Page images
PDF
EPUB

and 1119 it would seem impossible to fix the exact date-and doubtless at once moved his caput to Skelton. He married Agnes, a daughter of Fulke Paynel.

As nothing remains of Skelton Castle except the deep scarped ravines which surrounded the old Surdeval fortress, it is unnecessary to go into detail, in a work of this kind, with regard to its history. In 1119 Robert de Brus founded the famous and wealthy Priory of Guisborough, endowing it with truly regal prodigality,2 and in 1138, as a man well stricken in years, was one of the principal commanders of the Anglo-Norman army at the battle of the Standard. By his wife, Agnes Paynel, he had two sons, Adam, who inherited the barony of Skelton, and Robert, who inherited the Scottish property given to his father by David of Scotland, and who became the ancestor of the famous royal house of Scotland.

3

Adam Brus I was one of the adherents of Stephen against the Empress; and we have already noticed that Henry II compelled him to exchange his castle and lordship of Danby for lands in the West Riding. All historical inferences would tend to show that his son and heir, Adam II, in the last decade of the twelfth century, converted the old timber castle into a strong stone fortress with a rectangular keep. Adam II was succeeded by his son, Peter I, who, as we have already seen, repurchased his ancestral fortress at Castleton. He died in February, 1222, and was buried in Guisborough Priory. By his wife, Agnes, sister of William le Gros, Earl of Albemarle, and widow of William de Romara, Earl of Lincoln, he had, among other issue, a son Peter, who succeeded him. Peter was a man of very considerable power and influence, and one of the principal leaders of the baronial party against King John. On 31 January, 1216, John, in one of his rapid rushes to the North of England, came to Guisborough, where he spent a week, as the guest of the Prior, who was probably a somewhat unwilling host. From there he went to Skelton and received Brus'

1 As we have already seen Brus states, in his foundation charter (1119) to Guisborough, that he held his Skelton property "by the gift and grant of Henry, king of England," who came to the throne in 1100.

2" Twenty-nine carucates with the advowson of ten churches and other gifts speak for themselves. Guis

borough, which at the time of the Reformation was the fourth richest monastery in Yorkshire, being surpassed only

by St. Mary's, Fountains, and Selby, may be called, without any exaggeration, the creation of the Brus family.' Wm. Brown, Guisborough Chart., i, Intro., Pp. xvi-xvii.

3 Ninth in descent from this Robert was Robert Bruce, the celebrated warrior king of Scots.

Matt. Paris, Chron. Maj., Rolls Ser., ii, 531.

5 See the king's itinerary.

submission. On 12 February he went on to Scarborough.1 Practically all the North of England had been in arms against him, but all the North Riding barons submitted with the solitary exception of Robert de Roos, who held out defiantly in his great castle of Helmsley.2 Vesci of Malton appears to have been absent, and for this want of courtesy John ordered the destruction of his castle. Peter de Brus I would appear to have been the builder of the famous chapel within the castle of Skelton,3 which chapel would probably be in existence when he had the honour of entertaining, somewhat unwillingly no doubt, that very unpopular monarch, King John. By his wife, Helewise, one of the sisters and co-heiresses of Wm. de Lancaster, baron of Kendal, Peter II had, among other issue, a son Peter, who succeeded him. Peter III married Hillaria, eldest daughter of Peter de Mauley I, of Mulgrave Castle, and dying in 25 Henry III was interred at Guisborough. He was succeeded by his son, Peter,5 who died in 1272 without issue, when his vast estates were divided among his four sisters and co-heiresses, his eldest sister, Agnes, carrying Skelton Castle to her husband, Walter de Fauconberg. We may take it for granted that certain alterations would be made, previous to 1271, to the original stone castle erected c. 1190-1200 by Adam de Brus II.

The Fauconbergs resided at Skelton Castle for a considerable period, and would, no doubt, make minor alterations to the structure. Finally Joan, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas

1 Here William, Earl of Albemarle was probably in command. Rot. Lit. Pat. (Rec. Com.), i, 152.

2 Matt. Paris, Chron. Maj., Rolls Ser., ii, 642. The county of York was left under the control of three of John's favourites, Robert de Vipont, Brian de l'Isle, and Geoffrey de Lucy (ibid, ii, 643). The barons invoked the aid of Louis, the dauphin, and when he landed in England, the North Riding barons again rose in rebellion under Roos, Percy, and Brus (ibid., ii, 663).

3 In the latter part of the reign of King John, Peter de Brus, then lord of Skelton, is recorded to have delighted soe much in the beauty of the chapelle, that he gave certain landes unto Henry Percye, upon condition that every Christmasse day he should come to that castell, and leade his wife by the arme from her chamber to the chapell" (Cott. MS. Julius F.C., fo. 455, cited by Graves, History of Cleveland, p. 351).

4 In 10 Henry III he was one of the justices itinerant in Northumberland.

In 31 Henry III, on the partition of the lands of William de Lancaster, lord of Kendal, he had certain property

assigned to him in right of his grandmother, Helewise, the wife of Peter II. In 42 Henry III he served in the Welsh campaign. In 52 Henry III he was one of the justices itinerant in Yorkshire; in 53 Henry III was constable of Scarborough Castle; and left four sisters, his co-heiresses.

In his Ing. p. m. in 1271 (No. 32, mem. 4), it is stated that he held 1161 carucates of land.

7 See Yorkshire Inquisitions, i, 147. Walter de Fauconberg bore the arms : "Or, a fess azure, in chief three pallets gules," but subsequently assumed the Argent, a lion rampant azure the Bruces of Skelton Castle.

