In this blog, Cathryn takes a look at Trinity House and their links to the Darling family. Trinity House Newcastle  We’ll begin by taking a brief look at the history of Newcastle’s Trinity House. The origins of Trinity House date back to the late 1400s when the Guild of the Blessed Trinity of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne was founded to support the town’s mariners and their families. They were officially established in January 1505 when Ralph Hebborn granted the guild their site on Broad Chare. At first, Trinity House’s activities were focused solely on the Tyne, but eventually they would be respo ..read more

The Old George yard If you’ve ever gone for a night out in Newcastle, you may have had a drink or two in the city’s oldest pub The Old George. Opened in 1582, this former coaching inn is said to be haunted by a rather royal ghost, Charles I. This wasn’t his first time in the area, he had been in Newcastle for 12 days in May 1639 spending most of his time at the house of a Mr Lyddall in Pilgrim Street. In May 1646, during the Civil Wars; the king surrendered at Newark and was bought to Newcastle which was then under Scottish control. During his time in Newcastle, Charles was housed in The New ..read more

In this blog, Cathryn takes a look at pilgrimage in the Medieval period. Medieval people went on pilgrimages for a variety of reasons; to seek salvation, to try to cure an illness, to give thanks etc. As well as Rome and Jerusalem other important pilgrimage sites included Santiago De Compostela (the shrine of St James) and Cologne (the shrine of the Three Kings). There were also hundreds of sites in England. These included the shrine of Thomas Beckett in Canterbury and the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. The latter site was popular with royal visitors, Edward IV, Henry VII, Henry ..read more

“The Accused Witch” Visualise what you think a witch looks like. Do you picture green skin, a warty nose, or maybe someone riding on a broomstick? Well, “witches” in the 17th century were nothing like what we might imagine thanks to film and TV. They were much more like you and I, normal people going about their daily lives. Our latest Castle character is Jane Martin, a real-life working woman from the mid-1600s who was accused of witchcraft. We unfortunately do not know a lot about her, but what we do know is that she was the miller’s wife of Chatton, Northumberland. A miller would have been ..read more

by Emma Felling Watch any tv series or film depicting medieval people and it’s almost guaranteed to portray them as filthy and stinking, surrounded by rotten waste products. In reality, they understood far more than we give them credit for; they just tried to make it work with what they already believed. Take medieval physicians for example. They believed that God gave humans a well-balanced body. In order to stay balanced, the body needed to rid itself of any excess. It did this by purging faeces, urine, vomit, mucus, spit, sweat, gas, breath, and even hair and blood. A sick person produces m ..read more

As we’ve taken a look at the history of Newcastle’s Medieval churches, we’re now going to take a look at the history of Newcastle’s religious houses. From the Middle Ages until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s there were numerous religious houses. These included five friaries and a nunnery as well as several charitable hospitals and chantries. Adam of Alnwyk, in the distinctive habit of the Blackfriars Let’s begin with the Blackfriars. Established in the UK in 1221 the Dominican order (or Blackfriars) came to Newcastle in 1239. Lands and funds to build the friary were donated b ..read more

Along with plague, knights and castles, witch hunting is one of those things from history that most tend to have a general impression about. A time in which people, driven by fear and hysteria, accused others for the vague crime of witchcraft. These people were mostly women, falsely accused and put to death. Daniel from our castle team has been taking a look at the witch trials… Part of Newcastle’s dark history is a direct tie-in to these perilous times. In 1650, our own Town Moor saw the mass execution of some poor persons for this crime. But before we explore this, we must first look at the ..read more

Adam of Alnwyk is outwardly one of the most outwardly respectable of our Castle Characters. A holy friar of the Dominican order, sworn to poverty, chastity and obedience and living an austere life of religious devotion. But there’s more under the surface, that reveals something of the sordid underbelly of life in medieval Newcastle. Let’s dive in! Blackfriars in Newcastle Some of you may have popped down to Blackfriar’s Restaurant for a delicious meal from time to time and noticed that it purports to be the “oldest dining room in the UK”. This is perhaps a fair claim, as the buildings were p ..read more

Edward II was one of the Kings most intimately acquainted with Newcastle Castle, spending a lot of time here during his reign, whether he was fighting against the Scots or his own barons. He must also be one of the most frequently discussed and least understood of all medieval Kings. Perhaps this has something to do with the failures of his reign – after all, successful kings tend to get a bland, heroic portrayal (or at the very least a suitably potent villainous role). Richard the Lionheart is generally remembered as the good guy in Robin Hood stories and not much more, while Edward I (Edward ..read more

Have you heard the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? The tale begins with King Arthur, who is holding court in Camelot at Christmas. A gigantic figure, entirely green in appearance and riding a green horse, enters unexpectedly into the hall. This Green Knight then offers a very unusual challenge to King Arthur's court. He declares anyone can behead him, just so long as he who beheads him will take a return blow in a year's time. Sir Gawain bravely accepts, approaches the Green Knight, and neatly beheads the him in one stroke. The Green Knight picks up his severed head, and the head rei ..read more