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{{Short description|Castle in Lancaster, Lancashire, England}}
{{For|the railway station originally named "Lancaster Castle"|Lancaster railway station}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name          = Lancaster Castle
| partof        = 
| location      = [[Lancaster, Lancashire]], England
| image         = Lancaster Castle - 2023-03-25.jpg
| image_size    = 300px
| caption       = Lancaster Castle's entrance
| pushpin_map   = United Kingdom Lancaster Central
| coordinates   = {{coord|54.04981|-2.80562|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}<br />{{gbmapping|SD473619}}
| type          = Castle
| website       = {{URL|www.lancastercastle.com}}
}}
'''Lancaster Castle''' is a medieval [[castle]] and former prison in [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]] in the English county of [[Lancashire]]. Its early history is unclear, but it may have been founded in the 11th&nbsp;century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the [[River Lune]]. In 1164 the [[Honour of Lancaster]], including the castle, came under royal control. In 1322 and 1389 the Scots invaded England, progressing as far as Lancaster and damaging the castle. It was not to see military action again until the [[English Civil War]]. The castle was first used as a prison in 1196 although this aspect became more important during the English Civil War. The castle buildings are owned by the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British sovereign]] as [[Duke of Lancaster]]; part of the structure is used to host sittings of the [[Crown Court]].

Until 2011 the majority of the buildings were leased to the [[Ministry of Justice]] as [[His Majesty's Prison Service|HM Prison]] Lancaster, after which the castle was returned to the Duchy's management. The castle is now open to the public seven days a week and is undergoing a large-scale refurbishment. There is a large sweeping public piazza, allowing access to the cloistered area, renovated in 2019. A new section of the café has been built, against the old outer [[Curtain wall (fortification)|curtain wall]], which was reduced in height to afford views of the neighbouring [[Lancaster Priory]]. This is the first 21st-century addition to the castle. Another renovated building adjoining the café is leased to [[Lancaster University]] as a campus in the city with small conference facilities.

==Background==
Between 60 and 73&nbsp;AD, [[Lancaster Roman Fort|a Roman fort]] was built at Lancaster on a hill commanding a crossing over the [[River Lune]].<ref>{{harvnb|Shotter|2001|p=3}}</ref><ref name="Champness 1">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=1}}</ref> Little is known about Lancaster between the end of the Roman occupation of England in the early 5th&nbsp;century and the [[Norman Conquest]] in the late 11th century. The layout of the town was influenced by the Roman fort and the associated civilian settlement; the main road through the town was the route that led east from the fort.<ref>{{harvnb|White|2001|p=33}}</ref> After the Norman conquest of England in the second half of the 11th&nbsp;century, Lancaster was part of the [[Earldom of Northumbria]]; it was claimed by the kings of England and Scotland. In 1092, [[William II of England|William&nbsp;II]] established a permanent border with Scotland further to the north by capturing [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisle]]. It is generally thought that Lancaster Castle was founded in the 1090s on the site of the Roman fort in a strategic location.<ref name="Champness 1"/> The castle is the oldest standing building in Lancaster and one of the most important. The history of the structure is uncertain. This is partly due to its former use as a prison, which has prevented extensive [[archaeology|archaeological]] investigation.<ref name="White 42">{{harvnb|White|2001|p=42}}</ref>

==History==

===Foundation===
[[File:Lancaster Castle from the South West 1778.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A watercolour by [[Thomas Hearne (artist)|Thomas Hearne]] from 1778 of the west of Lancaster's [[keep]]. The round tower next to the keep was demolished in 1796.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=4}}</ref>]]

As there are no contemporary documents recording the foundation of the castle, it is uncertain when and by whom it was started, but it is supposed that [[Roger the Poitevin|Roger de Poitou]], the [[Normans|Norman]] lord in control of the Honour of Lancaster, was responsible. If it was Roger who began construction, the structure would have been built of timber, probably incorporating the earthworks of the Roman fort into its defences. The form of the original castle is unknown. There is no trace of a [[motte-and-bailey|motte]], so it may have been a [[ringwork]]<ref>{{harvnb|White|2001|pp=42–44}}</ref>&nbsp;– a circular defended enclosure.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=246}}</ref>

