Wark on Tweed Castle
| Wark on Tweed Castle | |
|
Northumberland | |
|---|---|
 The ruins of Wark on Tweed Castle | |
| Type: | motte and bailey caslte |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT822388 |
| Location: | 55°38’30"N, 2°16’55"W |
| Village: | Wark on Tweed |
| History | |
| Built 1136 | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Ruins |
Wark on Tweed Castle, sometimes referred to as Carham Castle is a ruined motte-and-bailey castle at the west end of Wark on Tweed in Northumberland. It looks over the River Tweed, which here marks the boundary with Berwickshire and in the evil days of the Middle Ages is overlooked the border of the two rival kingdoms of England and Scotland, whose wars were both the purpose of the castle and its destruction.
History
The castle, which was built by Walter Espec in 1136, was destroyed by the Scots following a siege in 1138 and then re-built between 1157 and 1161.[1] An octagonal keep was built on the motte in the early 13th century at roughly the same time that the towers and gatehouse were added.[1] It was here that in 1349, so the legend tells us, that King Edward III bent down and assisted the "Countess of Salisbury" (either Edward's future daughter-in-law Joan of Kent or her former mother-in-law, Catherine Montagu, Countess of Salisbury) with her garter and, in honour of that moment, subsequently founded the Order of the Garter.[2] The castle was demolished in 1549.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Wark on Tweed Castle". North of the Tyne. http://www.northofthetyne.co.uk/WarkonTweedCastle.html. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ↑ Reconstruction of Wark Castle - Maybole