Bewcastle Castle

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Bewcastle Castle is a ruined castle in the parish of Bewcastle in the English county of Cumbria (grid reference NY566747).

It seems that the first castle was built on the site of a Roman fort around 1092. It was destroyed in 1173 but was rebuilt towards the end of the 14th century. The castle was decayed by the early 15th century when Edward IV granted it to his brother, the Duke of Gloucester. The buildings were repaired and the gatehouse was possibly added at this time. Bewcastle Castle was destroyed by Cromwell in 1641. The castle was in a state of ruin by the 17th century and although much of the stone was removed for nearby buildings, part of the gatehouse still remains.

There is an increasing tendency to call this castle "Bew Castle". The first part of this name has no validity on its own as a word or a name, and the second part was originally "caster", referring only to the Roman fort underlying the mediaeval castle, so the prominent ruin should be called Bewcastle Castle.