Bolton Castle Part IV--Archery and Birds of Prey

Bolton Castle provides many wonderful opportunities. Daily demonstrations of archery and birds of prey made our visit even more memorable.

At 10:30 was an archery demonstration in the courtyard. The lady told us about the history of archery and the importance of bowmanship in England. There was a law that every child from age seven to seventeen was entitled to a bow and two arrows from their father so that they could practice archery. Another law stated that the only sport that could be played on Sundays was archery. She asked the crowd if they played any sports on Sundays. Some mentioned football (i.e., soccer if you're American), others rugby. Then she said that these laws have never been taken off the books, so the children should get their parents to cough up a bow and two arrows. And those others who play forbidden sports on Sundays, shame on them. Of course, the Olympics had just started which could have been a problem.

She then demonstrated the proper technique with a long bow, shooting some targets in an isolated corner of the courtyard.

I took this shot before the archery demonstration, but you can see the haystacked corner

Then she asked if any of the children would like a go at shooting the bow. She chose one side to start. That side was our side, so Jacob was the first to try it out!

The lady and I help Jacob get his arrow stringed

He shoots....

He scores!!

Lucy gets ready to shoot

Lucy considers her shot...

Got him in the knee!

Autumn draws down on the villainous haystack

Ready to shoot!

Alas, I don't have a picture of Autumn's shot, but she did well.

The lady also told us about various practices back in the day. The feathers at the end of the arrow are called fletchings. They help the arrow fly straight by helping it spin. When the spinning arrow hits a target (like a human being) it will drill into the person, turning the head around several times inside the target. Removing the arrow becomes difficult, especially when the arrowheads have "exotic" designs.

Ouch!!!

Another practice was to stick arrows in the ground where the archer would stand, so they'd be easy to pick up and fire at an enemy. An added benefit of dirty arrowheads was that targets would get infections as well as holes. After a battle, they would recover arrows from any dead bodies or other spots they might have landed.

Later on in the morning, the same lady showed some of the birds of prey that are kept at the castle. She first brought out an owl. Owls were used to keep out mice and other vermin.

Snow owl and keeper

She also had one of the hawks, which were used for hunting. He also had a bell on his ankle. In case he ever gets away, he'll be easier to find.

Coming in for a landing

Showing the hawk to us

They both looked magnificent in flight. Later on there was a falcon demonstration we didn't get to see. In the afternoon (i.e. during nap time) they had a wild boar talk and feeding time. That would have been interesting but naps were definitely a higher priority for us.

We loved our visit to Bolton Castle and would definitely recommend it to those visiting the Yorkshire Dales.

Bolton Castle Part III--The Gardens

Bolton Castle is not only an impressive example of a medieval fortification and Lord's manor house, but it also boasts of fine gardens right under its south wall.

View of Bolton Castle from the gardens

There is a small vineyard and a herb garden right by the wall. These would have served the needs of the brewers, cooks, and the resident monks, who would make the messy medieval water potable or use the herbs cooking or tending to the sick. A large variety of culinary and medicinal herbs are still grown there, and the vineyard will most likely yield up to 1000 bottles annually once it reaches its prime.

The vineyards

Some nice flowers

A hedge maze also provides delightful diversions. Jacob, Lucy, and Autumn enjoyed finding their ways in and out of the small labyrinth.

View of the maze

Autumn and Jacob find each other

Just down the hill is the Bee House. Bees are important to the gardens for pollination. The house has a display about beekeeping through the years. They even have a window into an active beehive. This was not so popular with the children.

The Bee House

History of bee keeping

The views from the Bee House are quite special.

View of Wensleydale

Bee's eye view of the castle

More of the countryside

The castle offers even more to visitors, with demonstrations of archery and presentations of birds of prey, but I will write about those in the next (and final) installment on Bolton Castle.

Bolton Castle Part II--Private Quarters

Having seen most of Bolton Castle's public rooms, we now look into the private rooms of the Lord and Lady of the castle. The decor still follows the medieval style. The first room we come into is the Solar. This was the family's private sitting room. It faces south and thus benefited from the warmth of the sun (hence its name). It also overlooks the gardens and has a nice view of the countryside. The room was also used by Mary, Queen of Scots, when she was kept under close watch by Queen Elizabeth's allies. Their intent was to prevent Mary from taking over the English throne. She stayed at Bolton Castle in the 1568 and 1569.

Solar furnishings

Also heated by a fireplace

Ye olde entertainments

The door just next to the fireplace leads up to the nursery, where the children would have slept. The nursery probably was used by Mary's ladies in waiting during her stay. The room also has the only original ceiling (original meaning dating back to the 1300s), with oak beams and rafters. It is furnished with many of the practical and play things the children would have had. A writing desk allows visitors to try their skill with a quill. Some costumes are available for children to try.

The nursery

Bed and Dress (a good name for a pub?)

The writing desk

Jacob the knight

Autumn tries quilling

The other doorway off the Solar leads to the Great Chamber, where the family would have entertained relatives or important guests. Also, they would have taken their regular meals here. The room has both east and west windows, so it would have been well lit throughout the day. The furnishing would have been sparse as it is now. The tapestry on the south wall is quite ornate and very old, dating from the 1600s.

Great Hall west wall

Great Hall east wall

Tapestry from Brussels circa 1600

A spiral stair case from the Solar leads up to Lady Scrope's Bed Chamber. Mary's retinue used this room while the Queen used Lord Scrope's room upstairs.

The Lady's Bed Chamber

Fireplace and writing desk with arms of Crawford and Paulet above

Some embroideries

Up another flight of stairs is Lord Scrope's Bed Chamber. Only the principle occupant of the room would use the bed. Any servants or attendants would sleep on the floor, wrapped in blankets and probably as near to the fireplace as possible for warmth. This room is the farthest from all the kitchens and smithies below, so any noise or smoke or smells would be far removed. The upper class couldn't get more upper than this.

