FEW counties are so rich in ancient fortresses and castellated buildings as Durham; but pre-eminent among these in historical interest, and perhaps in antiquity, is Raby Castle, which we add to our series. Situate about six or seven miles from Barnard Castle, a trifle more than that from Bishop Auckland, and about a dozen from Darlington, Raby Castle, with its grand old park, lies close to the pretty little town of Staindrop, about which we shall say a few words later on. The castle itself, with its many massive towers and turrets, is built on rising ground, on a foundation of solid rock, and is surrounded and enclosed by a massive battlemented wall, the area of the edifice, within the wall, comprising about two acres of land. The castle was formerly surrounded by a moat, the course of which, although now filled up, is clearly traceable; in its place extensive sheets of ornamental water have been very judiciously laid out, and give to the scene the effect, in approaching the castle from the park, of a fine but placid river.

Raby Park, which surrounds the castle, consists of several hundred acres of the finest land, and contains a noble herd of more than five hundred red and fallow deer. The park is entered by three Lodges of ancient and unpretentious appearance. The South Lodge, which is the main entrance, is situated about one hundred yards from Staindrop Church. On entering the Lodge, within a very short distance from here the towers of the castle are visible, and continue in sight for some considerable distance, when a sharp incline cuts off the view. On attaining the summit the grand old pile is again seen standing boldly out from the grounds, and forming a most imposing prospect, which is greatly enhanced by the sheet of water that at this point separates the castle from the observer. The carriage drive from the Lodge has hitherto been wavy and circuitous in its route, but from here it takes a straight course across the Pond, or Lake, of ten acres in extent, by means of an embankment, and again continues in a circuitous form through an avenue of grand old venerable beech-trees, which terminates at the entrance, or Porter’s Lodge, to the castle itself.

The Pond, or Lake, which is divided by the carriage drive, is situated on the west side of the castle, its western portion overflowing into the eastern half, that flows to and surrounds the south battlement walls; the Moat, which is now dry, receding from it to the east and west. The Lake is well supplied with swans and other aquatic birds.

The East Lodge is a foot entrance for the workpeople; the North Lodge, or back entrance, has two low castellated towers, one on each side of the entrance gates.

The Home Park and Woods consist of nine hundred and forty acres, which are intersected by fifteen miles of drives and walks. The Woods are beautifully varied and picturesque, especially the North Wood, which forms the north boundary of the park, and rises considerably above the castle, commanding a most extensive and charming landscape, especially on a clear sunset evening, when the old dark walls of the castle are lit up by its golden rays, which are also reflected on the far-distant Yorkshire and Richmond hills.

The Bath Wood, which is quite of a different nature from the North Wood, is situated a short distance to the west of the castle in a valley that is thickly wooded, and through which walks and drives wind their way in such varied forms as to render it one of the most enjoyable summer retreats that can possibly be desired. The walks and drives all terminate at the Bath-house, somewhat west of the centre of the wood. In front of the Bath, which consists of two rooms, supplied by a natural spring of intensely cold water, is a fine open lawn, well laid out with rhododendron beds and single specimens of conifers, with a lake-stream of water winding its way in various falls and artificial forms. This open space, or lawn, is thickly surrounded with grand old beech and spruce-fir trees, blending most charmingly together. At the back and on the north side of the Bath-house is a picturesquely built lodge or cottage, inhabited by persons who have charge of the Baths.

The Gardens are situated on the north side of the castle, on a slight incline, which commands some of the most interesting views of the north side of the building. The whole grounds pertaining to the Gardens, including the head and under gardeners’ dwellings, are enclosed within substantial time-worn brick walls, which are strictly in keeping with the castle itself. The interior is formed into various sections by brick walls and massive yew hedges, that are kept closely clipped in tapering form; in measure they are ten feet wide, and eleven feet high, and probably were planted in the days of the first occupiers of the castle. Formerly these sections were almost exclusively devoted to the culture of fruit and vegetables, but of late years bedding plants of all descriptions have been extensively introduced, associating very agreeably the ornamental with the useful. On a terrace which is bounded on one side by a stream of water is a ribbon border extending its whole length; and on the south side of the boundary wall the effect produced by the bends and receding form of the border is very charming, and the perfection of what a ribbon border should be. Glass structures are extensive, and principally devoted to fruit culture, especially to pines and grapes. Excepting the Conservatory and two or three other houses containing some very fine specimens of tropical plants, plant culture is little regarded. Most of these houses have been reconstructed on the most approved modern principles, but they are scattered about in all directions. The noble range of vineries erected some thirty years since, that contained the vines which caused so much controversy amongst horticulturists on the carrion system of vine culture, are now things of the past, and are succeeded by fine healthy canes, which must, to all present appearance, produce in the future fruit of the most approved excellence. In addition to the many glass structures devoted to fruit culture, hot-air walls are also introduced for the same purpose, which, especially in the case of apricots, insure a full crop in spite of unpropitious weather.

