Norem Castle

Bishops of Durham

Norem was built in 1121 by Ranulf Flambard , Bishop of Durham, who thus planned to protect the borders from "robbers and Scots."

The defensive capabilities of the castle were soon tested in practice - in 1136 the Scottish king David I captured the castle. However, after some time, Bishop Durham was able to return the castle back.

In 1138, the Scots again took the castle, thoroughly damaging most of the buildings. In 1157–1170, the new bishop of Durham, Hugh de Poiset, rebuilt Norham, turning it into a grandiose-sized fortress. In 1208–1212, King John the Landless further fortified the castle, thanks to which Norem withstood the 40-day siege undertaken by the Scottish king Alexander II .

In 1291, Edward the Leggy stayed at the castle. During the independence wars, the Scots invaded England in 1311 and 1312, but they considered Norham impregnable and avoided it. In 1318, Robert Bruce besieged Norem. The siege lasted almost a year, and Bruce managed to temporarily capture only a small courtyard.

The Scots again found themselves at the walls of Norham in 1319. This time the siege lasted seven months and again led to nothing. Another unsuccessful attempt at the siege was made in 1322. They succeeded in conquering Norem only in 1327, however, the following year, the Northampton Peace Treaty was concluded between England and Scotland, according to which the castle should again depart to the Bishop of Durham.

Earls of Warwick

In 1464, the castle became the property of Count Warwick. Warwick significantly strengthened the castle, but in 1497 it was besieged by the Scots. During the siege, they used the famous cannon - the Mons Meg cannon , but, despite the strong destruction as a result of the shelling, Norem survived.

The castle was barely able to recover after this siege, as in 1513 the Scottish army was again at its walls. As a result of shelling, the castle was badly damaged. But soon the Scots suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Flodden , in which about five thousand people fell, including King James IV . After the battle, the bishop of Durham restored the castle.

In 1559, Bishop of Durham refused to swear allegiance to Queen Elizabeth I , and the royal troops captured Norem. Over the following centuries, the castle gradually fell into decay. Having changed many owners, Norem in 1923 passed under the tutelage of the state.

The castle is open from April to September daily from 10.00 to 18.00.

• List of castles in England

• Castle article at Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk