Gleaston Castle
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Gleaston Castle is situated in a valley about 0.5 Km north-east of the village of Gleaston, which lies between the towns of Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness in the Furness peninsula, Cumbria, England (grid reference SD261715).
The site has been inhabited since the early part of the 13th century when it was probably occupied by a wooden hall. In 1297, John de Harrington I, Lord of Aldingham and Muchland began the construction of a stone building. It was much extended between 1325 and around 1340. The de Harrington family continued to live there until in 1457, William de Harrington, the last Lord Harrington of Aldingham and Muchland, died with no heir. The castle and estate then passed to Lord William Bonvilla and eventually passed by marriage to Thomas Grey, the great-grandfather of Lady Jane Grey. During this time the castle gradually fell into decay.
Thomas Preston purchased the castle and carried out some improvements to one of the towers in which he lived for a number of years. The Preston family retained ownership of the castle until around 1639, when it seems that Richard Gaitskell was living in the castle, possibly occupying one of the south towers. He may have occupied the site until the 1690s. The ruin later passed to the Cavendish family, and was sold by Lord Richard Cavendish of Holker Hall to Thomas Barton Jackson, of Bolton Manor, Urswick, a local farmer in 1920. It was bought by William Simpson Webster in 1926 and is still part of a working farm.
The ruins can be viewed from the road side, but it is unsafe to enter the castle due to its poor state of repair.
[edit] References
- Gleaston Castle 1
- Gleaston Castle 2
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3
[edit] See also
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