THE LOST CASTLES OF THE NORTH-WEST By Margaret Brecknell
not hold some piece of it. Having acquired significant tracts of land as a result of backing the winner, King Henry VII, at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Stanley was then given further estates in the county by the monarch for successfully quelling an uprising two years later.
Greenhalgh Castle Garstang
North-West England is home to some of the most wellpreserved castles in the country. Lancaster, Chester and Clitheroe Castles immediately spring to mind.
H
owever, some similar once impressive structures in this region have been largely lost to posterity. Here are the stories of five of them.
GREENHALGH CASTLE, GARSTANG Now little more than a few stones in a farmer’s field, Greenhalgh Castle once played an important role in the defence of lands owned by the influential 15th-century nobleman, Sir Thomas Stanley. Such was the extent of Stanley-owned territory in the county during this period that it was once said there was not a single part of Lancashire where he did
His new property included lands between Lancaster and Preston, previously held by Sir James Harrington. In August 1490 Stanley was granted a licence by the King to build a castle on the site of Harrington’s former manor house, close to the town of Garstang. The fortification was constructed on top of a small hill which was surrounded by marshland, with only one narrow causeway providing access to firmer ground. This position fulfilled two allimportant requirements, providing good views in every direction and making it easily defendable in case of attack. The castle’s outer stone walls are believed to have formed a rectangle around a central courtyard, with a tower at each corner. Sir Thomas Stanley is not thought to have stayed at Greenhalgh Castle for any significant period, but it served as an important garrison for his own private army of soldiers. Successive generations of the Stanley family continued to wield considerable influence at court and when the English Civil War broke out in the early 1640s, it was little surprise when Sir James Stanley sided with King Charles I in opposition to the Parliamentarians. By 1643, however, the enemy had largely seized control in Lancashire and Greenhalgh Castle remained as one of the few Royalist strongholds in the county.
Footpath leading to Greenhalgh Castle
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LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
The castle was placed under siege by Parliamentarian forces, who are believed to have made their headquarters in nearby Garstang, www.lancmag.com
