Wednesday 27 August 2008

Langley Castle.

Driving from the A69 up to Allendale we passed Langley Castle. All the years we have been in Cumbria we have associated the castle with the meals and entertaining. However AG Bradley's book on the "Romance of Northumberland " , first printed in 1908 tells an altogether different story. The early owners were the Tindall family but the house eventually passed by marriage to the Lucy's. The third generation of the new owners was Sir Thomas who fought at Crecy and immediately afterwards was sent to fight the Scots at Neville's Cross. It was the money from these two famous battles which went into changing the house into the Castle. And it was no folly either, for those times were dangerous indeed with the Border raids. The next owners were the Percies. and it then passed to the Nevilles and in the seventeenth century to the Ratcliffes. The Earl of Derwentwater then passed it, wlong with the rest of his estate to the Trustees of Greenwich Hospital. From there it was passed to Cadwallader Bates who started the restoration work.When his wife died in 1932 it was used as an army barracks and then a girls school. It is now a luxury hotel.





Panoramio
Wikipedia

4 comments:

Pawsonlady said...

My 14th, 15th & 16th Great Grandfather Tyndale's were born in this Castle between 1370 & 1435! My 17th Great Grandfather was the Baron of Tyndale & owned the land before the Langley Castle was built.

BearChub4U said...

So the Langley Castle was NEVER owned by anyone named Langley?

Unknown said...

My father was a Langley and his family always thought this castle was in their family but I can't see any Langleys mentioned in the history so I'm wondering why it was called Langley Castle

delucy7 said...

My mother was a de Lucy her Gt.grandfather was a french Soldier, came back from Australia in the late 188o's. My grandfathers name was Thomas de Lucy. how bizarre.