DILSTON CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND

Dilston Castle and the rebellious Radcliffe’s.

Northumberland; that picturesque county bordering Scotland, scene of countless battles and raids, home to many fine castles, meandering rivers, bleak moor’s, craggy plateau’s and deep dark wood’s. In a county so rich in heritage it is not strange to find many stories, myths and legends attached to so many places. Dilston Castle is no exception; its ruins stand now, weathered and rotten, open to the elements, its use as a fortification now redundant, nearby Dilston Hall being its more beautiful, and much younger sister. And yet still it stands, its history echoing from its own walls, thick, sturdy and resilient. Work is being conducted to find the remains of the rest of the castle, work done by the North Pennines Heritage Trust and the Friends of Historic Dilston shall forever keep the location alive, allowing people to view it whenever they are open, it may not have its original majesty, but a site with so much history deserves to be viewed for all the right reasons, its history untainted by lies, myths and falsehoods, despite the best attempts at creating its own myths in years gone by.

The site known as Historic Dilston encapsulates not just the ruined Castle, but also the Recusant Catholic Chapel and Dilston Hall. These two locations are also rich in their historical value, but to understand these places the history of the whole must be covered, and sadly knowledge of it is scarce. What stands today is the remains of a Tower House, known as a Pele Tower although in truth it has been altered to such an extent that little remains of its original shape. Tower houses were commonplace in the border country, a place built to protect not only the Castellans family but also his cattle, the ground floor would be kept as a barn area, yet still able to withstand an attack, the only way into the first floor would be via a wooden staircase attached to the outside of the building, this is evident still on the castle ruins, its first floor doorway still remains. The wooden staircase, if under attack, would be destroyed or even burned to stop any would be attackers getting into the first floor, the first floor itself would have housed household family, troops and servants, as well as a kitchen and perhaps a hall where everyone ate and many would also sleep. The top floor would probably have constituted the lords solar room where he slept and also the rooms belonging to his wife and children, any visiting nobles would in fact have shared a bed with the lord, or at least have shared the solar room with him. Sir William Claxton built Dilston Castle in the mid 1400’s, perhaps as early as 1421. It is believed to have been built directly on top of a much earlier fortification, possibly of 11th-12th century Norman origin and perhaps belonging to the medieval lords of Dyvelston and Tynedale, Dyvelston being the name of a medieval village which is now only evident via archaeological work done in fields nearby and also where the current name of Dilston comes from, both of course gaining their name from the Devilswater, a small river which skirts the site and is a tributary of the River Tyne.

It is certain that building materials were taken from the nearby Hadrian’s Wall; in fact a Roman gravestone (belonging to a woman) is interned in the walls of the Chapel. Dilston Castle grew in size from its building in the 15th Century; the Radcliffe family became part of the story when Edward Radcliffe married Anne Cartington, the heiress of Dilston. His grandfather, Sir Nicholas Radcliffe, had married Elizabeth, heiress of Sir John de Derwentwater and this explains how, in time, the Radcliffe’s became Earls of Derwentwater. The Radcliffe’s however did not take possession of the Dilston estate until 1521, in the time of Edward and Anne’s son, Sir Cuthbert Radcliffe. Rebellion came easy to the Radcliffe’s, who by now had begun to alter Dilston Castle by adding a manor house and servant wings, changing it to a more modern format, yet still keeping its defensive integrity. By 1616 Cuthbert’s grandson, Sir Francis Radcliffe was in overall control of the Castle, it is thought he was part of the Gunpowder Plot in which a group of Roman-Catholic nobles (of which Francis was for sure) planned to assassinate King James I of England, VI of Scotland and the protestant houses of Parliament, of course everyone knows the plan was rumbled when Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellar beneath parliament with more than a few barrels of gunpowder, Sir Francis Radcliffe was imprisoned and questioned however Guy Fawkes did not give his name and was brutally executed for his treason, it is thought that Sir Francis used the funds for this abortive assassination in his own building works at Dilston, firstly the post-reformation Roman Catholic recusant Chapel and a small Bridge now spanning the Devilswater, known as the Lords Bridge. Sir Francis became the first Baronet of the Radcliffe’s, a title he passed on to his own son Edward who became second Baronet; he also passed on to him his unyielding faith in the Roman Catholic Church, and his rebellious streak. In 1642 King Charles went to war with his Parliament as both sides attempted to control the country, Sir Edward fought for the Royalist cause to its ultimate end, Sir Edward spent much of his time at another of his estates, he had bought the Langley estate (and Castle) from the Earl of Annandale in 1631, as well as numerous other properties including the Alston Lead Mines, giving him some substantial economic power in the north. This was all for naught when it came to war however as after the Civil War he was forced to sell, let or give to the commonwealth most of his estates and properties, including the aforementioned Langley Castle.