The most-cared-for antique occupant in the Garden is, however, the famous “Raby Fig-tree,” which, although known to be upwards of one hundred years old, still produces annually thousands of figs of the finest quality. This remarkable tree is covered by a primitive glass structure, very much in keeping with its own venerable character. The house in which the tree is planted is fifty feet in length, eight feet in width, and nearly twelve feet in height; and every possible space of this house, both walls and rafters, is occupied by this one tree, which bids fair to live and flourish and produce fruit for many a century yet to come. The house is heated by flues. Another speciality of the Gardens is the original “Raby Red Currant,” whose trees are still in as good preservation, as prolific, and as much in repute as ever.

The name of Raby points to a Danish origin, and it is first named, so far as any record is known, in connection with King Canute, who, after making his celebrated pilgrimage over Garmondsway Moor to the shrine of St. Cuthbert at Durham, offered it, with Staindrop and its shire, to the shrine of that saint. It continued, except for a time during the life of Bishop Flambard, in the peaceful possession of the monks until 1131, when they granted it, for an annual rent of £4, to Dolfin, son of Ughtred, of the blood royal of Northumberland.

To him, Mr. Hodgson is of opinion, is to be ascribed the first foundation of the manor. The descendant of Dolfin, Robert Fitz-Maldred, lineal heir to Ughtred, Earl of Northumberland, was described as “Dominus de Raby,” when, early in the thirteenth century, he married Isabel de Nevil (daughter to Geoffrey de Nevil, the grandson of Gilbert de Nevil, who came over with the Conqueror, by the daughter and sole heiress of Bertram de Bulmer), who, by the death of her brother, the last male of his line, became sole heiress and representative of the great Saxon house of Bulmer, Lords of Brancepath and Sheriff-Hutton. Their son Geoffrey assumed his mother’s surname of Nevil, and thus laid afresh the foundation of the great house of that name. He had issue two sons—Robert, who succeeded him, and Geoffrey, who became Constable of Scarborough Castle and Justice Itinerant, and from whom the Nevils of Hornby, afterwards merged in the Beauforts, descended. Robert de Nevil, who was Governor of Norham, Werke, York, Devizes, and Bamborough Castles, Warden of all the King’s forests north of the Trent, Justice Itinerant, General of all forces beyond the Trent, and Sheriff of Yorkshire, joined the rebellious barons, but was afterwards restored to favour. His son Robert, called the “Peacock of the North,” dying without issue during his lifetime, this elder Robert was succeeded by Ralph de Nevil, who took a prominent part in the troublous internal wars of his time. He in turn was succeeded by his son, John de Nevil, Baron of Raby, who was Admiral of the King’s fleet from the Thames northward, Warden of the East Marches, Lieutenant of the Duchy of Aquitaine, and Seneschal of Bordeaux. He died 12th Richard II., and was succeeded by his eldest son, Ralph, his second son being Thomas, Lord Furnival. This John, Lord Nevil, was the builder of the present castle of Raby.