Roger de Poitou fled England in 1102 after participating in a failed rebellion against the new king, [[Henry I of England|Henry&nbsp;I]]. As a result, the king confiscated the Honour of Lancaster, which included the castle. The Honour changed hands several times. Henry granted it to [[Stephen of England|Stephen of Blois]], his nephew and later king. When [[the Anarchy]] erupted in 1139&nbsp;– a civil war between Stephen and [[Empress Matilda]] for the English throne&nbsp;– the area was in turmoil. Stephen secured his northern frontier by allowing [[David I of Scotland|David&nbsp;I of Scotland]] to occupy the Honour in 1141.<ref name="Champness 3">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=3}}</ref> It is possible that David refortified the castle at this time. Due to a lack of investigation, there is little evidence to suggest additions to Lancaster in the mid-12th&nbsp;century. However, the uncertain construction date of the [[keep]] means that the King of Scotland could have been responsible for building it.<ref name="White 44">{{harvnb|White|2001|p=44}}</ref> The war came to an end in 1153. It was agreed that after Stephen died, he would be succeeded by [[Henry II of England|Henry Plantagenet]] (later King Henry&nbsp;II), Matilda's son. Part of the agreement was that the King of Scotland would relinquish the Honour of Lancaster, which would be held by [[William I, Count of Boulogne|William]], Stephen's son. After William's death in 1164, the Honour of Lancaster again came under royal control when Henry&nbsp;II gained possession of the Honour.<ref name="Champness 3"/>

On the death of Henry&nbsp;II, the Honour passed to his son, [[Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart]], who gave it to his brother, [[John of England|Prince John]], in the hope of securing his loyalty.<ref name="Champness 6">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=6}}</ref> One of the functions castles served was as a prison;<ref>{{harvnb|Cathcart King|1983|pp=xvi–xx}}</ref> the first record of the castle being used in this way was in 1196, although the role became much more important after the [[English Civil War]]. Since the 12th&nbsp;century, the monarch appointed a [[Conservator of the peace|sheriff]] to maintain the peace in Lancashire, a role usually filled by the duke and based at the castle.<ref name="Champness 14">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=14}}</ref> In the late 12th and early 13th&nbsp;century, many timber castles founded during the Norman Conquest were rebuilt in stone.<ref name="Allen Brown 109">{{harvnb|Allen Brown|1976|p=109}}</ref> Lancaster was one such castle.<ref name="Champness 6"/> Building in stone was expensive and time-consuming. For example, the late 12th-century stone keep<ref>{{PastScape|mnumber=309632 |mname=Peveril Castle |access-date=24 February 2010|mode=cs2}}</ref> at [[Peveril Castle]] in Derbyshire cost around £200, although something on a much larger scale, such as the vast [[Château Gaillard]] cost an estimated £15,000 to £20,000 and took several years to complete.<ref>{{harvnb|McNeill|1992|pp=41–42.}}</ref> For many castles, the expenditure is unknown. However, work on royal castles was often documented in [[Pipe Rolls]], which began in 1155.<ref name="Allen Brown 109"/> The Rolls show that John spent over £630 on digging a ditch outside Lancaster's south and west walls, and for the construction of "the King's lodgings". This probably referred to what is now known as Adrian's Tower.<ref name="Champness 6"/> His successor, [[Henry III of England|Henry&nbsp;III]] also spent large sums on Lancaster: £200 in 1243 and £250 in 1254 for work on the gatehouse and creating a stone [[curtain wall (fortification)|curtain wall]].<ref name="Champness 6"/>