Putting the "bed" in bed chamber

The desk

Another staircase from here leads up to the battlements, where visitors can take in the remarkable views from the top of the house.

I can see my car from here

Climbing even higher!

View of the castle courtyard and chapel

View from the top with English flag

More of the countryside

After touring the castle, we headed back down to the tea room for a snack. From their we went outside to check out the gardens, which will be yet another blog entry.

Bolton Castle Part I--Living/Working Areas

Bolton Castle sits in the middle of the Wensleydale countryside. The castle's history begins in the 1300s, when Sir Richard, the first Lord Scrope and a loyal knight, obtained permission from the king in 1379 to "crenellate" his manor house. This meant that he could build battlements (called "crenellations") and thus have a substantial private fortification. The castle was completed in 1399. The building was quite extravagant, featuring two kitchens, eight halls, numerous bed chambers for family and visitors, and rooms for all the support functions (stables, guard rooms, brew house, etc.) to maintain the house through any hardships. Many garderobes or loos were built throughout the castle and the plumbing was so ingenious that it was not surpassed till the Victorian era. It was modernized in the 16th century after a fire. In the 17th century it was besieged by Parliamentary forces during the Civil War. Eventually they surrendered and Cromwell's forces "slighted" the castle, leaving only the Southwest Tower undamaged. In 1761, about a hundred years later, the Northeast Tower collapsed. The other walls and towers are still standing almost to their original height.

Bolton Castle

Today it's an impressive site and is well-maintained inside. They have the standard tea room and gift shop. Most of the rooms are furnished with period or period-like accoutrements that give a real sense of the castle as it was in the distant past. We enjoyed wandering through the castle.

Tea room, offering modern refreshments

What was the Malting House and Granary is now set up as a kitchen. We had fun exploring the various stoves, fireplaces, and other equipment. The kitchen workers would roast or smoke various meats brought into the castle. This room had a crafts table for kids. The castle has crafts spread throughout, a nice feature for those visiting with little ones.

Working on a craft in the kitchen

Kitchen workers

Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen sink

Large fireplace

Down a long hallway was a surprise--the loo! The castle has extensive plumbing and plenty of facilities for those in need. Of course, they are not in use now, but it is amazing to see how much thought was put into making the castle a living and workable place.

Commode

We took the stairs down to see the ground floor of the castle. The spiral stairs are an odd feature in the castle. Most spiral stairsin  the medieval period run up in a clock-wise direction. This gives defenders the advantage of height and freedom to use their right arms to fight attackers. Bolton Castle's staircase run mostly anti-clockwise. There is no record of why they were built that way.

Winding stairs, like Jacob loves

The ground floor is where a lot of the work was done to support the castle. The Threshing Floor and Mill is where the local grains (mostly rye and oats) were ground into flour for bread.

Threshing Floor with grinding wheel

The flour was taken to the Bake House, where bread was made throughout the day. Bread was a staple in the castle's diet.

Bake house

Additional ovens!

Another staple in the castle's diet was beer, ale, wine, etc. Medieval water being somewhat terrible and extremely unhealthy, it would be boiled and fermented. A large vat would do the job of brewing and barrels would be stored nearby in the Brew House.

Brew House

The Armourer's Workshop had all the equipment needed for any metalwork in the castle. Besides weapons and armor, the armourer would have worked on the lead roofs, the leading for the windows (including any stained glass windows like in the chapel), and on the portculises.

Armour in the Armoury

Next to the workshop were several stables where horses would have been kept. Other livestock would also be brought in, especially in case of siege. One of the stables has been converted into an Archers' Room, showing how the bowmen would have lived.

Stables as stables

Stables as Archers' Bed Chamber

The wide variety of arrowheads used to cause maximum damage on impact

Off on the east wall the wine cellars and several storage spots can be found. The castle's well is found nearby. The well shaft is quite older than the castle and probably served the manor house that was here previously.

Well, where Lucy asked for a coin. If only it was a wishing well!

Around the corner from the well was a little hole in the ground called the Dungeon. The dungeon is a little oubliette (from the French oublier, to forget) that was used as the dungeon. It was hewn out of rock and is very small inside. Anyone put in there was lowered by ropes. Rations may have also been lowered, though possibly the "oubliette" name comes from the neglect such prisoners received. A human arm bone was found in this dungeon. It was still chained up to the wall.

Stocks on the way to the dungeon hole

Looks like a drain, right?

It drains your will to live!

Up above was where the Great Hall was located. The floors and ceilings have collapsed. I was interested to hear in the audio guide's description of the Great Hall that the Lord's dinner would typically have meats and breads and fruits, but vegetables were considered "common" would have been minimal. The room was quite enormous, two stories high and about 45 feet in length.

Where the Great Hall used to be

The Northwest Tower, though an empty shell now, had extensive guest apartments for visiting dignitaries or family members.

Guest accomodations

More of the ruins of the Northwest Tower

Going up to the second floor, many of the living rooms for the family are found. Also, the chapel is here. The chapel was dedicated to St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary. Completed around 1395, the dedication may have been in honor of Richard II's wife Anne of Bohemia, who had died recently. It was fairly opulent and included side rooms for three priests. Priests offered more than just prayers. Being educated, they would teach the sons of the Lords. Also, they were trained in medicine at the monasteries and probably tended the herb gardens to have what they needed when they were tended the sick.

The chapel remains

Holy water font

Monk's room

Seeing how long this post is getting, I will save the family accommodations and their stories for the next post.