Ralph, Lord Nevil of Raby, held many important offices, and founded the collegiate church of Staindrop. By his first wife, Margaret, daughter of Hugh, Earl of Stafford, he had issue two sons—John, who died during his father’s lifetime, and Ralph, “who married the daughter and heir of Ferrers of Oversley, by whom he had John Nevil, called Lord Ferrers, whose daughter Joan (heir to the baronies of Oversley and Newmarch), being married to Sir William Gascoigne, brought forth Margaret Gascoigne, their daughter and heir, wife to Wentworth; whence the Barons Raby of that surname do descend”—and seven daughters: Maud, married to Baron de Mauley; Alice, to Sir Thomas Grey; Philippa, to Baron Dacres of Gillesland; Margaret, to Baron Scrope; Anne, to Sir Gilbert de Umfraville; Margery and Elizabeth, nuns. His second wife was Joan, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, “by whom he had issue eight sons—Richard, Earl of Salisbury; William, Baron Falconberg; George, Baron Latimer; Edward, Baron Bergavenny; Robert, Bishop of Durham; Cuthbert, Henry, and Thomas, which three last died issueless. Also five daughters—Catherine, married first to John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, secondly to Thomas Strangways, Esq., thirdly to John, Viscount Beaumont, and lastly to Sir John Widville, Knight; Eleanor, or Elizabeth, to Richard, Baron Spencer, secondly to Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland; Anne, to Humphrey, Duke of Bucks, and afterwards to Walter Blunt, Baron Mountjoy; Jane, a nun; and Ciceley, to Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York.” He was created Earl of Westmoreland, being “the first who was made earl of this county;” and at his death, in the 4th of Henry VI., he was succeeded by his grandson, Ralph Nevil, as second Earl of Westmoreland and Baron Nevil of Raby, who in turn was succeeded by his cousin, Ralph Nevil, son to Sir John Nevil, as third Earl of Westmoreland. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Roger Booth, by whom he had issue, with others, one son, who died in his father’s lifetime, leaving a son, Ralph, who in turn succeeded his grandfather.

Ralph, fourth Earl of Westmoreland and Baron Nevil of Raby, married Catherine, daughter of Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckinghamshire, by whom he had issue seven sons and five daughters, and was, at his death, succeeded by his eldest son, Henry Nevil, as fifth earl. This earl married Anne, daughter to Thomas Manners, Earl of Rutland, by whom, amongst others, he had issue a son, Charles, who succeeded him as fifth Earl of Westmoreland and Baron Nevil of Raby.

This nobleman, Charles, fifth Earl of Westmoreland, having taken an active part in the rebellion against Queen Elizabeth, known as the “Rising in the North,” was defeated, and all his possessions confiscated to the Crown. He left only female issue.

Raby, having passed into the hands of the Crown, was afterwards sold to the Vanes, to which family we now draw attention.

It will thus be seen that Raby Castle holds a very high rank among the ancient castles of England, and is one of the few of its old glories that continue to be the habitation of its lords.

The family of Vane, of which the Duke of Cleveland, the owner of Raby Castle, is the head, is of very high antiquity, and, unlike many of our noted families, has been continued in unbroken succession from at least the time of the Norman Conquest down to the present hour. The first of whom we have any authentic record—although doubtless the family might be traced much further back still—is Howell ap Vane, who was living in Monmouthshire antecedently to the Conquest. His son, Griffith ap Howell Vane, married Lettyce, daughter of Bledwyn ap Kynvyn, Lord of Powys, who was founder of three noble tribes of Wales, and by usurpation sovereign of North and South Wales. Their son was Enyon, or Ivon, “the Fair,” who married a daughter of Owen ap Edwyn Meredith. Passing on through the next three generations, we come to Sir Henry Vane, knighted at the battle of Poitiers, in 1356, where he claimed to have assisted in taking prisoner John, King of France, who, in token of his captivity, took off his dexter gauntlet and gave it to Vane: from that moment he adopted it as his cognisance, and it has been continued both as a crest and as a charge on the shield of arms.

He married Grace, daughter of Sir Stephen de la Leke, and was succeeded by his son, John Vane, whose great-grandson, Henry Vane (his elder brother having died without issue), married Isabella, daughter of Henry Persall, or Peshall, by whom he had a family of eight sons and two daughters, and, in default of issue of the eldest two, was succeeded by his third son, John Vane (whose younger brother, Sir Ralph Vane, married Elizabeth, known as “the good Lady Vane,” and was knighted at the siege of Bulleyn, in 1544; he afterwards purchased Penshurst, was attainted 4th Edward VI., executed on Tower Hill, and his estates forfeited). John Vane, who was of Hilden, in Kent, assumed the name of Fane in lieu of Vane, and married Isabella, daughter of John Darknoll, or Darrell, and was succeeded by their second son, Richard Fane, of Tudeley, at whose death, in 1540, he was succeeded by his only son, George Fane, of Badsall, who married Joan, daughter of William Waller, of Groombridge, from whom the present Earl of Westmoreland is descended. The fourth son of John Vane, or Fane, of Hilden, was John Fane, who was in possession of Hadlow when his uncle, Sir Ralph, was executed. He married Joan, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Edward Hawte, of Tonbridge, by whom, with others, he had a son, his successor, Henry Fane, of Hadlow, who took part in Wyatt’s insurrection, was committed to the Tower, but afterwards pardoned and released.

