Mr. Tate on Dunstanburgh Castle. 89 



Harckla, and was conducted to his own castle of Pontefract, 

 where he was condemned of treason and executed. Venerated 

 by some as a martyr, he was canonised about half a century 

 after his death, and the hill on which he was executed was 

 called St. Thomas' hill. 



Soon afterwards the custody of the castle and of all the 

 lands and tenements, which belonged to the earl in North- 

 umberland, was committed to Richard de Emeldon ; * and 

 Roger de Horsele was commanded to deliver up to him 

 Dunstanburgh castle. In the same year the new custodier 

 sent sixty-eight hobelars, part of the garrison, to aid the king 

 in his expedition against Scotland. John de Lilleburn and 

 Roger Manduyt were then constables of the castle ; and 

 from the former it is probable that the Lilburn tower took 

 its name. He had been a person of importance in the north ; 

 for when the king, in 1326, ordered Dunstanburgh, along 

 with other ports, to provide ships against the attacks of the 

 French, he was one of the commissioners to superintend this 

 business. 



On a petition to Parliament, the ca'stle and other posses- 

 sions of the earl of Lancaster were, in the reign of Edward 

 III., restored to his brother Henry; and from him they 

 passed to his son Henry, who died without male issue ; but 

 his estates were divided between his daughters Blanch and 

 Maud, the former of whom obtained, as part of her share, 

 the barony with Dunstanburgh. She married John of Gaunt, 

 earl of Richmond, who was created duke of Lancaster ; and 

 her possessions descending to their son Henry of Bolingbroke, 

 who was afterwards king Henry IV., the castle became the 

 property of the crown. 



During the latter period of the reign of Henry VI., Dun- 

 stanburgh figures in the page of history, in connection with 

 the war of the Roses. After the battle of Towton, where 

 the Lancastrians were disastrously defeated, attempts were 

 made in Northumberland to retrieve the fortunes of the fallen 

 king ; for in the northern counties there was a strong feeling 

 in his favour. The records of this period are confused and 

 somewhat contradictory ; but on examining the various 

 accounts, I find that in 1462 queen Margaret obtained posses- 

 sion of Alnwick castle, either through the treachery of the 

 governor or for want of provisions, and that Bamburgh and 



9 Rob. de Emeldon, his progenitor, held 40 acres of land in Emeldon, from 

 John de Visconte on socage tenure, on payment of 12d. yearly. — Testa de Neville. 

 B.N.C. — VOL. VII. NO. I. M 



