Mulgrave Castle
Encyclopedia
Mulgrave Castle refers to one of three structures on the same property in Yorkshire
, England
. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wada, a 6th century ruler of Hälsingland
. The second castle, (54.4935°N 0.7055°W) caput
of the feudal barony
of Mulgrave, was of Norman
construction and remained active until destroyed by order of Paraliament in 1647. The third is a country house (54.5012°N 0.6922°W) which was constructed by Lady Catherine Darnley and passed in 1718 by marriage into the Phipps family, when her daughter Lady Catherine Annesley married William Phipps. The Phipps family later held the titles of Baron Mulgrave
, Earl of Mulgrave
and Marquess of Normanby
.
. Leland in his "Itineraries", circa 1545, refers to several local legends supposing Wada to have been a giant who built many castles and roads in Yorkshire.
, presumably constructed by Nigel Fossard(d. about 1120), who obtained the property after the Norman Conquest. Fossard is recorded in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as a tenant of 114 manors, all in Yorkshire, including under Robert, Count of Mortain
of "Grif", identified as Mulgrave in the hundred of Langbaurgh. He became himself a tenant-in-chief
of the king in 1088, and a holder of the large feudal barony
whose caput
was at Mulgrave, hence known as the barony of Mulgrave, which according to the Cartae Baronum
return made in 1166 comprised 33 1/2 knight's fee
s. The main approach was located on the west, with two stone towers overlooking the entrance. Moats prohibited approach from the east and ensured that western approach was by means of a drawbridge. Differing levels of land surrounding the containing walls caused the wall to bulge outwards, which required buttressing. Some of the bricks used in the structure are clearly Roman.
Nigel Fossard's son Robert died c.1135, Robert's son William I d. c. 1170, leaving a son William II who died in 1195 leaving an heiress Joan, who brought the barony and castle to her husband Robert de Turnham(d.1211). Their only surviving child and heiress was Isabel de Turnham who brought the barony and castle to Peter I de Mauley (or Maulay)(d.1241) to whom she had been granted in marriage by King John on the escheatment
of the barony. De Mauley was a native of Poitou
, whose marriage to this wealthy heiress is said to have been his reward for having murdered in 1203 Prince Arthur
, the son of John's elder brother who threatened his succession to the throne. He was governor of Corfe Castle
in Dorset where he acted as jailer of Eleanor, Arthur's sister. Peter I's heir was Peter II de Mauley(1226-1279), who married Joan de Brus(d.1243), one of five sisters of Peter III de Brus(d.1272), feudal baron of Skelton
, Yorkshire, who was his brother-in-law, having married Hilary de Mauley, Peter II's sister. In the time of Peter II the barony was held by knight service of supplying two knights in time of war in the king's presence for 40 days per annum. Peter II's heir was Peter III de Mauley(d.1308), who married Nicole de Ghent(d. before 1302), sister and in her issue co-heir (in a 1/3rd share) to Gilbert V de Ghent(d.1298), feudal baron of Folkingham
, Lincolnshire. Peter III was summoned to parliament by writ dated 23 June 1296, creating him the 1st Baron de Mauley
. Peter III's seal can be seen as one of 72 appended to the "Barons' Letter to the Pope" sealed at the Parliament of Lincoln in January 1301, and shows him on the reverse in the usual pose for early seals holding sword and shield astride his galloping war-horse, with the tails of his surcoat swept back by the wind. His arms within a heater-shaped escutcheon show a bend
with a field diapered
with scroll-work, which are blazoned as borne by him on the Falkirk Roll
(1298) as: Or, a bend sable. His heir was Peter IV de Mauley(d.1348). Camden
states that the first Peter was succeeded by 7 others bearing his name.
The castle passed to Sir John Bigot(c.1376-1426/7) of Settrington
, Yorks., on his marriage to Constance de Mauley(c.1385-15/12/1450), eldest daughter & co-heiress of Peter VII de Mauley(d.1378), whose son Peter VIII had died in 1415 without issue, when the Barony de Mauley
by writ became extinct. Bigot was 5th in descent from Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk
(d.1225).
The property passed to the Radcliffes on the marriage of Dorothy Bigot into that family, before settling in 1625 on Lord Sheffield of Butterwick
, later to be titled Earl of Mulgrave
by Charles I
. There is evidence that the initial construction by the Fossards was updated and altered by subsequent residents. The castle was garrisoned by royalist
s during the English Civil War
. Subsequently, it was dismantled by Parliamentary order in 1647; the lie of bricks from the destruction suggest that gunpowder might have been employed for this purpose.
and then wife of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
. The property passed to the Phipps family in 1718, when the Duchess's daughter Lady Catherine Annesley wed William Phipps. A summer house was also built on the grounds, according to legend on the spot of a hermitage which William de Percy established in 1150. In 1858 Dalip Singh Sukerchakia, the last Mahararah of the Punjab, took a lease on Mulgrave Castle.
