Conisbrough is a bit of a backwater today, but it's current population belies the notoriety of its history. The name comes from the Old English for King's Borough though we don't know to which king the name refers. The town dates from at least the seventh or eighth century based on extant buildings and Anglo-Saxon pottery fragments. The stone St. Peter's church was built around 750 AD and likely replaced an earlier wooden building.
The Castle's History
By the time of the Norman Conquest, the castle was held by Harold Godwinson, successor to Edward the Confessor. He lost his life and throne to William at the Battle of Hastings and the castle transferred to the new king. As with many other sites, William metted out castles and lands to a loyal follower, William de Warenne, a Norman from the Varenne river valley in France. De Warenne immediately set to establishing his influence over his newfound lands. He established Lewes Priory, a Clunic monastery where both he and his wife were buried. He began improvements at other castles, but nothing significant at Conisbrough. For his loyalty, William was named Earll of Surrey by the Conquerer, a title he passed to his son upon his death in 1088.
It wasn't until his great-granddaughter, Isabel de Warenne, that the castle was built in stone with the impressive keep we see today. Her son, yet another William, constructed the curtain walls possibly in response to the turbulent reign of King John. William bequeathed the much expanded castle to his son, John, who proved good use of it. He was a quarrelsome and devious character, regularly at odds with nearby lords and his own people who eventually appealed to the king. John's own son was killed in a tournament and his grandson inherited the castle in 1304.
This John, the 8th Earl, was the last of the de Warennes. King Edward I married him to his granddaughter, Joan of Bar, but the marriage was notoriously unhappy. The couple lived apart of most of their marriage and requested a divorce (that was promptly denied). John attempted to marry his mistress and legitimize his children to no avail. For reasons still not understood, he kidnapped the wife of his mortal enemy, Thomas of Lancaster. In revenge, Lancaster seized Conisbrough in 1319. It was only the execution of the Lancaster in 1322 for rebellion against Edward II that saw Conisbrough returned to John de Warenne. His mistress and sons died before him so succession was a moot point. Upon his death in 1347, Conisbrough reverted to the crown.
From here, the castle began its association with the Yorks. When John died, Edward III was king. His fourth surviving son, Edmund of Langley, needed a title. Dubbed first as Earl of Cambridge and later Duke of York, Edmund received some of de Warenne's lands including Conisbrough; the House of York was established. Major additions were made to the domestic range and the hunting park at Conisbrough. He married Isabella of Castille. Their second son, Richard, was born at Conisbrough in the midst of a very public and scandalous affair with the Earl of Huntingdon. Possibly as a result, Richard was left nothing by his father and lived as his elder brother's tenant at Conisbrough. His relative poverty embittered him and he rebelled against the king and paid the ultimate price.
His son, another Richard, inherited the title of York and Conisbrough from his uncle in 1415. It was this Richard along with his wife Cecily Neville that produced Edward IV and Richard III. The latter carried out the last known repairs on Conisbrough in 1483. A survey made just fifty years later already reported some collapses of walls and gates. The stone was valued at 200 pounds indicating the deconstruction of its buildings.
Elizabeth I granted the castle remains to her cousin, Henry Carey, the eldest son of her maternal aunt. The lands remained in the Carey family. In 1725, Samuel Buck made an engraving of the castle when visiting Carey's descendents. The image shows Conisbrough much as it appears today. Shortly after, the manor was sold to the Duke of Leeds. But the engraving continued to circulate and inspired Sir Walter Scott's novel, Ivanhoe in 1819.
The town of Conisbrough grew dramatically in the 19th century with the opening of coal mines nearby. Works began at the castle to shore up the ruins and to preserve it. The castle continued to interest visitors and eventually passed to the Ministry of Works for upkeep. English Heritage acquired the property in 1984 and continued to improve the site, including the installation of a roof and flooring in the tower to better protect it.
Visiting the Castle
Visitors enter the castle through the ruined barbican. Barbicans typically were framed by towers, but there is no evidence here. The tight walls curve on a steep grade as a deterant to encroaching enemies. An older tower in the curtain wall abuts the barbican. This ring of walls was built around 1200. The gatehouse was remodeled in the 14th century with Edward II likely footing the bill. Today, you can see the collapsed gatehouse, still somewhat intact despite its 15 foot fall. The portcullis slot is still visible.
The great tower was builing in the late twelfth century by Hamelin de Warenne. The buttresses are wedged shaped, larger towards the tower to mitigate the splay of the tower itself. Only one room, the chapel, is built into the buttresses. The first floor is without light and likely served as a store area and provided access to a well below.
The stairs are quite odd at Conisbrough. Instead of a simple spiral, guests must cut across each floor to climb higher. The flight to the second floor is wide and well lit, but higher floors have narrower cases and iron fitting remains exist to show that access to the upper floors could be restricted. The Great Chamber on the second floor still has its immense fireplace with foliage carvings like those found at Yorkminster. The third floor housed the bed chamber and the before mentioned buttress chapel. It has a wonky arch, forced to fit in the unusual space created by the buttress.
The inner bailey housed several buildings - the stone footings can still be seen including the north range of the kitchen, great hall, and solar. This was an expansion to fit the later medieval tastes for more comfort and space. The kitchens were just next to the great tower and started the range with the hall and solar. The great hall was the largest room in the castle and the center of activity. The solar was the noble family's accomodations, much more luxurious than what the tower could provide. The eastern range provided apartments and the south range's purpose remains unknown.
St. Peter's
Just to the southwest of the castle lies St. Peter's. The church is believed to be the oldest building in South Yorkshire. The stone structure dates back at least to 750 and likely replaced a wooden struction. This Saxon church is still at the heart of the current building. In 1050, the chancel was replaced with a larger square one. The population was growing and the nave was expanded to the north between 1150 and 1175 to accomodate additional worshippers. By 1200, the south wall of the nave was pushed out. Around this time, St. Peter's was given to Lewes Priory. It also served as the mother church to seventeen other in the area.
The porch was added in 1325. It houses a Roman relief carving possibly of St Peter with his keys. There is aslo a grave slab that cannot be read and could be upside down. In the fifteenth century, the church underwent another substantial remodel in favor of the Perpendicular Style. The tower and the walls were raised and a vestry and Lady Chapel were added. The octagonal font dates from this period as well.
The nave boasts oak pews, many of which were made by Robert Thompson. Can you spot one of his 27 mouse carvings? The pillars boast a few heads that survived Puritan removals including a recycled Roman soldier. In the north aisle, twelfth century glass was incorporated into the nineteenth century updates, depicting Old Testament figures.
The Chantry Chapel, to the left of the altar, was added in the 15th century. The altar slab is from the castle. In 1954, it was rededicated to those lost in the war. As you leave, you can look at the squint of hagioscope that allowed the priest to see into the chancel before it was remodeled. Despite its expansion the south window has been refitted with medieval glass featuring Our Lady and possibly the Prior of Lewes. To the right of the altar, there is an intricate grave cover featuring a dragon and a knight, possibly St. George. An older cover sits nearby and is thought to be Saxon with badly worn ravens. The fourteenth century piscina or basin is nearby.
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