Norham Castle - England's FORGOTTEN Medieval Besieged Fortress

Norham Castle sits extremely close to the English/Scottish Border and is flanked by the River Tweed. It has been a castle which has seen much action over the years, with many brutal sieges and battles being fought over it. It's found in an incredibly important strategic location close to the border, which during the Medieval period was incredibly lawless and dangerous.

The site of Norham Castle was chosen to enforce English presence close to the border, and the Scots would fight over the territory and the castle a number of times. It was first made and held by the Bishop of Durham, and over time it developed into a huge and colossal fortress. A number of Scottish Kings such as Robert the Bruce or James IV tried to capture Norham, but over time it was a very strong castle.

Edward I who's nickname was 'The Hammer of the Scots' would realise how strong a castle it was, and even had his Queen stay here. As time progressed it became stronger and stronger, and it even saw action during the Wars of the Roses. During Elizabeth I's reign, she decided that she would not spend a penny on Norham Castle in rebuilding, and as relations between the English and Scottish improved there wasn't much need for Norham Castle to be refortified. Ultimately it then fell into ruin and disrepair.

It was served by a number of other buildings, such as artillery emplacements, a chapel, water supply, great hall and kitchens. It is one of the most sieged castles in England, and it saw a huge amount of action. In my opinion it is one of the best castles that I've ever visited, and has a fascinating story. So join us as we look at 'Norham Castle, England's FORGOTTEN Medieval Besieged Fortress.'

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Music - I Am A Man Who Will Fight For Your Honour - Chris Zabriskie.

[wulfcogle]

I live fairly local, just over the border. This is a fantastic castle to visit, and has a long history. If you do visit in the future, try to get into the village of Norham ( pronounced, norr ham ), i suggest a visit to Norham chapel. This church has some beautiful architecture, and lovely stained glass windows. A little known fact about Norham castle, is the the famous cannon, Mons Meg ( rebuilt after having to be cut up to transport after it breached Norham castles walls from about a mile and a half away).

Although the first half of the fifteenth century proved to be quieter than the previous one, the castle's defences were kept in good repair. The next major activity that the castle saw was during the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487). In 1462 Norham Castle was held by the Yorkists on behalf of Edward IV. The following year a Lancastrian army besieged the castle for eighteen days until it was relieved by Yorkist forces. In 1464 the forces holding Norham castle changed sides to support the Lancastrians but were then forced to surrender to a force of Yorkists.

Later in the century, Bishop Richard Foxe of Durham (1494–1501) had the castle's defences strengthened once more. In 1497 the castle was besieged for two weeks by an army led by James IV of Scotland. The siege included the use of artillery to try to breach the walls but the garrison was finally relieved by an English army. Following this latest siege the castle was repaired again. One of the guns used in the siege was a 22-inch (56 cm) calibre cannon called Mons Meg, which is now located at Edinburgh Castle.[1]

Mons Meg link.



Great video, and a castle well worth a visit. There are a chain of castles on the English side of the border, that allowed signals to be sent from Berwick miles inland via Norham, to alert of Scottish invasions. You might want to look into this. I have visited most, and they are worth looking at, even if most are a lot more derelict than Norham.

[tonyfulton]

I visited Norham castle in the 1980’s. I think we were the only people there at the time. I remember it as being a magical place in a beautiful setting and to me, the most romantic castle I’d visited. I must revisit soon, especially after watching your video which really brought it to life to me. Thank you.

[nickfoister]

I happened to pass this castle last week so popped in on a whim to take a look. What you don't see from the road, or any photos or videos, is how absolutely massive that inner keep is. It's really breathtaking. The signs on site are really informative and you can really imagine life there hundreds of years ago. Thank you for this video, which tells the story brilliantly.

[beccaboo]

Beautiful castle ruins would of loved to see its heyday. Great vid bud.

[Kevin-mxvi]

A very interesting castle. It reminds me of both Richmond and Barnard castles, which are further south and share a number of architectural and layout features. The keep is similar that of Richmond Castle, which is about 100 feet tall, complete, and can be climbed to the top, though is a little smaller in area. Barnard Castle is directly next to the Tees, so served to command that river, and shares many layout similarities. Both are very much worth visiting.

[jared]

Thank you, Norham Castle is now on my bucket list.

[perrydowd]

Norham Castle has come up in my reading from time to time and I've seen a few photographs over the years but your video really fleshes it out.

Thankyou for this great piece of work.👍👍

[owenhughesdrummer]

Awesome work my dude! Going to head down and see it soon! only an hour and a half away from me!

[theearlofmarch]

Top lad. Love anything to do with English-Scottish history and their shared border; truly a point of contention since the dawn of time it seems. Would love to see some more like this mate! All the best. x

[uba]

Man, this was great. More videos like this please.

[vijaysura]

Thanks, a must visit when I do the Kielder Forest thing.

[anthonysmith]

Great documentary. Never heard of that one. Learned something new today

[elizabethspedding]

It will be wonderful to visit these places again.

[ColKlinkerhofen]

Fantastic video, I live in Spittal so that's two videos you've made local to me. Might I suggest Chillingham Castle it has a fantastic history filled with torture and executions. If you do come back I'll try to get the local historians number for you. He holds the keys for the rooms in the walls around Berwick. We have countless castles and historic buildings, should you need any help with our area I'd love to help.

[carstentiensuu]

When this Covid-19 shite is over I will travel to the UK and visit these old ruins. Great channel :-)

[bloke]

I visited this castle, truly beautiful and amazing place.

[lindatimmons]

Love these vids on castles. I would so love to be able to visit one in person but i dont see that happening so i'll visit them here. ;)

[garbeal]

Was there yesterday and its a fantastic castle and it's free to get in.

[dpvztqe]

I love this castle, been there several times & free to enter.

[paradox]

It's crazy to think of the amount of man hours that went into the construction of castles like this.

There must have been a whole village needed to house and supply the numbers of different workmen and craftsmen.