’s location went to Deddington and took Piers to Warwick Castle and threw him in a dungeon, while Pembroke was away.
Pembroke’s honour was affronted, he appealed for justice both to Gaveston’s brother-in-law Gloucester and to the University of Oxford, but to no avail. At Warwick, Gaveston was subjected to a mock trial and condemned to death for violating the terms of the Nobles Ordinances before an assembly of barons, including Warwick, Lancaster, Hereford and Arundel. He was not allowed to speak, neither did he have any representation.
On 19 June 1312, he was taken out on the road to the out skirts of Warwick as far as Blacklow Hill, (the Earl of Lancaster’s land). Here, Welsh Soldiers were paid to kill him, one ran him through with a sword and the other beheaded him.
His head is supposed to have rolled under the hedge and his body was left at the place of his murder. His remains were collected and cared for by the Dominican friars in Oxford (who sewed the head back in place). The King is said to have had Piers body embalmed.
Galveston’s remains would not be buried for another two years because of his excommunication, but on 2 January 1315, the King having obtained a Papal permission reversing the excommunication he was given a proper burial at Kings Langley Priory, there are no grave remains known today.
A cross with an inscription was erected at Blacklow Hill in 1823 by local Squire Bertie Greathead on the site believed to be the location of Gaveston’s execution.
Why haunt Scarborough Castle?
Perhaps because it was the last place that Gaveston knew security! No one can give any reason for a haunting if, haunting there is….
“A memorable instance of misrule.”
So, we leave one of the Castles colourful characters.
Conclusion
This wonderful castle has many stories to tell and it is well worth a visit. Please make a point of experiencing the Castle, “Oh, if you see the catering manager, tell him the man who knocked the wall down sent you!”
‘Thank you’ to the staff and English Heritage for looking after this Heirloom on behalf of the Country! My wife and I had a wonderful visit.