His grandson, Sir Henry Fane, resumed the ancient patronymic of his family, Vane, in lieu of Fane, and this has continued to the present time. This Henry Fane, or Vane, was knighted in 1611, and was constituted one of the regents of the kingdom for the safe keeping of the Queen, Prince Charles, and the rest of the royal children. In 1616, on the disgrace of Robert Carr of Fernyhurst, Earl of Somerset, Sir Henry Vane received a lease from the trustees for support of the household of Charles, Prince of Wales, for the remainder of the term granted to Carr. He was principal Secretary of State to James I., and Cofferer of the Household to Charles I. In 1626 he purchased the castle and manor of Raby, and in 1632 was sent as ambassador to Sweden to expostulate with Gustavus Adolphus in favour of the Elector Palatine. In the following year he nobly entertained the King at Raby, on his journey to and from Scotland, on the occasion of his coronation. He married Frances, daughter of Thomas Darcy, of Tolleshunt Darcy, and died at Raby Castle in 1654. By this union he had seven sons—viz. Thomas and John, who died in infancy; Sir Henry Vane, who succeeded him; and Sir George Vane, from whom the Marquis of Londonderry, who sits as Earl Vane, is descended; Sir Walter Vane, Charles Vane, and William Vane—and eight daughters, among whom were Margaret, married to Sir Thomas Pelham, from whom are descended the Duke of Newcastle and the Earl of Chichester; and Frances, wife of Sir Robert Honeywood.

Sir Henry Vane (third son), who succeeded his father in the estates of Raby, Fairlawn, Shipborne, &c., in 1654, had a very chequered, but historical life. He was educated at Westminster and Oxford, proceeded to Geneva, and afterwards to America, where he was elected Governor of Massachusetts. He was also M.P. for Hull and other places, and was knighted in 1640. He is characterized as “one of the most turbulent enthusiasts produced by the rebellion, and an inflexible Republican,” by some, but by Milton as

“Vane, young in years, but in sage counsel old.”

In 1659 he was, in Pepys’s own words, “this day voted out of the House, and to sit no more there; and that he would retire himself to his house at Raby.” And again, a month later, “This day, by an order of the House, Sir H. Vane was sent out of town to his house in Lincolnshire.” In 1661 he, with Lambert and others, was sent prisoner to Scilly. He had in former years been joined with Sir William Russell in the office of Treasurer of the Navy, which yielded an annual income of £30,000; but although, as survivor of Russell, the whole of this was his by patent for life, he voluntarily and disinterestedly gave it up to Parliament, reserving only a salary of £2,000 a year for an agent. A series of charges having been drawn up against Vane—principally arising out of his just indignation at the title of Raby having been bestowed upon the Earl of Strafford—he was, on the 6th of June, 1662, found guilty of high treason, and, on the 14th of the same month, beheaded on Tower Hill. Of this execution it is needless to give any particulars beyond those written, the same day, by Pepys. He says, “Up by four o’clock in the morning and upon business at my office. Then we sat down to business, and about eleven o’clock, having a room got ready for us, we all went out to the Tower Hill; and there over against the scaffold, made on purpose this day, saw Sir Henry Vane brought. A very great press of people. He made a long speech, many times interrupted by the sheriffe and others there; and they would have taken his paper out of his hand, but he would not let it go. But they caused all the books of those that writ after him to be given the sheriffe; and the trumpets were brought under the scaffold that he might not be heard. Then he prayed and so fitted himself, and received the blow; but the scaffold was so crowded that we could not see it done. But Boreman, who had been upon the scaffold, came to us and told us, that first he began to speak of the irregular proceeding against him; that he was, against Magna Charta, denied to have his exceptions against the indictment allowed: and that there he was stopped by the sheriffe. Then he drew out his paper of notes, and began to tell them first his life; that he was born a gentleman, that he was bred up and had the quality of a gentleman, and to make him in the opinion of the world more a gentleman, he had been till he was seventeen years old a good fellow, but then it pleased God to lay a foundation of grace in his heart by which he was persuaded, against his worldly interest, to leave all preferment and go abroad, where he might serve God with more freedom. Then he was called home and made a member of the Long Parliament, where he never did to this day anything against his conscience, but all for the glory of God. Here he would have given them an account of the proceedings of the Long Parliament, but they so often interrupted him that at last he was forced to give over, and so fell into prayer for England in generall, then for the churches of England, and then for the City of London: and so fitted himself for the block, and received the blow. He had a blister, or issue, upon his neck, which he desired them not hurt: he changed not his colour or speech to the last, but died justifying himself and the cause he had stood for; and spake very confidently of his being presently at the right hand of Christ; and in all things appeared the most resolved man that ever died in that manner, and showed more of heate than cowardice, but yet with all humility and gravity. One asked him why he did not pray for the King? He answered, ‘Nay,’ says he, ‘you shall see I can pray for the King: I pray God bless him!’ The King had given his body to his friends, and, therefore, he told them that he hoped they would be civil to his body when dead; and desired they would let him die like a gentleman and a Christian, and not crowded and pressed as he was.”

