The Duke of Cleveland is patron of twenty-four livings, thirteen of which are in Shropshire, one in Northamptonshire, two in Durham, two in Somersetshire, one in Yorkshire, two in Devonshire, two in Dorset, and one in Cornwall. His principal seats are Raby Castle, Durham, and Battle Abbey, Sussex.
The present castle of Raby, it would appear, was built by John, Lord Nevil, who died in 1388. In 1379 he had license from Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham, to crenellate. Whether the old castle was mainly pulled down and rebuilt by John Nevil, or whether he simply added to it fresh towers and fortifications, is a matter we have not space, nor is it necessary to our purpose, to inquire into. That it could not all have been taken down is, however, pretty evident, as the lozenge-shaped tower in the centre is said to have been built by Bertram de Bulmer, or Bolemes, in 1162. The Nevils, who were at the same time Lords of Raby, Brancepath, Sheriff-Hutton, and Middleham, were all described as “Dominus de Raby;” and thus it is evident that Raby was their chief residence and stronghold.
Raby, says the Rev. Mr. Hodgson (who has done more than any other antiquary in searching into and elucidating the history of this grand old pile, and to whom we express our deep obligation for much of the critical description of the building we are about to give), in its present state (although some parts of the older edifice were left and incorporated in it) “presents essentially the work and ideas of one period,” the fourteenth century. Leland speaks of it as “the largest castell of logginges in al the north cuntrey, and is of a strong building, but not set other on the hill or very strong ground;” but he does not mention the moat, which was probably filled up and the water drawn off before his time.
East Side.
The general arrangement of the castle is as follows:—First, the central nucleus, or castle proper, consisting of a compact mass of towers connected by short curtains, and of which the block shape may be described as something between a right-angled triangle and a square, having the right angle to the south-west. Next, a spacious platform entirely surrounding this central mass; then a low embattled wall of enceinte, strengthened by a moat-house, and perhaps a barbican, as well as by numerous small square bastions rising from its exterior base; and then the moat. The south front of the castle being so amply defended by water, its structural defences were naturally less important.
Raby Castle, from the West.
Quite unlike the others, it was, with the exception of the flanking towers at either end, nearly flat. The first, or western of these, called the Duke’s Tower, is very large and square, and of different heights, being, in fact, two towers laid together. Considerably in recess, a rather low curtain connected it with the end of the Great Hall, which, till lately, rose up tower-like, but without projection. Beyond, and nearly in a line, came another curtain, short, but lofty; and then the wedge-like projection of Bulmer’s Tower, which flanked the whole towards the east. This tower, which commemorates Bertram Bulmer, one of the Saxon ancestors of the Nevils, by two raised B’s in its upper story, being of somewhat unusual shape, viz. a pentagon, formed by the application of an equilateral triangle to a square, has given rise to comments and conjectures of the wildest sort. An underground passage, there is little or no doubt, extends from the substructure of this tower to a small blocked-up doorway in one of the bastions of the wall of enceinte above the lake, from which, again, there is reason to think, another traverses its whole length westwards. Passing onwards, we come to the east or north-east front. This is a very fine work, extremely bold and vigorous, set thick with towers, and broken by deep re-entering angles into immense masses. Thoroughly fortress-like and utilitarian in its character, without the least pretence to ornament, it is a masterpiece no less of artistic than constructive skill. Beginning at the south-east angle, we have, in the first place, the great pentagon of Bulmer’s Tower, and the short curtain spoken of as connecting it with the Hall, standing out transept-wise from the latter, and defending it to the east.
A little farther on, and about midway in its length, the Chapel, with its substructure terminating in a lofty tower, performs the same service. Projecting from the lower part of this tower, until destroyed in modern times, was an advanced portal, the exact nature of which cannot be particularised. Again, at about an equal distance, a third transeptal mass, terminating in a tower called Mount Raskelf, stands out from and protects the Hall. A short high curtain, extending between the Chapel Tower and this last, forms at the same time the limit of a small court-yard and a screen to that portion of the Hall which lies behind it. Mount Raskelf is the angle tower between what are, strictly speaking, the east and north fronts. Its northern face and curtain fall back deeply till they join the great square of the Kitchen Tower, which projects at right angles, and is connected by a strong machicolated curtain to the east fabric of Clifford’s Tower, by far the largest in the castle, and of immense strength. This tower is planned with consummate skill. In shape an oblong square, standing almost detached, and set diagonally to the north and west fronts, it not only completely flanks them both, but also, from its close proximity to the Moat-house, could either lend it effectual aid in case of an assault, or render it, if captured, utterly untenable. Turning the angle of Clifford’s Tower, we gain the west front. A strong machicolated curtain, bending slightly westward, connects it with a lofty tower of slight projection, and separated by a short wall space from the well-advanced and diagonally set turrets of the great Gatehouse. A deep recess in the elevation intervenes between the latter and our starting-point, the Duke’s Tower, which stands well out again, and terminates the whole. Passing under the long vault of the great Gatehouse, we reach the Court-yard. Lofty walls close it in on all sides with very picturesque and fine effect, the Great Hall lying to the east. A central tower of beautiful proportion, which stands out at right angles to it, shuts off a smaller court-yard to the north. There are many points about the exterior which require careful examination. First as to detail. What may be considered the typical form of window is very characteristic and peculiar—a single square-topped light, with a rounded trefoil in the head, the eye of which is either sunk or pierced. It is very domestic, and has an excellent effect. In Clifford’s Tower they are superimposed. The windows of the Chapel, which, though good in themselves, are of an ordinary form, square-headed, with net tracery, raise an important and interesting question, viz. What is their probable date, and can we possibly assign them to what may fairly be called the time of the builder of the great Gatehouse? Now the Chapel, which is unquestionably the earliest part of the castle, and thoroughly fortress-like in character, determines by its date the period when the general work of reconstruction and fortifying began. In the Moat Tower, above segmental, circular, and depressed four-centred arches, we have on the summit concave, shoulder-arched doorways of wonderfully pure and early-looking character. The side-windows of the Great Hall, again—pairs of long lancets set closely together, and without hood-moulds—though Transition or Early Perpendicular in date, are almost Early English in composition. We need feel no very great surprise, therefore, if in the Chapel we find a type adopted which was generally expiring. An examination of the masonry on either hand of the great Gate Tower will show that an extensive alteration was made in that part of the castle. It would seem that the face of the original Gatehouse, which probably stood midway between the back and front of the present one, just about where the inner doorway spans the passage, was taken down, and the whole structure brought forward as we see it. The roof proves this almost to demonstration. Within the central archway, towards the Court-yard, it is a simple barrel vault, strengthened with plain chamfered ribs. Without it, where the passage-way widens, it is a well-moulded, beautiful lierne, the ribs producing, perhaps intentionally, the Nevil saltire four times repeated. At the same time the short curtain which connected the old Gatehouse with the tower to the north was advanced level with the face of the latter, and the western half of the Duke’s Tower, already described as a double one, added, so as to flank the front, which now, instead of having a salient angle in the centre, as at first, was, so to say, made square. The outer entrance of the Gatehouse is very fine. Its boldly moulded four-centred arch is surmounted by a second of the same contour, but richly cusped and trefoiled. Above it are three shields, each surrounded with the garter. They are—1st, Nevil; 2nd, St. George; 3rd, Latimer; and fix certainly the erection of this Gatehouse, though it looks so much later, between 1382—the probable date of John Nevil’s second marriage with Elizabeth Latimer—and his death in 1389.