It’s been more than a hot minute since we last met, dear blog, but I’m back to share my love for history and, of course, good food!
They say ‘once a historian, always a historian.’ Well, technically, when I say ‘they’ I mean me, but that’s besides the point.
As I was saying, the historian is strong in this one, and I have recently started looking up the histories of the places that I am about to visit and then recalling these en route….and now for your reading pleasure….also here!
For this Cumbrian trip, one name in particular jumped out at me and I was keen to find out more… well, that and the many stone circles in the area, but more on that later.
Lady Ann Clifford was a Tudor philanthropist, early feminist and total legend who, despite what the title of this blog may suggest, was born in Skipton. In 1590, in case you wanted to know.
English Heritage describe her as the last member of one of England’s great medieval dynasties.
Her life was sadly struck by tragedy early on, though, as both her brothers died young, making her the only surviving child, and then her dad died too when she was only 15!
Yet as she was a woman, *insert sarcastic eye roll* Anne did not automatically inherit the family estate, which by the way was really quite big. No, instead, it all went to her uncle, just because he was a man. * Boo hiss boo*
Thankfully, Ann did not give up without a fight, and with the support of her mother, Margaret, she made it her mission to regain her rightful inheritance…..It only took 40 years!!!
By this time, Lady Ann Clifford had outlived two husbands and many, if not all, of the estates were falling to bits and were in ruins. It was also 1643, so there was that little thing called the English Civil War to contend with.
Unperturbed, there was no stopping Ann, who had a new mission in life and, after the war, aged 60, she spent the next 26 years of her life restoring the family castles, including many that I will mention later, as well as restoring churches and building almshouses.
Castlerigg Stone Circle
Before, dear reader, we set off on our Lady Anne Clifford travels, I’m taking it right back to Neolithic times with a stop off at Castlerigg Stone Circle.
It is, in fact, reputed to be one of the oldest of the stone circles and predates Stone Henge by more than five hundred years.
As a second-generation hippie ( sort of), I have often felt drawn to visiting stone circles, but that was before watching Outlander….now it’s a must-go destination….and Castlerigg did not disappoint.
The large stone circle with dramatic views over some of the Lake Districts highest peaks includes 38 stones and a characteristic rectangular mini henge within the circle.
Mayburgh Henge
Staying on the Neolithic theme, we ventured next to Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur’s Round Table.
I was rather underwhelmed by the latter of these. Although the Arthurian legend is in fact a legend and probably didn’t really happen at all, I was looking forward to seeing at least something at this site, but instead it was just literally a circular ditch and a mound.
It also didn’t actually have anything to do with Arthur, Merlin and the knights at all, although you may be led to believe that this was their jousting grounds. Instead, excavation from 1937 show that it has Neolithic origins and was thought to be a burial ground and possibly a trading place too.
Just across the road ( and a bit way down) we continued on our stone circle theme and Mayburgh Henge was not to be missed. Only one standing stone remains but it's a majestic one, sadly though it did not take me to Jamie Fraser.
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| Shout out to Mother Nature for the ombre effect of all the colours in the standing stone. |
Penrith Castle
On a very Outlander: Blood of My Blood or Game Of Thrones vein, there were two big rival families in Medieval Cumberland and Westmorland. One was the Cliffords and the other, the Nevilles.
Penrith Castle (originally Penrith Manor) was owned by the Nevilles and was built as a place of diplomacy, trade, and quite possibly to ruffle a few of the Clifford’s feathers, who owned land not too far away.
As I walked around the now ruinous castle, I could really feel the opulence and grandeur of this once magnificent building. One of its most notorious inhabitants was Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who went on to become Richard III. He is believed to have added many striking features to the castle during his time, but only lived there for periods up to 1483, so may not have stayed at Penrith whilst he was King.
St. Andrews Church
Whilst in Penrith, another great stop for history nerds like myself is the church of St. Andrews. Although a lot of it was remodelled during the Georgian period, there has been a church on the site since about 1133, and it still retains its medieval tower, which is believed to date back from the 13th or 14th century.