Possibly the most fortunate, if not ambitious Radcliffe was Sir Edwards son, another Sir Francis Radcliffe, he was fortunate in that his son Edward was married to an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II, Lady Mary Tudor, again showing the Roman Catholic reputation of the family by marrying a lady with such a name, a name probably still hated in much of England at the time. Her mother had been the actress Moll Davis and so she was no true Princess, however his elevated status did allow him to become ennobled as the 1st Earl of Derwentwater. His son Sir Edward became the 2nd Earl of Derwentwater, who with his wife had a son, is now known to history as the “Thundering Earl”, his name is synonymous with the Jacobite cause in Northumbria.

James Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater was a man devoted to his faith and the Stuart cause; his ancestors had even been the Stuart Kings, albeit via the illegitimate side of a Royal child, this would have filled his head with stories of glory and betrayal as a child. He was born in an age where Parliament took away his Catholic Stuart King, his families crown as he may have seen it, or been taught it. James II had been replaced with a Protestant Dutchman, William of Orange and his wife Mary, daughter of James II, and distant relative of the 3rd Earl. James Radcliffe spent little time at Dilston, instead he grew up in France, it wasn’t until 1710 that the 3rd Earl came to live in England; he immediately set about changing Dilston Castle, creating elegant gardens, destroying buildings and re-landscaping the entire plateau on which the location stands. Just a few years later the ex-King James needed help as he planned to re-take his crown. James 3rd Earl Derwentwater had by now married Anna Maria (again a very Catholic name), daughter of Sir John Webb, Baronet of Odstock in Wiltshire and in the autumn of 1714 he and his new wife came to Dilston, content to be in each others company. Also in 1714 the British Queen Anne had died without an heir to take the throne, many now believed it to be the right time for the Stuarts to return, Parliament however had other ideas and brought in George I Elector of Hanover as King of Great Britain. Many were upset and government forces were active throughout 1714 to round up any Jacobite sympathisers in lower England and Wales, the Jacobites gained their name from the Latin Jacobus which means James (Jacobin is French for James and is also seen as the reason). Scottish Jacobites flocked to the standard of the Earl of Mar at Braemar in late August to early September 1715, where around 16’000 Scots gathered to go to war to bring back their Stuart Catholic King from exile, men from 26 Highland Clans joined forces with lowland Regiments; in total some 20 Scottish nobles joined the cause. In Northumbria the numbers may have been much less, but to James Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater it mattered little. John Erskine, the Earl of Mar gathered all of these men together in the guise of a “Great Hunting Match”; orders for the campaign to come were sent out to English Tory leaders in the North, one of which was named Thomas Forster.

Thomas Forster was a cousin of James Radcliffe, a Tory politician who wanted the Stuarts to return to power. He was however not a very good soldier or leader of one and it showed in the almost farcical events which constitute what is now known as the “Preston Fight”. After abortive attempts at attacking Newcastle the Northumbrian Jacobites gained much needed reinforcements from the Earl of Mar, the 300 cavalrymen of Forster's faction were joined first by a group of Scottish borderers under the command of Viscount Kenmure. Radcliffe only took around 30 men with him from his estate, men of his religion yet again not real soldiers. After Kenmure’s forces had arrived word had come of more reinforcements in the form of a Regiment of Scots under the command of Mackintosh of Borlum, these were much better troops, exercised in war and eager to fight. Yet it seems they were not eager to fight in England, for before they crossed the border there was a near mutiny of them, many simply sitting down and not wanting to leave their beloved Scotland, it was with some force that Borlum managed to get them moving, perhaps it may have been better if they had stayed put.

