Carlisle, Hadrian's Wall & Borderlands
Carlisle Castle
The city of Carlisle, around 8 miles south
of the border with Scotland, has had a turbulent and often
bloody history and Carlisle Castle bore the brunt of the
frequent attacks on the city as the Scots and the English
battled over this important strategic area.
King William II built the first stronghold
in 1093, initially an earth and wood construction, quick
to put up and cheap to build. The Castle was rebuilt by Henry
I, but fell into Scots hands in 1135. In 1157 when Henry
II reclaimed Cumberland the Castle was rebuilt in stone and
remained the property of the Crown until 1216 when the Scottish
King Alexander II once again led the Scots forces across
the border to take control.
On the first floor level a chilling legend
is revealed in the 'licking stones'. The room was utilised
as the dungeon during the Jacobite Rising and, suffering
from a lack of water, the prisoners used to lick the stones
in an effort to obtain enough moisture to stay alive. The
imprint of the captives tongues is clearly visible in the
damp sandstone walls.
Queen Mary's Tower, in which Mary Queen
of Scots was imprisoned, was one of the oldest parts of the
castle. Records show that it was the original Norman entrance
into the castle. It was blocked when the outer gatehouse
and Captain's Tower were built.
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