===14th and 15th centuries===
[[File:Prisoners at lancaster castle.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The castle's 15th-century gatehouse, in a 19th-century depiction by an unknown artist, with new inmates arriving at the castle when it was used as a prison.]]
For the next 150&nbsp;years, there is no record of building work, although accounts are incomplete. The Well Tower is thought to date from the early 14th century. If there was no work on the castle, this may indicate that it was not important enough to warrant expenditure beyond upkeep, as Lancaster was not near a border. Though the region was generally peaceful, the Scots invaded in [[The Great Raid of 1322|1322]] and 1389, reaching Lancaster and damaging the castle.<ref name="Champness 6"/> The holdings of the Duchy of Lancaster extended beyond the county, and Lancaster was not especially important. However, when Henry Duke of Lancaster ascended the throne as King [[Henry IV of England|Henry&nbsp;IV]] in 1399, he almost immediately began adding the monumental gatehouse.<ref name="Champness 7-9">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|pp=7–9}}</ref> A further devastation of the town, as had been inflicted in 1389, would have been an embarrassment for the new king; his expensive programme of building at the castle helped protect against this. The gatehouse Henry replaced was probably a simple structure, no more than a passage between two towers, but the rebuilt structure rivalled the keep as the strongest part of the castle.<ref name="Champness 7-9"/> Records show that between 1402 and 1422, the year [[Henry V of England|Henry V]] died, over £2,500 was spent on building work. While most of this sum would have been spent on the gatehouse, some may have been used to make alterations to the top storey of the keep.<ref name="Champness 10">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=10}}</ref> Since then, the castle has remained in the ownership of the Crown.<ref name="Champness 11">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=11}}</ref>

[[File:Nance Redferne & Chattox.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Two of the [[Pendle witches]], tried at Lancaster in 1612, in an illustration from [[William Harrison Ainsworth]]'s 1849 novel ''[[The Lancashire Witches]]'']]
After the Scottish invasion of 1389, Lancaster saw no further military action until the [[English Civil War]]. A survey in 1578 led to repairs to the keep costing £235. With the threat of a [[Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)|Spanish invasion]], the castle was strengthened in 1585.<ref name="Champness 10"/> After [[Elizabeth I|Elizabeth&nbsp;I]] was excommunicated in 1570, she retaliated by declaring Roman Catholic priests guilty of [[high treason]]. Any discovered in Lancashire were taken to Lancaster Castle for trial.<ref name="Champness 17">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=17}}</ref> During the period 1584-1646 fifteen Catholics were executed in Lancaster for their faith.<ref>'LANCASTER'S CATHOLIC MARTYRS' BY CHRISTINE GOODIER MA</ref> The notorious [[Pendle witches]] trial took place at Lancaster Castle in 1612.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=15}}</ref>

===Civil War===
At the outbreak of the Civil War Lancaster was lightly garrisoned. A small [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] force captured the castle in February 1643, established a garrison and set about building earthworks around the approaches to the town. In response, the [[Cavalier|Royalists]] dispatched an army to retake Lancaster. The outer defences fell in March; a siege of the castle lasted just two days as Parliamentarian reinforcements were heading to Lancaster from [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]]. The Royalists unsuccessfully tried to recapture Lancaster in April and again in June; the town and castle remained under Parliament's control until the end of the war. Orders were given that "all the walls about [Lancaster Castle] should be thrown down".<ref name="Champness 11"/> The instruction was not followed, and in August 1648 the town withstood a siege from the Royalist [[James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton|Duke of Hamilton]] who led an army south from Scotland. [[Charles I of England|King Charles]] was executed in January 1649 and shortly after Parliament again ordered the [[slighting]] of the castle, apart from buildings necessary for administration and use as a county gaol. The monarchy was [[Restoration (England)|restored in 1660]], and [[Charles II of England|Charles&nbsp;II]] visited Lancaster on 12 August and released all the prisoners held in the castle. Lancashire's High Sheriff and Justices of the Peace petitioned the king to repair the castle. The buildings were surveyed and repair work estimated at £1,957.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|pp=11–13}}</ref> After the slighting of the castle, including the demolition of the Well Tower, it was militarily redundant.<ref name="Champness 14"/>