This unfortunate, but gifted member of the family of Vane had married, in 1639, Frances, daughter of Sir Christopher Wray, Bart., of Ashby and Glentworth, in Lincolnshire, by whom he had issue seven sons, five of whom died young. The fifth son was Sir Christopher Vane, who was knighted in 1688, made a Privy Councillor, and in July, 1699, created Baron Barnard of Barnard Castle, county of Durham. He married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Gilbert Holles, third Earl of Clare, and sister of John Holles, Duke of Newcastle. By her Baron Barnard had issue, with others, a son—Gilbert Vane, who succeeded him; and another son—William Vane, who was created Viscount Vane and Baron Duncannon. This Viscount Vane married Lucy, daughter of William Jolliffe, Esq., of Caverswall, in Staffordshire, and was father, by her, of William Holles Vane, second Viscount, whose wife (Frances, daughter of Francis Hawes, of Purley Hall, and widow of Lord William Hamilton) was the notorious Lady Vane, whose intrigues and disreputable course of life form the subject of the “Memoirs of a Lady of Quality” in “Peregrine Pickle,” which were “written by herself, which she coolly told her lord to read.”

Gilbert Vane, second Baron Barnard, who succeeded his father, the first baron, in 1723, and died in 1753, married Mary, daughter and heiress of Morgan Randyll, of Chilworth, by whom he had six sons and three daughters. His eldest son and successor was Henry, third Baron Barnard, a Lord of the Treasury, who, in 1754, was advanced to the dignity of Viscount Barnard and Earl of Darlington. This nobleman, of whom Lord Orford wrote, “He never said a false thing nor did a bad one,” married, in 1725, the Lady Grace, daughter of Charles Fitzroy, first Duke of Cleveland, by whom he had issue three sons and three daughters. The eldest son was Lord Henry Vane, who succeeded his father as second Earl of Darlington and fourth Baron Barnard; he married Margaret, sister of the first Earl of Lonsdale; and, dying in 1792, was succeeded by their eldest son, William Henry, as fifth baron and third earl.

This nobleman, who held many important appointments, was born in 1766; in 1827 he was advanced to the dignity of Marquis of Cleveland; and in 1833 was again advanced to the title of Duke of Cleveland, and had the barony of Raby conferred upon him. He was married twice: first, in 1787, to the Lady Katharine Margaretta Powlett, daughter and co-heiress of the sixth and last Duke of Bolton, and a co-heiress of the barony of St. John of Basing; and secondly, in 1813, to Elizabeth Russell, of Newton House, Yorkshire. By his first marriage the Duke had issue three sons (who have each in succession become Dukes of Cleveland) and five daughters—one of whom, Lady Louisa Catherine Barbara, married a brother of the first Lord Forester, and another, the Lady Arabella, married the third Lord Alvanley. The Duke was succeeded at his death, in 1842, by his eldest son—

