FORD CASTLE

Northumbria

Ford Castle and its close neighbour Etal Castle have intertwined histories with both each other and the nearby Battle of Flodden Field (1513).  Whereas Etal has come through history as a ruined but genuine medieval Castle, only two medieval parts of Ford Castle remain (the King James Tower and the Dungeon Tower (extreme left in picture).  These were two corners of a quadrangular Castle built by William Heron after he received licence to crenellate in 1338, and oddly two years later received an express licence allowing him to refer to his house as a "Castle".

The Scots raided and dismantled the Castle in 1385, but William Heron returned a few years later to make it habitable again.  The Herons, it seems, were not popular neighbours and in 1388 Henry Lilburn had William Heron imprisoned and took the Castle during his absence.  Not long afterwards William received his freedom and re-took his Castle.

In 1428 a later William Heron led an attack on the Manners family at Etal Castle, during which he was killed.  By 1430 Ford Castle is recorded as being ruined.  Shortly before 1477 it was repaired by Sir Roger Heron.  In 1513 King James IV of Scotland took Ford Castle before engaging in the Battle of Flodden Field, the Castle being burnt to the ground in the process. It was repaired once more but was finally abandoned after repeated attacks by the Scots in 1549.

The Castle passed to the Carr family who then entered a bitter dispute with the Herons who had moved to Chipchase Castle.  The Herons prevailed and the Carrs were removed by a Sheriff from Berwick.  Thomas Carr later retook the Castle and was murdered there in 1558.  In 1584 the Castle was described as 'decayed' but it was still slighted by the Royalists in 1648.

A complete rebuild was undertaken in the 1760s which was subsequently destroyed and a new rebuild in the early 1860s gave us the Castle we have today.

Ford Castle is private and operates as a college, but it is easily visible from the road and churchyard.

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2001