===Gaol===
[[File:Shire Hall, Lancaster Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1600008.jpg|thumb|right|The Shire Hall]]
In 1554, the martyr [[George Marsh (martyr)|George Marsh]] was held at the castle before standing trial at [[Chester Cathedral]].<ref>Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe</ref> Some [[Quakers]], including in 1660 [[George Fox]], were held at the castle for being politically dangerous.<ref name="Champness 17"/> County gaols, such as this one, were intended to hold prisoners for short periods immediately before trial. The castle also served as a [[debtors' prison]]. In the 18th&nbsp;century it became more common for county gaols to hold longer-term prisoners; as a result they began to suffer from overcrowding.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=22}}</ref>

Prison reformer [[John Howard (prison reformer)|John Howard]] (1726–1790) visited Lancaster in 1776 and noted the conditions in the prison. His efforts to instigate reform led to prisoners in gaols throughout the country being separated by gender and category of their crime. Improvements were also made to sanitation; in the 18th&nbsp;century more people died from [[gaol fever]] than by hanging. In the last two decades of the century, around £30,000 was spent rebuilding Lancaster's county gaol.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|pp=23–25}}</ref> Architect [[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Thomas Harrison]] was commissioned to complete the work. Under his auspices, the Gaoler's House was built in 1788 in a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic style]]. Separate prisons were built for men and women.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=27}}</ref> The Shire Hall and Crown Court were complete by 1798. Harrison had to divide his time between Lancaster and designing and building [[Chester Castle]]'s Shire Hall and Courts; work at Lancaster slowed, partly because of dwindling funds due to [[War of the Second Coalition|war with France]], and Harrison was released from the work as the Justices of the Peace felt it was taking too long. The artist [[Robert Freebairn]] was paid £500 to paint twelve watercolours of the work in 1800 to be presented to the Duke of Lancaster, King [[George III|George&nbsp;III]].<ref name="Champness 29">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=29}}</ref> In 1802 the castle received more funding and [[Joseph Gandy]] was commissioned to complete the interiors of the Shire Hall and Crown Court.<ref name="Champness 30">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=30}}</ref>

[[File:HangingCorner.JPG|right|thumb|"Hanging Corner" – the site of public executions until 1865. The double doors on the right led to the [[gallows]] situated in front of the sealed archway.]]
[[File:Lancaster Castle (Courtyard).jpg|thumb|The courtyard of Lancaster Castle (2021)]]
Those sentenced to death before c. 1800 at the castle were usually taken to Lancaster Moor, near where the [[Ashton Memorial]] now stands, to be hanged. After the Georgian remodelling of the castle, it was decided it would be more convenient to perform executions nearer the castle. The spot chosen became known as Hanging Corner. Lancaster has a reputation as the court that sentenced more people to death than any other in England. This is partly because until 1835 Lancaster Castle was the only [[Assizes (England and Wales)|Assize Court]] in the entire county and covered rapidly growing industrial centres including [[Manchester]] and [[Liverpool]].<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=34}}</ref> Between 1782 and 1865, around 265&nbsp;people were hanged at Lancaster; the executions were frequently attended by thousands of people crowded into the churchyard. The [[Capital Punishment Amendment Act 1868]] ended public executions, requiring that criminals be put to death in private, after which 6 executions were performed inside the castle, at first from the Chapel steps, then later in a purpose-built execution shed, on the inside wall of Hanging Corner. This shed remained until the mid-20th Century, allegedly still containing the Gallows. The last execution (of Thomas Rawcliffe, murderer) at Lancaster took place in 1910.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=35}}</ref> The prison closed in 1916 due to a national decrease in the number of prisoners, although for part of the [[First World War]] it held German civilians and military [[prisoners of war]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hVgrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT57 |title=Great War Britain Lancaster: Remembering 1914-18|first1= Ian|last1= Gregory|first2=Corinna |last2=Peniston-Bird|first3=Peter |last3=Donnelly|first4=Michael|last4= Hughes|publisher= The History Press|year=2017|isbn= 978-0750968256}}</ref>

[[Image:Lancaster castle and priory.jpg|left|thumb|230x230px| The rear of the castle and the adjacent Priory]]Between 1931 and 1937 the castle was used by the [[Lancashire County Council|county council]] to train police officers. Lancaster was once again designated for use as a prison from 1954 onwards when the council leased the castle to the [[Home Office]]. The last Assizes were held at Lancaster in 1972. As the court and prison were so close, and contained within the castle walls, Lancaster was used for high-security trials.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=40}}</ref>