Henry Vane, second duke and marquis, third earl and viscount, and sixth baron, who was born in 1788, and died, without issue, in 1864, having married, in 1809, Lady Sophia, daughter of the fourth Earl Powlett. He was succeeded by his brother, William John Frederick Vane, as third duke and marquis, fourth earl and viscount, and seventh baron, who assumed the surname of Powlett in lieu of that of Vane, but in 1864 resumed his original patronymic of Vane. His grace married, in 1815, Caroline, fourth daughter of the first Earl of Lonsdale, but died without issue in 1864, when he was in turn succeeded in his titles and estates by his brother, the present Duke of Cleveland.

The present noble head of this grand old family, whose genealogy we have thus briefly traced, is Harry George Powlett (late Vane), Duke of Cleveland, Marquis of Cleveland, Earl of Darlington, Viscount Barnard of Barnard Castle, Baron Barnard, and Baron Raby, a Knight of the Garter, &c. His grace is, as has been shown, a son of the first Duke of Cleveland, and brother of the second and third dukes. He was born in 1803, and succeeded to the titles and estates in 1864, when, by royal license, he assumed the surname and arms of Powlett in lieu of those of Vane. His grace, who was educated at Eton and at Oriel College, Oxford, was attached to the embassy at Paris in 1829, and was appointed Secretary of Legation at Stockholm in 1839. In 1854 he married Lady Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina Stanhope, daughter of the late Earl Stanhope (President of the Society of Antiquaries), and widow of Lord Dalmeny, son of the Earl of Rosebery, by whom, however, he has no issue, so that at his decease—his brothers, the second and third dukes, having also died without issue—the titles, with the exception of that of Baron Barnard, will become extinct. The heir to the barony of Barnard is Morgan Vane, Esq. (only son of the late Rev. Robert Morgan Vane), great-grandson of the Hon. Morgan Vane, brother of Henry, third Baron Barnard, who, as we have shown, was created Viscount Barnard and Earl of Darlington. This Robert Morgan Vane married, as his first wife, Margaretta, daughter of Robert Knight, and ultimately heiress to Robert, Earl of Catherlough, from which marriage the present heir-presumptive is descended.

The arms of Vane are (as already explained, from the circumstance of one of the family taking the French king prisoner at the battle of Poitiers)—azure, three dexter gauntlets, or. These were borne by the Duke of Cleveland quarterly with those of Fitzroy, being the royal arms of King Charles II., viz.—one and four France and England quarterly, two Ireland, three Scotland; the whole debruised by a baton sinister, componÉ of six pieces, ermine and azure, the supporters being dexter, a lion guardant, or, ducally crowned with a ducal coronet, azure, gorged with a collar counter-componÉ, ermine and azure; sinister, a greyhound, argent, gorged with a collar, counter-componÉ, ermine and azure, being the supporters of Fitzroy, Duke of Cleveland, granted to Vane on being advanced to the marquisate in 1827. Crests: Vane—a dexter arm in a gauntlet grasping a dagger; Fitzroy—on a chapeau, gules, turned up, ermine, a lion passant guardant, or, crowned with a ducal coronet, argent, and gorged with a collar, counter-componÉ, ermine and azure. Motto—“Nec temere, nec timide.” On the assumption of the name and arms of Powlett, the arms, as now borne by the Duke of Cleveland, are—sable, three swords in pile, points downwards, proper, pomels and hilts, or. Crest, on a wreath, a falcon rising, or, belled of the last, and ducally crowned, gules. Supporters and motto as before. The arms of the Earl of Catherlough, which the heir-presumptive is entitled to quarter with his own of Vane, are—argent, three bendlets, gules; on a canton, azure, a spur with the rowel downwards, strapped, or. Crest, on a wreath, argent and gules, a spur, or, between two wings erect, gules. Motto—“Te digna sequere.”

The Duke of Cleveland is patron of twenty-four livings, thirteen of which are in Shropshire, one in Northamptonshire, two in Durham, two in Somersetshire, one in Yorkshire, two in Devonshire, two in Dorset, and one in Cornwall. His principal seats are Raby Castle, Durham, and Battle Abbey, Sussex.

