Product Code Database
Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle located in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England (). The nearby village of Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War, and “Slighting” afterwards, but much of it survived. It has never been sold and is still in the ownership of the descendants of the Scrope family.
In 1536 John, 8th Baron Scrope supported the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion against the religious reforms of King Henry VIII and gave Adam Sedbar, Abbot of Jervaulx sanctuary in the castle. In consequence John Scrope had to flee to Skipton Castle pursued by the King's men but Abbot Sedbar was caught and executed. In retribution the king ordered Bolton Castle to be torched, causing extensive damage. Within a few years, some of the damage had been repaired and Sir John had regained his seat in Parliament.
After her defeat in Scotland at the Battle of Langside in 1568 she fled to England, posing a threat to the position of the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was initially held at Carlisle Castle under the watch of Henry, 9th Baron Scrope, but Carlisle proved unsuitable and in July 1568 Mary was moved to Bolton. Her primary keeper at this location was Sir Francis Knollys who described the castle, appraising its security;John Daniel Leader, Mary Queen of Scots in Captivity (Sheffield, 1880), p. 9.
This howse appeareth to be very strong, very fayre, and very stately after the olde manner of building, and is the highest walled house I have seen, and has but one entrance thereinto.Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), p. 457 no. 733: British Library Cotton Caligula CI f.165.
Mary was given Henry Scrope's own apartments in the South-West tower. Of her retinue of 51 gentlemen, servants and ladies-in-waiting only 30 of her men and six ladies-in-waiting were able to stay in the castle, the rest taking lodgings nearby. Her household included cooks, grooms, her hairdresser (Mary Seton), embroiderer, apothecary, physician, and surgeon.John Daniel Leader, Mary Queen of Scots in Captivity (Sheffield, 1880), p. 35. Knollys worried that her goldsmith might counterfeit wax seals for forged letters.Thomas Wright, Queen Elizabeth and her times, 1 (London, 1838), p. 294 Bolton Castle was not initially suitable for housing a Queen, so tapestries, rugs and furniture were borrowed from local houses and nearby Barnard Castle in County Durham. Queen Elizabeth herself loaned some pewter vessels as well as a copper kettle. Mary obtained an "old cloth of estate" from Scotland, which she placed above her chair in the castle's great chamber, making it like a throne room.Joseph Bain, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1563-1569, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1900), pp. 460 no. 737, 493 no. 791.Retha M. Warnicke, Mary Queen of Scots (Routledge, 2006), pp. 170–171.
Mary's keepers allowed her to wander the surrounding lands and often to go hunting. Her prime occupation while at the castle was having her hair done by her friend Mary Seton. Francis Knollys (the elder), whom Mary nicknamed 'Schoolmaster', taught her English, as she only spoke French, Latin and Scots language. Mary wrote a letter to him in English, when she had "never used it afore".Agnes Strickland, Letters of Mary, Queen of Scots, vol. 1 (London, 1842), pp. 78-9. She even met with local "Papists" (Catholics), something for which Knollys and Scrope were severely reprimanded. In January 1569, Mary was removed from Bolton Castle for the last time, being taken to Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire where she would spend much of the 18 years before her execution in 1587.John Daniel Leader, Mary Queen of Scots in Captivity (Sheffield, 1880), pp. 25–34.
The castle is currently owned by their descendant, Thomas Peter Algar Orde-Powlett, 9th Baron Bolton, who inherited on his father's death in June 2023.
There is also a garden including a maze, herb garden, wild flower meadow, rose garden and a vineyard on the site. Falconry displays are staged for visitors during some months. The castle is now a tourist attraction and is also rented out occasionally for events such as weddings. Part of the structure is a ruin but the other section has been restored.
|
|