As of 2010, the property is held by Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby
. In 2003, supermodel Elle MacPherson
took out a lease on the 16000 acres (64.7 km²) Mulgrave estate, considered one of England's finest shooting
estates, including the right to live in the Phipps family's ancestral home, Mulgrave Castle, during the four-month shooting season.
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One of these, known as the "old" or "ancient" castle, was by legend founded by Wada, a 6th century ruler of Hälsingland
Hälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
. The second castle, (54.4935°N 0.7055°W) caput
Caput
The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...
of the feudal barony
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
of Mulgrave, was of Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
construction and remained active until destroyed by order of Paraliament in 1647. The third is a country house (54.5012°N 0.6922°W) which was constructed by Lady Catherine Darnley and passed in 1718 by marriage into the Phipps family, when her daughter Lady Catherine Annesley married William Phipps. The Phipps family later held the titles of Baron Mulgrave
Baron Mulgrave
Baron Mulgrave is a title that has been created three times for members of the Phipps family, once in the Peerage of Ireland and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain....
, Earl of Mulgrave
Earl of Mulgrave
The title Earl of Mulgrave has been created twice. The first time as a title in the Peerage of England and the second time as a Peerage of the United Kingdom....
and Marquess of Normanby
Marquess of Normanby
Marquess of Normanby is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The first creation came in 1694 in the Peerage of England in favour of John Sheffield, 3rd Earl of Mulgrave KG...
.
Ancient castle
The 19th century "Handbook for Travellers in Yorkshire and for Residents in the County" recounts that the ancient castle was built by Wada, ruler of HälsinglandHälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
. Leland in his "Itineraries", circa 1545, refers to several local legends supposing Wada to have been a giant who built many castles and roads in Yorkshire.
Second castle
A second castle, which occupied the entire width of the ridge, seems to have been NormanNorman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
, presumably constructed by Nigel Fossard(d. about 1120), who obtained the property after the Norman Conquest. Fossard is recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as a tenant of 114 manors, all in Yorkshire, including under Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st Earl of Cornwall was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother of William I of England. Robert was the son of Herluin de Conteville and Herleva of Falaise and was full brother to Odo of Bayeux. The exact year of Robert's birth is unknown Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st...
of "Grif", identified as Mulgrave in the hundred of Langbaurgh. He became himself a tenant-in-chief
Tenant-in-chief
In medieval and early modern European society the term tenant-in-chief, sometimes vassal-in-chief, denoted the nobles who held their lands as tenants directly from king or territorial prince to whom they did homage, as opposed to holding them from another nobleman or senior member of the clergy....
of the king in 1088, and a holder of the large feudal barony
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
whose caput
Caput
The Latin word caput, meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate...
was at Mulgrave, hence known as the barony of Mulgrave, which according to the Cartae Baronum
English feudal barony
In England, a feudal barony or barony by tenure was a form of Feudal land tenure, namely per baroniam under which the land-holder owed the service of being one of the king's barons. It must be distinguished from a barony, also feudal, but which existed within a county palatine, such as the Barony...
return made in 1166 comprised 33 1/2 knight's fee
Knight's fee
In feudal Anglo-Norman England and Ireland, a knight's fee was a measure of a unit of land deemed sufficient from which a knight could derive not only sustenance for himself and his esquires, but also the means to furnish himself and his equipage with horses and armour to fight for his overlord in...
s. The main approach was located on the west, with two stone towers overlooking the entrance. Moats prohibited approach from the east and ensured that western approach was by means of a drawbridge. Differing levels of land surrounding the containing walls caused the wall to bulge outwards, which required buttressing. Some of the bricks used in the structure are clearly Roman.
Nigel Fossard's son Robert died c.1135, Robert's son William I d. c. 1170, leaving a son William II who died in 1195 leaving an heiress Joan, who brought the barony and castle to her husband Robert de Turnham(d.1211). Their only surviving child and heiress was Isabel de Turnham who brought the barony and castle to Peter I de Mauley (or Maulay)(d.1241) to whom she had been granted in marriage by King John on the escheatment
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
of the barony. De Mauley was a native of Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
, whose marriage to this wealthy heiress is said to have been his reward for having murdered in 1203 Prince Arthur
Arthur I, Duke of Brittany
Arthur I was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1202. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
, the son of John's elder brother who threatened his succession to the throne. He was governor of Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
in Dorset where he acted as jailer of Eleanor, Arthur's sister. Peter I's heir was Peter II de Mauley(1226-1279), who married Joan de Brus(d.1243), one of five sisters of Peter III de Brus(d.1272), feudal baron of Skelton
Skelton
-Places:United Kingdom*Skelton, Cumbria, England, location of the Skelton transmitter site*Skelton, East Riding of Yorkshire, England*Skelton, North Yorkshire, England*Skelton-on-Ure, North Yorkshire, England*Skelton, York, England...