The castle formally opened as [[HM Prison Lancaster]] in 1955, becoming a [[Prison security categories in the United Kingdom|Category C]] prison for male inmates, and a venue for the [[Crown Court]]. In July 2010 the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]] announced it was intending to close it, stating it was outdated and costly.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-10786851 |title=Lancaster Castle prison 'may become tourist spot' |publisher=BBC News |date=28 July 2010 |access-date=19 August 2010}}</ref> The prison closure was confirmed for March 2011.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12178498 |title=Prisons shutdown unveiled by government |publisher=BBC News |date=13 January 2011 |access-date=13 January 2011}}</ref>

==Current status==
The [[Crown Court]] continues to sit at the castle.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/crime/judge-s-plea-to-keep-historic-city-court-open-1-7407887 | work=Lancaster Guardian | title=Judge's plea to keep historic city court open | date=15 August 2015}}</ref> Closure of the prison will eventually allow the castle to be opened to visitors and tourists as a permanent attraction.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-12896082 | publisher=BBC News | title=Lancaster 'to equal Chester or York' for tourism | date=29 March 2011}}</ref> In the meantime, while access to the keep, towers, battlements and dungeons is currently denied to visitors, the castle operates limited guided tours seven days a week. The Castle Courtyard opened to the public seven days a week in May 2013 and now has a cafe, NICE @ The Castle and regular events now take place every month.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.lancastercastle.com/html/opening_times/default.php |title=Opening times & information |publisher=Lancaster Castle |access-date=17 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819110149/http://www.lancastercastle.com/html/opening_times/default.php |archive-date=19 August 2010 }}</ref> The [[Lancashire Police Museum]], housed within A Wing of the former prison, opened in June 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://lancashirepolicemuseum.co.uk/ |website=Lancashire Police Museum |access-date=14 April 2025}}</ref>

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the trials of the Pendle witches, a new long-distance walking route called the [[Lancashire Witches Walk]] has been created. Ten ''tercet'' waymarkers, designed by Stephen Raw, each inscribed with a verse of a poem by [[Carol Ann Duffy]] have been installed along the route, with the tenth located here, to mark the end-point.<ref>{{cite web |title="Tercet" waymarkers |url=http://lancashirewitches400.org/#/tercet-waymarkers/4572332163 |website=Lancashire Witches 400 |publisher=Green Close Studios |access-date=29 November 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221233432/http://lancashirewitches400.org/#/tercet-waymarkers/4572332163 |archive-date=21 February 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lancashire Witches Walk: Day 7 |url=http://forestofbowland.com/files/uploads/pdfs/walks/FOB%20WitchesWalksDay7.pdf |website=Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty |publisher=Lancashire County Council |access-date=29 November 2015}}</ref>

===Refurbishment===
A large-scale refurbishment of the castle has been underway since 2011. In 2016 [[Historic England]] commissioned a tree-ring analysis of oak and pine timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. The oak timbers in the Keep's undercroft were shown to have been felled in the 1380s, whilst those from the Great Hall were probably felled slightly later, towards the end of the fourteenth century or very early-fifteenth century. The oak timbers in the Gatehouse were probably felled in, or around, AD 1404.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lancaster Castle, Castle Park, Lancaster: Tree-ring Analysis of Oak and Pine Timbers in the Keep and Gatehouse. Research Report 35/2016|url=https://research.historicengland.org.uk/Report.aspx?i=15527&ru=/Results.aspx?p=1&n=10&rn=35&ry=2016&ns=1|last=Arnold, Howard, Tyers|date=2016|website=research.historicengland.org.uk|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref>

