The Gateway Walk

These pages were contributed my Malcolm Hanson, who runs the Skipton Experience guided walks

Part 4

Skipton Castle - Robert DeRomille

We now cross the road, briefly skirting the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, and where, upon arriving on the forecourt, we step into the shadows of the gatehouse of Skipton Castle.

In the beginning was a Roman road. On this Roman road would be, perhaps, several wooden huts. Not far from here, a little further up the cleft, and near to a stream would be more huts. Both settlements would be connected by an unbeaten track with, possibly, a further hut or two alongside. This would probably have been the sight that met the eyes of Robert DeRomille when Williarn the Conqueror sent him to Craven to bring a feudal system of ruling to the northern wilds of England. A great soldier like DeRomille could not have missed the significance of how the little settlements nestled quietly amid a natural cleft between two hills; overshadowed by a great rock, and with plenty of fresh water from streams that flowed down to a river in the valley.

Yes, like most places, 1066 and all that figures in the history of Skipton, shaping it from a nondescript hamlet into a powerful stronghold within a century of the Conqueror's arrival.

Work began towards the latter end of the 11th century, and soon DeRomille controlled the trade routes along the Aire Valley, exacting tolls on all travellers, and collecting rents from the hillside sheep farmers. By and by, tradesmen and their families would settle in the area; no doubt attracted by the safety of living within the shadows of the great round towers of the Norman Keep - something that would hopefully keep at bay the ever-present threat of Scottish incursion. High taxes might be extracted, but all in all a fair enough deal for those concerned - protection was something you did not barter for. DeRomille was succeeded by, among others, the Earls of Albermarle; and whilst he himself may now be a figure in Skipton's distant past, his name isn't. It lives forever enshrined in the vast expanse of moorland to the south east of the town known as Rombalds Moor.

In the 12th century, much larger towers and battlements were added to the edifice - leaving behind little evidence of Romille's earlier construction. This later castle became the possession of Edward I; while Edward II visited, and Piers Gaveston - his lover - resided there. In 1308 things again changed when a powerful predator family - acting as mercenaries for the king - was granted the Honour of Skipton, its castle and accompanying lands. This was said to be 'for services rendered to the king' though he obliged them to give up lands in Monmouthshire before they were allowed to set foot in Craven. The name of this warring clan
was 'De Clifford'.

Immediately, Robert De Clifford - the first Lord Clifford - began to build a new and more substantial castle on the rock, while at the same time allowing the monks of Bolton Priory to finance the building of a church close by. A mill was also built around this time at the side of Eller Beck, and more houses and farms were developed. Over the years successive Lords Clifford would keep up the expansion programme, though quite a few went off to fight and die gloriously in battles overseas - always in the name of the king!

But we are going to let rest the memories of these earlier Cliffords in favour of moving forwards in time to the lives of two later members of this illustrious family; the first being someone we have already made the acquaintance of; our friend the 'Shepherd Lord' - 10th Lord Clifford, born in 1454, and the one romantic legend claims was spirited away in order to escape the wrath of the Yorkists.

There is much that is true in this story; Henry Clifford did flee the enemy Yorkists as a boy, and he certainly became a shepherd, even remaining an ignoramus before taking up his Lordship of Skipton Castle, but the portrait painted of him as a simple, friendly man by Lady Anne Clifford is somewhat off the mark. Let's take another look at that legend...

Henry and his brother Richard were living at Londesborough when their father, the 'Butcher' John was killed at Ferrybridge. Fearing for their safety, their mother, Lady Margaret, sent them first to the coast, possibly Scarborough, and then supposedly to the low countries. No one can be sure of exactly where the two brothers were at this time, but at some point Henry was returned in secret to Londesborough, while his brother Richard is thought by some to have settled in Norfolk, and perhaps have gone abroad later in life. Henry was taught to be a shepherd at Londesborough, and was there for at least ten years before being taken to Threlkeld near Keswick, and although he remained a fairly obscure figure at this time, it is fairly certain that Edward IV knew of his existence. But the present king was said not to hold grudges, and there was little evidence of the 'ever-present danger' that some would claim stalked Henry right up to the death of Richard Ill.

When the throne was taken by Henry VII in 1485, the returning Lord was summoned to the king's Court; there to be knighted and to have his lands and fortunes restored. Things looked rosy between king and knight, and to further improve the relationship our Henry married Anne St John of Bletsoe - cousin german to the future Henry VIII. It should have been a happy ever after ending, but it was not to be. Lord Henry was to arouse the displeasure of the king by embarking on a string of affairs; repaying the concern of his monarch by feigning ignorance and continuing his shenanigans. Relations were further soured between the two when 'The Shepherd' began dragging his feet over tax-dues.

There were further troubles in store when Lord Henry all but went to war against Roger Tempest Esq., triggering the intervention of the King's Council, and once again angering the king. This story is worth telling simply because it shows that this Lord Clifford was not all 'peace and light' as Lady Anne described him.

It went like this: Roger Tempest had been brought up as a ward of Henry's, probably living at Skipton Castle. Henry managed the nearby Tempest estates but now young Roger, who had grown to manhood, wanted to claim his inheritance and do things for himself. Henry refused the request and Roger was obliged to take him to court to win his freedom. Tempest won the case and was granted £1000 amages, yet the Shepherd Lord ignored payment and a feud began. Tempest's men trespassed on Henry's lands, cutting down trees, hunting deer, and trampling grass in pastureland. Clifford retaliated by driving cattle onto Tempest's meadows, then entering his stores and destroying all the corn. Roger sued again and Henry lost - being bound over in the sum of £1000 to keep the peace and ordered to pay Tempest £28 damages. But did the Shepherd Lord pay up? Possibly - but then he promptly had his men go over and pull Tempest's house down!

Now Henry had really set the cat among the pigeons! He was immediately summoned to explain his actions before a greatly displeased sovereign; being fined a further £2000 in the process. However, the king's intervention finally brought the 'Shepherd' to his senses and he and Roger patched things up. Yet the stormy relationship between king and knight continued right into Henry Vill's reign, and one might be forgiven for wondering why that mighty monarch did not cry "Off with his head!" when Henry yet again defaulted on his taxes. This time it was Cardinal Wolsey's turn to dole out the fine - something that was fast becoming a way of life to all concerned!

Still, let's not be harsh on the memory of our fabled Shepherd Lord, for he was a good man as Lady Anne described him; rebuilding his family's fortunes after that most ancient and noble dynasty had faced obscurity, and possibly even oblivion. He spent his later days at Barden Tower, away from the hustle and bustle of life, quietly studying astronomy and alchemy. Yet at the age of 60, he was called on to lead Craven forces at the Battle of Flodden Field in Northumberland and he was said to have 'displayed all the warlike qualities of his ancestors' in helping to defeat King James IV of Scotland. Hats off to our 'Shepherd'!

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