WITTON-LE-WEAR CASTLE

County Durham

A typically vast Durham pile, this magnificent building is hidden away from the World in a tiny village in an isolated corner of a little visited County.

The Castle was built by the de Eures family sometime between 1334, when they moved in, and 1410 when Sir Ralph Eure received a pardon from Bishop Thomas Langley for building a towerhouse without a licence.  Around the tower house a series of buildings, known as "the barmkin" emerged over the subsequent 100 years or so.  Sir William Eure sold the Castle in 1622 to Sir Richard Forster who in turn sold it to Sir William Darcy who garrisoned the Castle for the King during the Civil War.

It was taken by Parliament by Sir Arthur Haslerigg who emptied out the contents of the Castle but left the structure basically intact.  In 1689 James Darcy stripped the remains of the contents out and demolished some of the buildings of the barmkin.  The Castle remained a ruin until it passed to the Hopper family late in the 18th century.

In December 1796 it was "practically gutted" by a terrible fire.  Mr. Hopper continued to live in the remains of the Castle until 1812 when he died after falling down the main staircase.

For the next 100 years or so the Castle was shuffled between disinterested owners, some of whom made some alterations.  In 1963 it was purchased by the Lambtons of Lambton Castle who have turned the Castle into a slightly unlikely leisure complex, which does at least mean public access is assured.

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© Text copyright - Raving Loony Productions, Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
© Photos and Artwork - Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
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2001