Pontefract Castle in the early 17th Century.

Pontefract Castle is a castle in the town of Pontefract, in West Yorkshire, England (coordinates: 53° 41' 44" N, 1° 18' 14" W). It was constructed in approximately 1070 by a knight, Ilbert de Lacy (whose grandson Henry is responsible for the construction of Kirkstall Abbey), on land which had been granted to him by William the Conqueror as a reward for his support during the Norman conquests. There is, however, evidence of earlier occupation of the site and initially the castle was a wooden structure, but this was replaced with stone over time. The de Lacys lived in the castle until the start of the next century, when Robert de Lacy failed to support Henry I of England during his power struggle with his brother and confiscated the castle from the family. It was under the tenure of the de Lacys that the magnificent multilobate donjon was built. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Pontefract Castle File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pontefract Castle File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Pontefract Castle in the early 17th Century Pontefract is a town in the county of West Yorkshire, England, near the A1 (or Great North Road), the M62 motorway, and Castleford. ... Coat of Arms of South Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, that has a population of 2. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... crest of de Lacy Lacy´s purple lion De Lacy (Lascy, Lacie) is an old Norman noble family originating from Lassy (Calvados). ... Kirkstall Abbey Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in the outskirts of Leeds in Yorkshire, set in grounds on the north bank of the River Aire. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... Henry I (c. ... Another word for the keep of a castle. ...

During 1311 the castle became part of the estates of the House of Lancaster. Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (1278–1322) was beheaded outside the castle walls six days after his defeat at the Battle of Boroughbridge, a sentence placed on him by the King himself. This resulted in the earl becoming a martyr with his tomb at Pontefract Priory becoming a shrine. Later John of Gaunt, a son of Edward III of England, was so fond of the castle that he made it his own, spending vast amounts of money improving it. Richard II of England (1367–1399) was also murdered within the castle walls, possibly in the Gascoigne Tower. William Shakespeare's play Richard III mentions this incident: The House of Lancaster is a dynasty of English kings. ... Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (1280 - March 22, 1322) was one of the leaders of the barons opposed to Edward II of England. ... The Battle of Boroughbridge was a small but important battle in the conflicts between Edward II of England and his rebellious barons. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... This article is about the King of England. ... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Frontispage of the First Quarto Richard The Third. ...

Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison,

Fatal and ominous to noble peers!

Within the guilty closure of thy walls

Richard the second here was hack'd to death;

And, for more slander to thy dismal seat,

We give thee up our guiltless blood to drink.

The castle has been a ruin since 1644 when it held as a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War and besieged at least three times by Parliamentarian forces, the last of which was responsible for the castle's present dilapidated state and many of its scars. Apparently this last raid had the full support of the surrounding population, who were grateful to destroy the castle and thus stop the fighting in their area. In their view the castle was a magnet for trouble. It is still possible to visit the castle's 11th century cellars which were used to store military equipment during the civil war. Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... The Roundheads was the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. ...

The most remarkable feature of the current site is the remains of the donjon. Very few examples of this multilobed type exist. One is Clifford's Tower in nearby York. An identical example to York can be found at Étampes, France. For other uses, see Keep (disambiguation). ... York Castle is an area of York near the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and the Foss. ... York shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state Constituent country Region Yorkshire and the Humber Ceremonial county North Yorkshire Admin HQ York City Centre Founded 71 City Status 71 Government  - Type Unitary Authority, City  - Governing body City of York Council  - Leadership: Leader & Executive  - Executive: Liberal Democrat  - MPs: Hugh Bayley (L) John... The Château dÉtampes was a castle in the town of Étampes in the départment of Essonne, France. ...

External links

• Bloody Pomfret

• A walk on the wild side

• H2g2 history

Coordinates: 53°41′44″N 1°18′14″W / 53.69556, -1.30389 Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...