, Yorkshire, who was his brother-in-law, having married Hilary de Mauley, Peter II's sister. In the time of Peter II the barony was held by knight service of supplying two knights in time of war in the king's presence for 40 days per annum. Peter II's heir was Peter III de Mauley(d.1308), who married Nicole de Ghent(d. before 1302), sister and in her issue co-heir (in a 1/3rd share) to Gilbert V de Ghent(d.1298), feudal baron of Folkingham
Folkingham
Folkingham is a village and civil parish at the northern edge of the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the A15 road of north of Bourne. The civil parish and ecclesiastical parish have the same boundaries. The 2001 census recorded a population of 729.-Village:The village...
, Lincolnshire. Peter III was summoned to parliament by writ dated 23 June 1296, creating him the 1st Baron de Mauley
Baron de Mauley
Baron de Mauley, of Canford in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1838 for the Whig politician the Hon. William Ponsonby, who had earlier represented Poole, Knaresborough and Dorset in the House of Commons...
. Peter III's seal can be seen as one of 72 appended to the "Barons' Letter to the Pope" sealed at the Parliament of Lincoln in January 1301, and shows him on the reverse in the usual pose for early seals holding sword and shield astride his galloping war-horse, with the tails of his surcoat swept back by the wind. His arms within a heater-shaped escutcheon show a bend
Bend (heraldry)
In heraldry, a bend is a coloured band running from the upper right corner of the shield to the lower left . Writers differ in how much of the field they say it covers, ranging from one-fifth up to one-third...
with a field diapered
Diapering
Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, silverwork etc. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces.-Etymology:...
with scroll-work, which are blazoned as borne by him on the Falkirk Roll
Roll of arms
A roll of arms is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms...
(1298) as: Or, a bend sable. His heir was Peter IV de Mauley(d.1348). Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
states that the first Peter was succeeded by 7 others bearing his name.
The castle passed to Sir John Bigot(c.1376-1426/7) of Settrington
Settrington
Settrington is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It once had a railway station that lay on the Malton and Driffield Railway.-History:...
, Yorks., on his marriage to Constance de Mauley(c.1385-15/12/1450), eldest daughter & co-heiress of Peter VII de Mauley(d.1378), whose son Peter VIII had died in 1415 without issue, when the Barony de Mauley
Baron de Mauley
Baron de Mauley, of Canford in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1838 for the Whig politician the Hon. William Ponsonby, who had earlier represented Poole, Knaresborough and Dorset in the House of Commons...
by writ became extinct. Bigot was 5th in descent from Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk
Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk
Hugh Bigod was the eldest son of Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk, and for a short time the 3rd Earl of Norfolk.In 1215 he was one of the twenty-five sureties of Magna Carta of King John...
(d.1225).
The property passed to the Radcliffes on the marriage of Dorothy Bigot into that family, before settling in 1625 on Lord Sheffield of Butterwick
Edmund Sheffield, 1st Earl of Mulgrave
Edmund Sheffield, 1st Earl of Mulgrave KG was a British peer and Member of Parliament, who served as Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire from 1603 to 1619 and Vice-Admiral of Yorkshire from 1604 to 1646...
, later to be titled Earl of Mulgrave
Earl of Mulgrave
The title Earl of Mulgrave has been created twice. The first time as a title in the Peerage of England and the second time as a Peerage of the United Kingdom....
by Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. There is evidence that the initial construction by the Fossards was updated and altered by subsequent residents. The castle was garrisoned by royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
s during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Subsequently, it was dismantled by Parliamentary order in 1647; the lie of bricks from the destruction suggest that gunpowder might have been employed for this purpose.
Present manor
The third construction, a castellated mansion, was ordered by Lady Catherine Darnley, Duchess of Buckingham, illegitimate daughter of James II of EnglandJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and then wife of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby
John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, KG, PC , was a poet and notable Tory politician of the late Stuart period, who served as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Council.-Career:...
. The property passed to the Phipps family in 1718, when the Duchess's daughter Lady Catherine Annesley wed William Phipps. A summer house was also built on the grounds, according to legend on the spot of a hermitage which William de Percy established in 1150. In 1858 Dalip Singh Sukerchakia, the last Mahararah of the Punjab, took a lease on Mulgrave Castle.
As of 2010, the property is held by Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby
Constantine Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby
Constantine Edmund Walter Phipps, 5th Marquess of Normanby is the son of Oswald Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby and Grania Guinness. He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford....
. In 2003, supermodel Elle MacPherson
Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
took out a lease on the 16000 acres (64.7 km²) Mulgrave estate, considered one of England's finest shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
estates, including the right to live in the Phipps family's ancestral home, Mulgrave Castle, during the four-month shooting season.
Sources
(Public domain)- Sanders, Ian J., English Baronies, A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, Mulgrave, pp.66-67
- Hugh, Kendall P., History of the Old Castle of Mulgrave, Hull, 1948