The latest phase, started in September 2017 and completed in November 2019, has opened up the former prison kitchen yard.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://northwest.fdmb.co.uk/atkinsons-make-a-move-into-lancaster-castle| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191015134507/https://northwest.fdmb.co.uk/atkinsons-make-a-move-into-lancaster-castle| archive-date = 2019-10-15| title = Atkinsons make a move into Lancaster Castle – North West FDMB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-08|title=Lancaster Castle Restored and Re-Opened!|url=http://www.lancastercastle.com/2019/11/08/castle-restored-and-re-opened/|access-date=2020-10-06|website=Lancaster Castle|language=en-GB}}</ref> This phase created a new teaching centre, as well as more than 5,000 sq ft of space, in which the Duchy has leased a section of the old kitchen to local coffee roasters and tea merchants, J. Atkinson & Co. (established 1837) to run a café.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lancastercastle.com/news/new-phase-of-work-starts-at-lancaster-castle|title=New Phase of Works Starts at Lancaster Castle|website=lancastercastle.com|date=31 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/contractor-picked-for-second-phase-of-lancaster-castle-restoration/|title=Place North West – Contractor picked for second phase of Lancaster Castle restoration|date=3 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lancastercastle.com/2019/06/10/conservation-works-to-continue-until-september-2019/|title=Conservation Works to Continue Until September 2019|date=10 June 2019}}</ref>

==Layout==
[[File:The gateway, Lancaster Castle, England-LCCN2002696833.jpg|thumb|300px|Lancaster's gatehouse in 1905. The castle was used as a prison until March 2011.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-16412301 |title=Lancaster Castle to open for Jubilee and Witch trial anniversary |publisher=BBC News |date=4 January 2012 |access-date=13 January 2012}}</ref>]]
[[File:The Gateway, Lancaster Castle, England, July 2014.JPG|thumb|300px|The gatehouse in 2014]]
The keep is the oldest part of the castle. It is uncertain when the keep was built, although it probably dates to the 12th century<ref name="White 44"/> when it was the residence for the lord of the castle—the owner or his representative. In the event of an assault, the keep formed the last line of defence. It is {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=off}} high with four storeys; each floor divided into two rooms. The outer wall is {{convert|3|m}} thick; along the exterior are [[buttress]]es at each corner and in the middle of each wall. Like most Norman keeps, Lancaster's would have been entered at first floor level. Construction in stone would have been a costly and time-consuming exercise, taking around five years and costing about £1,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=5}}</ref> The [[medieval]] hall stood south-west of the keep and was dismantled in 1796 during the remodelling of the castle.<ref name="Champness 29"/> The late-18th- to early-19th-century Shire Hall next to the keep is a large ten-side room.<ref name="Champness 30"/>

In the south-west corner of the castle is a cylindrical tower named Adrian's Tower from the popular legend that it was built by the Roman Emperor [[Hadrian]]. The tower was, however, built in the early 13th century, probably during the reign of King John. Although the exterior was refaced in the 18th&nbsp;century, medieval stonework is visible in the interior.<ref name="Champness 6"/>

The main entrance is through a {{convert|20|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} gatehouse built at the start of the 15th century. It was instigated by King Henry IV, although legend attributes the work to [[John of Gaunt]],<ref name="Champness 9">{{harvnb|Champness|1993|p=9}}</ref> Duke of Lancaster from 1362 to his death in 1399.<ref>{{harvnb|Walker|2004}}</ref> Two semi-octagonal towers flank a passageway protected by a [[portcullis]]. [[Battlement]]s project over the gatehouse, and would have allowed defenders to rain missiles on attackers immediately below. Above the gate is a niche which would originally have contained a statue of a saint, flanked by a coat of arms of the kings of England. Because of the legend, a statue of John of Gaunt was placed in the empty niche in the 19th&nbsp;century.<ref name="Champness 9"/> Three storeys high, the apartment on the ground floor would probably have been used by the [[Constable#United Kingdom|Constable of the castle]]; the two floors above had three rooms each. After the English Civil War, most of the gatehouse rooms were filled with debtors.<ref name="Champness 10"/> The sophistication of the gatehouse prompted John Champness, who wrote ''Lancaster Castle: A Brief History'', to remark "it is perhaps the finest of its date and type in England".<ref name="Champness 9"/>

