Naworth Castle

📍 Cumbria, England

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About

Naworth Castle, also known or recorded in historical documents as "Naward", is a castle in Cumbria, England, near the town of Brampton. It is adjacent to the A69 road from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Brampton. It is on the opposite side of the River Irthing to, and just within sight of, Lanercost Priory where the Dacre and Howard families are buried or have their memorials, although some are buried at Carlisle Cathedral. Naworth was the seat of the Barons Dacre and is now that of their cognatic descendants, the Earls of Carlisle, who belong to the prominent Howard family. It is a Grade I listed building and was an impregnable fortress for the Dacres, where they retreated in times of trouble.

Dating from the late 13th century, the castle received a licence to crenellate in 1323 under Ralph de Dacre. Thomas Dacre commissioned remarkable carved oak figures c.1520 from a single Cumbrian oak. The Howard family (Earls of Carlisle) inherited it in the 17th century. Severely damaged by fire in 1844, it was restored by Anthony Salvin. The castle and estate remain in private hands with occasional public access.