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Cawood Castle -
what you see today are the inside of the original gateway, and the
banqueting hall - the remainder of the Castle was destroyed after the
Civil War, as Cawood had been a stronghold of the Royalists - stones from
the Castle found their way into many local houses of the time, including
Bank House! Cawood Castle was built on the banks of the tidal River
Ouse, as the home of the Archbishops of York. It was visited by many
Kings, including King John, who hunted game in nearby Bishop's Wood in the
13th Century; and Henry VIIIth and Catherine Howard.
The Danish King Athelstane probably built the first fortification at Cawood on the site of the present castle ruins. Castle great hall believed to have been constructed by Archbishop Henry Bowett in 1467 The
picture (left) is the view from the road - the "inside" of the
Castle gateway. The "outside" can be seen below
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I'm not sure if it made the Guinness Book of Records - but Cawood was also famous for the Great Feast of Cawood which was held in honour of the enthronement of George Nevill as Archbishop of York in 1466. His brother, the celebrated "Kingmaker", the Earl of Warwick, was a fifteenth century proponent of "one-up-manship", and wanted a bigger feast than that held at the King's coronation. |
The King's brother, the Duke of Gloucester, was one of many guests, and the feasting went on for several days -the villagers must have lived off the "leftovers" for some considerable time! The feast included: 104 oxen, 6 wild bulls, 1,000 muttons, 304 veals, 304 porks, 400 swans, 2,000 geese, 1,000 capons, 104 peacocks, 400 mallards and teals, 204 cranes, 204 kids, 2,000 chickens, 4,000 pigeons, 4,000 conies (rabbits) as well as 25,000 gallons of wine! (A full list is on display in the Ferry Inn - picture foot of local area page) |
| The Castle was seized by the Parliamentarians
during the Civil War. The Earl of Newcastle briefly took it back for the
Royalists in 1644, but it was re-taken by Lord Fairfax, and used by the
Parliamentarians as a prisoner of war camp. The gatehouse was built by Archbishop John
Kemp with stone from Huddlestone, the same stone was used for York
Minster.
Cawood Castle is now owned by the Landmark Trust, who operate it as a "holiday let". The gatehouse was used as a local court until 1932, during the Second World War it was used as an Officers' Mess, also used by the local Home Guard. |
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Cardinal
Wolsey came to Cawood as Archbishop of York in 1530 and
made himself popular with the villagers by putting right years of neglect.
However, before he was installed as Archbishop in York, the Earl of
Northumberland arrested him on charges of high treason; Wolsey fell ill at
Leicester on his way to London, and died. He therefore fulfilled Mother
Shipton's prophecy, that he would see the towers of York Minster but would
never be enthroned there. |
| Books on the history of Cawood include: "History of Sherburn and Cawood", William Wheater; "Cawood - The History of a Yorkshire Village", Michael Bell; "Church, Crown and Commonwealth at Cawood Castle", John Booth; and "The Day War Broke Out", John Booth. |  |
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Plan shows how Cawood Castle may have looked before it
was destroyed after the Civil War.
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Very useful, living next door - get to take lots of pictures! These are from the bridge, and behind the Jolly Sailor pub (above and right) |
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| This is inside the banqueting hall - Craft Fair (above) and
the outside, right.
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Cawood Castle and banqueting hall seen from the garth.
The gateway at Bishopthorpe Palace was built between 1763 and 1765, using stone from Cawood Castle. |