During the Roman era in the 4th century,<ref name="English Heritage">{{NHLE|num=1020668|desc=Ancient Monuments: Part of a Roman fort and its associated vicus and remains of a pre-Conquest monastery and a Benedictine priory on Castle Hill|date=2002-04-24|access-date=20 September 2014}}</ref> the fort was surrounded by the "Wery Wall" which is believed to translate as the 'green wall'.<ref name="Time-honoured">{{cite book|last=Fleury|first=Cross|title=Time-honoured Lancaster|url=https://archive.org/details/timehonouredlanc00fleu|publisher=Eaton & Bulfilld Printers|date=1891|pages=[https://archive.org/details/timehonouredlanc00fleu/page/68 68]–69}}</ref> The wall, described as being a {{convert|3|m|ft|adj=mid|-thick}} 'indestructible mass' with a defensive ditch,<ref name="English Heritage" /><ref name="Time-honoured" /> now only remains visible on the east slope of Castle Hill.<ref name="LCC">{{cite web|url=http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/?Archaeology__Heritage/20444|title=Scheduled Ancient Monument – Castle Hill and Vicarage Fields|publisher=Lancashire County Council|access-date=20 September 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140920233254/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/corporate/web/?Archaeology__Heritage/20444|archive-date=20 September 2014}}</ref> In his book ''The Historic Lands of England'', Sir [[Bernard Burke]] suggests the wall may have been visible in more places 100 years prior to his writing in 1849.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burke|first=Sir Bernard|title=The Historic Lands of England, Volume 2|publisher=E. Churton|date=1849|pages=84|chapter=Lancaster Castle}}</ref> However, it is unclear where the wall would have been.<ref name="LCC" /> The remaining Wery Wall measures 4m × 3m × 3m and consists of only rubble due to the facing stones having been reused elsewhere.<ref name="LCC" />

{{wide image|Interior view of lancaster castle1.jpg|600px|An interior view of Lancaster Castle in 1824, pen and ink drawing by J. Weetman. The keep is right of centre.}}

==In Art and Literature==
[[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]]'s poetical illustration {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837/Lancaster Castle|''Lancaster Castle'']]}}, to a picture by [[Thomas Allom]] showing the Shire Hall and the Priory, was published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837.<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA134|section=picture|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA136|section=poetical illustration|page=41|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>

