The New Murrey and Blue blog

Britain fair bulges with castles, especially along borders or simply impose control in troublesome areas. Some of these fortresses are stark, dramatic ruins that still carry the threatening air that was intended when they were built. Others are more beautiful….and still occupied by those fortunate enough to have, say, £9.5 million stashed away for a rainy day. Well, that lets me off the hook. My funds certainly don’t stretch that far, but oh, how I wish they did, because Appleby Castle in the Lake District is surely a very desirable property.

If you go to the above link you’ll find a ‘deliberate mistake’ in the following extract: “….Unsurprisingly, the castle has a rich history. At one point, it served as a county jail; in the mid 1400s it was owned by Richard II who was warden of the North before he became king….” Poor Richard II was dead long before the mid-1400s, so I imagine Richard III was meant, although even he wasn’t born until 1452, so he’d have been rather on the young side, maybe even  twinkle in Daddy York’s eye, and certainly couldn’t have been in charge of a castle. Especially as he was the youngest of the Duke of York’s four sons.

To learn Appleby’s history in more detail go to British History Online, where you can read all about the castle itself and the town of Appleby. However, although it gives volumes of information, floorplans and so on, I found no mention at all of a king, whether Richard II or III. All I found concerning the relevant period was: “….The main part of the castle towards the E. is said to have been re-built by Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron Clifford in 1454….” He died fighting on the Lancastrian side at the First Battle of St Albans on 22 May 1455.

There’s more at the castle’s own website and as the grand old place is now a hotel, you can at least pretend it’s yours by staying there! 🙄