In Early November this combined force managed to get to Preston in Lancashire, ahead of them stood a larger force of Government soldiers under the command of General Charles Wills. Borlum had sent troops ahead of Preston to hold the Ribble Bridge between Preston and their goal of Manchester, when they found out Wills’ forces were not far away orders were given to yield the bridge to the enemy, Preston was to be defended, here Forster shows his lack of military knowledge for the Ribble bridge was a much better defensive position to hold off a superior enemy army. On the 12th November Government forces came upon the smaller Jacobite force barricaded into certain streets within Preston, Wills ordered an immediate assault, he had at his disposal around 2’500 men, as opposed to the 1’700 men of the Jacobites. The assault was a disaster; the Scots defending the part of town being attacked managed to cause sufficient casualties on their enemy attackers that the Government troops fell back in disarray. Over the night of the 12th to 13th many Jacobites fled town, those who stayed fought a desperate sniper battle with Government soldiers, both sides set fire to houses to stop the enemy gaining control of them, this also allowed both sides to be illuminated, something the Scots took full advantage of, killing many more Government troops. Any hope of victory however was lost on the 13th of November when more Government troops arrived to sow up the holes which the Jacobites had been using to escape; now there was no hope of winning, and no chance to get away. Thomas Forster agreed to the talk to the Government forces about the surrender of the Jacobite force, this angered many of the Scotsmen who had come south against their better judgement, the Scots paraded through the town, threatening anyone who would surrender, it was all to naught however as after another night of sniping the Jacobite leader Forster agreed to unconditional surrender.

1,468 Jacobites were taken prisoner, 463 of them English. George Seton, 5th Earl of Winton, William Maxwell, 5th Earl of Nithsdale and James Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater were among those captured and sentenced to be executed for treason under an act of attainder. Winton and Nithsdale escaped from the Tower of London.James Radcliffe was not so lucky, he was executed in February 1716 on Tower Hill. His family continued to use the title Earl of Derwentwater and it may have been because of this that the estates of the Earls were confiscated by an Act of Attainder in 1748, two years after Bonnie Prince Charlies lost campaign to get the Stuarts on the British throne, a campaign which ended in the horror of Culloden. The estates were granted to the Royal Greenwich Hospital, by now the Castle had seen its last resident, however the magnificent Dilston Hall, begun in 1709 for the Earl, had not been finished yet many features of it allowed it be classed among the very finest of Northumbrian Manor Houses, its interior was furnished with the best French furniture, it included rooms for servants and guests alike and had more living quarters on its third floor. It is said there were also fountains and a forecourt paved in black veined limestone with the entrance being marble laced. All this was lost after the ’45 Rising of Bonnie Prince Charlie as the Government wanted to eradicate all traces of the Earl of Derwentwater, they tore down much of the buildings, leaving what remains today, testament to the strength of the Northumbrian spirit, and the rebellious pride of the estates owners.

Some curious tales surround Historic Dilston, one is certain to be pure fantasy, the others are more open to the realms of possibility. First the blatant lie. The following story appeared in the Monthly Chronicle in 1888 and centres around the plight of Queen Margaret of Anjou and her escape from Britain after her husbands Lancastrian forces had taken a beating in what was little more than a large skirmish close to Dilston Castle. It is seen as a very important battle however because a number of prominent Lancastrians were captured or killed, including the Earl of Somerset and Lord Tailbois “with moche mony on hym”. Queen Margeret after the fight took refuge in some woods nearby, where she was beset by robbers who “treated her with utmost indignity”, she escaped her tormentors with her son, the Prince, and fled into the darker parts of the forest where she was followed by another scoundrel out for money. Instead of fighting the man or giving in to him she pushed forward her child saying to the man “Here my friend, I commit to your care the safety of your Kings son.” The man was taken aback but instead of stealing yet more valuables, or indeed taking them to the nearest Yorkist commander, he agreed to help them hide and escape. A cave close to the Devils Water is said to be still called the Queens Cave, its roof supported by a pillar of crude masonary. According to tradtion the pillar forms part of a wall which was used to divide the cave into apartments. There was said to have been a survey of the cave in 1822 giving its length at thirty-one feet and fourteen feet in breadth, whilst its height is “scarcely enough to allow a person to stand upright” (though people were smaller in the 15th Century). The Queen was said to have made her way to the coast and then to Sluys in Flanders, she returned later with her son, now grown older, to cause more trouble to the Yorkist cause.