==List of constables==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*1225: Ranulph de Blundeville<ref name = L217>{{cite book|title=The History and Antiquities of the Town of Lancaster|first = Robert|last = Simpson|page=217}}</ref>
*1268: Roger de Lancaster<ref name = L217/>
*1285: [[Edmund Crouchback]]<ref name = L217/> (died 1296)
*?1296: [[Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster]]<ref name = L217/> (executed 1322)
*1326: [[Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster]]<ref name= CC>{{cite book|title=The Castle Community: The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422|first = John|last = Rickard|page=282}}</ref> (died 1345)
*1345: [[Henry of Grosmont]]<ref name = L217/>
*c.1394: Thomas Radcliffe<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/member/radcliffe-thomas-1403|title=RADCLIFFE, Thomas (d.1403), of Winmarleigh and Astley, Lancs.|publisher= History of Parliament Online|access-date = 17 May 2016}}</ref>
*c.1401: William Rygmayden
*1600: [[Richard Warburton]]
*1803: Alexander Butler of Kirkland<ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/d1c83c92-1554-4688-bfd2-5161973d9a2d|title=The Discovery Service|first=The National|last=Archives|website=discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}</ref>
*1811: [[Sir Richard Clayton, 1st Baronet]]<ref name="auto">{{cite book|title=The History and Antiquities of the Town of Lancaster|first = Robert|last = Simpson|page=218}}</ref> 
*1840: [[William Hulton]]<ref name="auto"/>
*1860: [[Edmund George Hornby]]<ref name = THL>{{cite book|title=Time-honoured Lancashire| first=C| last=Fleury| page=510}}</ref>
*1865: [[Thomas Greene (MP)|Thomas Greene]]<ref name = THL/>
*1872: Thomas Batty Addison<ref name = THL/>
*1874: Robert Townley Parker<ref name = THL/>
*1879: [[John Wilson-Patten, 1st Baron Winmarleigh]]<ref name = THL/>
*1892: Sir William Hulton, 1st Baronet
*1907: [[John Tomlinson Hibbert]]
*1908: Edward Bousfield Dawson
*1916: Sir William Scott Barrett<ref name = DoL>{{cite web|url= http://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/about-the-duchy/duties-of-the-duchy/further-key-appointments/constable-of-lancaster-castle/|title=Constable of Lancaster Castle|access-date= 17 May 2016}}</ref>
*1920: [[James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton]]<ref name = DoL/>
*1930: Sir James Travis-Clegg<ref name = DoL/>
*1942: [[Hugh Molyneux, 7th Earl of Sefton]]<ref name = DoL/>
*1972: [[John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby]]<ref name = DoL/>
*1995: Michael J. Fitzherbert-Brockholes<ref name = DoL/>
*1998: Eric Jones<ref name = DoL/>
*2004: Gordon Johnson<ref name = DoL/>
*2014: Pamela G. Barker<ref name = DoL/>
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Lancashire}}
*[[Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire]]
*[[Listed buildings in Lancaster, Lancashire]]
*[[Castles in Great Britain and Ireland]]
*[[List of castles in England]]
*[[List of works by Thomas Harrison]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{citation |last=Allen Brown |first=Reginald |year=1976 |orig-year=1954 |title=Allen Brown's English Castles |publisher=The Boydell Press |location=Woodbridge |isbn=1-84383-069-8}}
*{{citation |last=Cathcart King |first=D. J. |title=Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume I |publisher=Kraus International Publications |place=New York |year=1983 |isbn=0-527-50110-7}}
*{{citation |last=Champness |first=John |title=Lancaster Castle: A Brief History |year=1993 |publisher=Lancashire County Books |isbn=1-871236-26-6}}
*{{citation |last=Friar |first=Stephen |year=2003 |title=The Sutton Companion to Castles |publisher=[[Sutton Publishing]] |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0-7509-3994-2}}
*{{citation |last=McNeill |first=Tom |year=1992 |title=English Heritage Book of Castles |location=London |publisher=English Heritage and B. T. Batsford |isbn=0-7134-7025-9}}
*{{citation |last=Shotter |first=David |title=A History of Lancaster |chapter=Roman Lancaster: Site and Settlement |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2001 |pages=3–32 |isbn=0-7486-1466-4}}
*{{cite ODNB |last=Walker |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Walker (historian)|contribution=John (John of Gaunt), duke of Aquitaine and duke of Lancaster |year=2004 |title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |location=Oxford |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/14843 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14843}}
*{{citation |last=White |first=Andrew |title=A History of Lancaster |chapter=Continuity, Charter, Castle and County Town, 400–1500 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2001 |pages=33–72 |isbn=0-7486-1466-4}}
*{{cite journal|first=John Martin|last=Robinson|author-link=John Martin Robinson |title=Georgian Justice: Lancaster Castle, Lancashire, The Property of the Duchy of Lancaster|journal=Country Life|date=9 December 2015|ref=pp.30–35}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lancaster Castle}}
* [http://www.lancastercastle.com/ Lancaster Castle official site from Lancashire County Council]
* [https://archive.today/20130415094644/http://www.lancastercastle.org/ Lancaster Castle official site from the Duchy of Lancaster]
* [http://theprison.org.uk/LancasterCG/ History of Lancaster Castle Prison from theprison.org.uk]

{{Duchy of Lancaster}}
{{Prisons in North West England}}
{{City of Lancaster buildings}}
{{Governors and Constables in England and Wales}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Duchy of Lancaster]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Lancaster, Lancashire]]
[[Category:Museums in Lancaster, Lancashire]]
[[Category:Castles in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Prisons in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire]]
[[Category:History museums in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Grade I listed prison buildings]]
[[Category:Prison museums in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Thomas Harrison buildings]]
[[Category:Debtors' prisons]]
[[Category:Defunct prisons in England]]