Raby Castle

Raby Castle (grid reference NZ12912177) is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among 200 acres (810,000 m2) of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Edward IV and Richard III, was born here. After Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, led the failed Rising of the North in favour of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1569 Raby Castle was taken into royal custody.

Sir Henry Vane the Elder purchased Raby Castle in 1626 and neighbouring Barnard Castle from the Crown, and the Earls of Darlington and Dukes of Cleveland added a Gothic-style entrance hall and octagonal drawing room. From 1833 to 1891 they were the Dukes of Cleveland and they retain the title of Lord Barnard. Extensive alterations were carried out in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is famed for both its size and its art, including works by old masters and portraits. After 1733 it was frequented from his young age of eleven by the poet Christopher Smart, who eloped briefly at the age of thirteen with Anne Vane, daughter of Henry Vane, who succeeded to the Barnard title. It is a Grade I listed building and open to the public on a seasonal basis.

The castle is still a private home and remains the seat of the Vane family, the Barons Barnard. The 11th Baron carried out an extensive programme of renovation and restoration after inheriting the barony in 1964.

Text adapted from “Raby Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Raby Castle ranks #696 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #50 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded 1378, it is older than 56% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 582 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 15,081 times in the last 60 days, more than 96% of the atlas. 6 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Sunderland, 44 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