Sadly most of this is wrong (or at least didn’t occur in 1464 after the Battle of Hexham), for Queen Margaret was already abroad at the time of the battle. So if this story is wrong, then what about other stories which have been recollected from the Northumberland Courier? Perhaps Dilston’s best known Ghost story comes directly from this source too, but like any reported phenomena it should be approached with both caution and intrigue, no investigation has ever answered the question “do ghosts exist” and they probably never will, so to dismiss one story because of historical fact is apt, to dismiss another because of an opinion is simply wrong. To this end Otherworld North East Paranormal Research and Investigationg group are running investigations at Historic Dilston throughout 2009 and probably beyond. Their aim is to study and record the paranormal phenomena associated with such an historic site. The main story which I refered to earlier concerns the “Thundering Earl” (taken from Tony Liddell, a prominent member of OWNE) is said to have been seen riding with his troop of horse down a pathway and across the Lords bridge, this tale however comes driectly from the Northumbrian Monthly Chronicle in the same year as the Queen Margaret story, so can it be trusted? Of course that’s an unanswerable question, not so much a question that does not have an answer, but one which should have no answer because as I said all reported phenomena should be looked at in detail. Other paranormal phenomena associated with the site take on the form of objects being moved within some glass cases inside the Recusant Church. Pieces found in the fields nearby or in the grounds have been interned in the Church as a small museum of relics, on one occasion two people were talking when they heard a large crashing noise and went to find that part of an old perfume bottle had been moved 6-10 inches, there were other pieces within the same compartment on the cabinet and yet they had stayed still, all that had moved was the perfume bottle shard. Seen walking hand in hand across the Lords bridge is a gentleman and lady, possibly the Thundering Earl and his wife though of course could be anybody as no one has seen them long enough to ask their names. Also on the Lords Bridge someone camping close by saw “someone or something” glide across the bridge at a very fast speed, despite the fact that security gates were on the bridge, from the angle where the man was camping to where the bridge is I believe he could have seen an owl glide across the bridge and mistook it for a grey shape, though of course it will be part of OWNE’s investigation. Lastly the carpark is situated in a copse of tall tree’s, which when it is dark can take on a sinister edge, as anyone who’s been inside a forest at night will know. One person, described to me as a resolute skeptic, was walking through the carpark area one evening when she felt someone grab her shoulder, she imediately ran for the Hall nearby and despite still being skeptical she does not know what happened that night.

Perhaps the strangest story associated with the site is that of a squatter in the mid to late 19th century. This squatter claimed to be called Amelia Matilda Mary Tudor Radcliffe, she had come from Austria to claim her birthright, or so she said. In 1868 she was removed from the castle, where she had been living in the ruins beneath a tarpaulin. During her stay she had almost run a sword through the local bailiff who was collecting rents on “her lands”, she may have done it had her sword not broken in two, she had loaned money from people to settle the situation legally, however she wasn’t actually the heir at all and when her supporters grew restless Amelia had to sell some of the “family” heirlooms, she believed them to be worth £200’000. She received just £200 from the sale of many items, she continued to fight for what she believed was hers, but eventually she lost her will to go on, in 1880 she died a poor woman. Later evidence points to her real identity, or at least who she may have been.

She certainly was no heir to the estate, Cadwallader J. Bates who, as a local historian and the purchaser of Langley, had a two-fold interest in solving the mystery. Writing about Amelia in 1895, he observed:

“It has been surmised that she was a lady's maid from Dover, of the name of Burke, who had lived with a family at Schwerin, and had had her imagination fired by reading a novel, written about 40 years previously, in which Viscount Radcliffe, the son of Lord Derwentwater, instead of dying in 1731, settled in Germany after a mock-funeral.”

I am content to leave the final verdict to Pip in Great Expectations: “All other swindlers upon Earth are nothing to the self-swindlers”.

And so there is Historic Dilston, a place of mystery for sure, romance probably, intrigue and ruin. But above all a place of Rebellion, both of spirit and soul. Be sure you visit the place next time your in the North East, it’s a charming way of spending a few hours, bring a picnic and enjoy it next to the Devilswater after a gentle stroll down to the river from Dilston Castle. Make sure you check out the Chapel too and see if you notice anything moving. Thank you for your time.

CJ Linton.