I also loved seeing the stained glass window depicting members of the Neville family.
Dalemain Historic Mansion
The annual world marmalade awards at Dalemain was reason enough for me to pay this historic manor a visit but sadly the awards are in April and I visited in November.
To add to this, the house was also now closed for the winter as I would have loved to have seen Lady Anne Clifford’s final diary.
The Dalemain Mansion was bought by one of her secretaries, Edward Hasell, who is believed to have helped Anne keep her diary later in life.
However, fortunately for me, the tea room was open, which not only meant that I got to spend the afternoon in the historic medieval hall but try the marmalade too!!
The Dalemain Marmalade Awards attract over 300 marmalade makers for across the world (Paddington would be in his element), all aiming for the coveted prize of having their marmalade on sale at Fortnum and Mason.
For 2025, the double gold award winner, and the first overseas winner for 20 years, was Hitomi Wakamura of Japan. The marmalade in question was yuzu and pear, so naturally, it had to be tried.
The taste was fresh and light, almost summery in flavour, with the sweetness of the pear beautifully paired with the tangy yet floral notes of the yuzu.
Brougham Hall
Whilst Lady Anne Clifford spent most of her days at Brougham Castle, this was alas also closed so I opted to visit Brougham (pronounced broom) Hall instead and what a cool place it is.
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| Brougham Castle |
The lovely lady at Saramics Studio gave me a lowdown on the story behind the hall and the artist collective that you can find there today. Brougham Hall is now owned collectively by the artists who work there, including a gin distillery, ceramic studios and even a forge.
Whilst the hall has a rich tapestry of history, having been fortified and settled for centuries, its origins are unsure, but we can be sure that a heroine of this tale was Lady Anne Clifford, who bought the hall in 1651 for £1,500.00 and a few years later bought a hospital too for the staff of both the hall and Brougham Castle.
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| The Gates at Brougham Hall |
Greystoke Castle
If there are any themes to this blog (and there are a few) then it’s generous philanthropists, this time it’s the Liverpudlian bar and restaurant owner Tom Nash.
Tom is painstakingly and lovingly restoring this historic gem, and I was lucky enough to get a castle tour of, not only the opulently restored rooms but also a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the work yet to be done. We even checked out the roof terrace!
One of my favourite aspects of the tour was the dungeon bar, which brought together the historic and the new with aged old barrels as tables and a fully stocked bar.
One of the most renowned occupants of Greystoke has to be Catherine Howard, 5th wife of Henry VIII and my cousin….13 x removed.
In fact, this ancestral family seat has been owned by the Howard family since 1560.
Another famous person who stayed at Greystoke was the author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Although, like me, you may not recognise the name straight away, you will know his work as this the guy who wrote Tarzan.
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| The Edgar Rice Burroughs' Bedroom |
In fact, Edgar Rice Burroughs actually based the home of Tarzan’s parents on Greystoke.
Appleby and St. Lawrence's Church
Whilst Lady Anne managed to restore 14 different castles in her lifetime, Appleby was one where she is said to have spent most of her time.
However, it is now a hotel, so after a quick peek, it was off to the church with a quick stop off at St Anne’s Hospital.
This almshouse (not a hospital at all was built as a refuge and to help the poor widows of the village.
Lady Anna Clifford and her mother are both buried at St. Lawrence's church, so it felt only fitting that the journey ends at her final resting place...or was it the end?
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| Lady Ann Clifford's memorial. Work started on this whilst she was still alive so that Lady Ann could make sure that it was perfect. |
Pendragon Castle
Ok, so technically this is just on the Cumbrian/Yorkshire border, but our final stop, Pendragon Castle, was not to be missed for two main reasons.
Firstly, according to Arthurian legend, the castle was built by Uther Pendragon, and secondly, it is, of course, Lady Anne Clifford.
She fully restored the castle after it was raided by the Scottish and added many features, including a bakery and stables. Sadly, none of these remain as Pendragon Castle is now just a ruin, but I’m sure the local sheep love having it as a place to graze and explore.