[ocr errors]

of

8 They lived at Skelton Castle for five generations. Walter, first Lord Fauconberg of Skelton Castle, died I Nov., 1304. He was succeeded by his son, Walter, second Lord Fauconberg (Chan. Ing. p.m., 32 Edw. I, No. 40)who married Isabel, daughter of Robert, Lord de Roos of Helmsley Castle, and died in 1318 (ibid., 12 Edw. II, No. 51)and who was succeeded by his son, John, third Lord Fauconberg. John, born 1290, High Sheriff of Yorkshire

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

!

[ocr errors]

Fauconberg, carried the castle to her husband, Sir William Neville,1 afterwards Earl of Kent, who died 3 Edward IV, leaving three daughters and co-heiresses, the youngest of whom, Alice, carried the castle in marriage to her husband, John, Lord Conyers. Skelton Castle remained the seat of the Conyers family until the reign of Mary Tudor, when an unfortunate dispute arose between the husbands and co-heiresses, a dispute which appears to have had very disastrous results. In 1577, the castle was purchased by Robert Trotter, whose descendants in 1342, settled the manor on himself with remainder to his son Walter, in tail, in 1344 (Cal. Patent Rolls, 1343-5, p. 301), and died in 1349 (Chan. Ing. p.m., 23 Edw. III (1st Nos.), No. 57). Walter, fourth Lord Fauconberg, who died 29 Sept., 1362, was buried in Guisborough_Priory. He was succeeded by his son, Thomas (ibid., 36 Edw. III (1st Nos.), No. 77), one-third of the property, however, being assigned as dower to his stepmother, Isabel (Close Rolls, 40 Edw. III, m. 11; Chan. Inq. p. m., 40 Edw. III (1st Nos.), No. 52). Thomas gave the reversion of this third, together with the castle, for his lifetime, to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland (Chan. Inq. p.m., 2 Hen. IV, No. 47), who was holding the fortress in 1401 (Cal. Patent Rolls, 1401-5, p. 24). As Thomas Fauconberg was incapable, through mental disorder, of looking after his estates, the custody of the castle was, in 1403, in the hands of the king, who granted it to Robert and John Conyers (ibid., 255). Thomas died in 1407 (Chan. Inq. p.m., 9 Hen. IV, No. 19), leaving issue by his second wife, Joan Bromflete, an only daughter and heiress, Joan (ibid., 9 Hen. IV, No. 19), his widow holding a third of the property as her dower (ibid., 10 Hen. IV, No. 15). This heiress, who was also mentally afflicted, married, when not 16 years old (ibid., 10 Hen. V, No. 22b), William Neville, second son of Ralph Neville, first Earl of Westmorland, by his second wife, Joan Beaufort.

[ocr errors]

1 Arms: Gules, a saltire argent differenced by a rose (The Ancestor, iv, 232), or by a red mullet (Harl. MS., 6163). He would appear to have subsequently quartered these with the

"

[ocr errors]

Argent, a lion rampant azure of the Bruces and Fauconbergs. He was the second son of Ralph Neville, first Earl of Westmorland by his second wife, Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, and was summoned to Parliament 3 August, 7 Henry VI (1429), as Lord Fauconberg of Skelton Castle, in right of his wife. He was created Earl of Kent 30 June, 1461; fought as a Yorkist leader at Towton, was a K.G., and Admiral of England. Died 9 January, 1463, and was buried in Guisborough Priory.

VOL. XXII.

2 An ancient MS. (Cott. MS. Julius F.C., fo. 455) gives the following interesting description of the castle about this time. On the righte Hande an antyent castle all rente and torne yt seemed rather by the unkind vyolence of man, than by the envye of Tyme, shewed itself on the syde of a broken banke. I demanded of my guide how the castle was named and what misfortune had so miserablye deprived yt. Sir, Quoth he, yt is Skelton Castle, the ancyent inheritance of the Lord Bruce, and dignified with the title of an Honor, which by marriage came to the Lord Falconbridge, and successively to the Lord Conyers, who leaving three daughters, co-partners of his estate, much Varyance fell betwixt their Husbands for the Division of their shares, that neither Partye being inclyned to yield unto other, every one for despite ruyned the part of the castle whereof he was in possession, lest afterwards by suyte of Lawe the Lott should fall to another, insomuch that the goodlye chappell, one of the Jewells of this kingdom, rudely went to the Grounde, with the fayre Hall and large towers; but now scarcelye are the Ruynes of a Chappell to be seene, such Barbarisme raseth out the Glorye of noble families, when an entyre Right of Inheritance is not invested in the Person of one Man." If we may accept this story as correct, it is evident that the famous chapel was destroyed some 350 years ago. The MS. referred to has been printed in the Topographer and Genealogist, ii, 403-432, the passage given above commencing on P. 419. Mr. Wm. Brown, F.S.A., in a letter to the writer, says, "I should be inclined to accept the story as true. The guide mentioned may actually have been an eye-witness to the destruction of the chapel."

Robert Trotter died in 1611, and was succeeded by his son Henry, who died in 1623, and was succeeded by his son George, who, in turn, was followed by Edward Trotter, who married Mary, daughter of Sir John Lowther of Lowther, which alliance accounts for the presence, in the hall at Skelton Castle, of a portrait of John, Lord Lowther. Edward died in 1708, and was succeeded

Y

« PreviousContinue »