The present castle of Raby, it would appear, was built by John, Lord Nevil, who died in 1388. In 1379 he had license from Thomas Hatfield, Bishop of Durham, to crenellate. Whether the old castle was mainly pulled down and rebuilt by John Nevil, or whether he simply added to it fresh towers and fortifications, is a matter we have not space, nor is it necessary to our purpose, to inquire into. That it could not all have been taken down is, however, pretty evident, as the lozenge-shaped tower in the centre is said to have been built by Bertram de Bulmer, or Bolemes, in 1162. The Nevils, who were at the same time Lords of Raby, Brancepath, Sheriff-Hutton, and Middleham, were all described as “Dominus de Raby;” and thus it is evident that Raby was their chief residence and stronghold.

Raby, says the Rev. Mr. Hodgson (who has done more than any other antiquary in searching into and elucidating the history of this grand old pile, and to whom we express our deep obligation for much of the critical description of the building we are about to give), in its present state (although some parts of the older edifice were left and incorporated in it) “presents essentially the work and ideas of one period,” the fourteenth century. Leland speaks of it as “the largest castell of logginges in al the north cuntrey, and is of a strong building, but not set other on the hill or very strong ground;” but he does not mention the moat, which was probably filled up and the water drawn off before his time.

The general arrangement of the castle is as follows:—First, the central nucleus, or castle proper, consisting of a compact mass of towers connected by short curtains, and of which the block shape may be described as something between a right-angled triangle and a square, having the right angle to the south-west. Next, a spacious platform entirely surrounding this central mass; then a low embattled wall of enceinte, strengthened by a moat-house, and perhaps a barbican, as well as by numerous small square bastions rising from its exterior base; and then the moat. The south front of the castle being so amply defended by water, its structural defences were naturally less important.

Quite unlike the others, it was, with the exception of the flanking towers at either end, nearly flat. The first, or western of these, called the Duke’s Tower, is very large and square, and of different heights, being, in fact, two towers laid together. Considerably in recess, a rather low curtain connected it with the end of the Great Hall, which, till lately, rose up tower-like, but without projection. Beyond, and nearly in a line, came another curtain, short, but lofty; and then the wedge-like projection of Bulmer’s Tower, which flanked the whole towards the east. This tower, which commemorates Bertram Bulmer, one of the Saxon ancestors of the Nevils, by two raised B’s in its upper story, being of somewhat unusual shape, viz. a pentagon, formed by the application of an equilateral triangle to a square, has given rise to comments and conjectures of the wildest sort. An underground passage, there is little or no doubt, extends from the substructure of this tower to a small blocked-up doorway in one of the bastions of the wall of enceinte above the lake, from which, again, there is reason to think, another traverses its whole length westwards. Passing onwards, we come to the east or north-east front. This is a very fine work, extremely bold and vigorous, set thick with towers, and broken by deep re-entering angles into immense masses. Thoroughly fortress-like and utilitarian in its character, without the least pretence to ornament, it is a masterpiece no less of artistic than constructive skill. Beginning at the south-east angle, we have, in the first place, the great pentagon of Bulmer’s Tower, and the short curtain spoken of as connecting it with the Hall, standing out transept-wise from the latter, and defending it to the east.

A little farther on, and about midway in its length, the Chapel, with its substructure terminating in a lofty tower, performs the same service. Projecting from the lower part of this tower, until destroyed in modern times, was an advanced portal, the exact nature of which cannot be particularised. Again, at about an equal distance, a third transeptal mass, terminating in a tower called Mount Raskelf, stands out from and protects the Hall. A short high curtain, extending between the Chapel Tower and this last, forms at the same time the limit of a small court-yard and a screen to that portion of the Hall which lies behind it. Mount Raskelf is the angle tower between what are, strictly speaking, the east and north fronts. Its northern face and curtain fall back deeply till they join the great square of the Kitchen Tower, which projects at right angles, and is connected by a strong machicolated curtain to the east fabric of Clifford’s Tower, by far the largest in the castle, and of immense strength. This tower is planned with consummate skill. In shape an oblong square, standing almost detached, and set diagonally to the north and west fronts, it not only completely flanks them both, but also, from its close proximity to the Moat-house, could either lend it effectual aid in case of an assault, or render it, if captured, utterly untenable. Turning the angle of Clifford’s Tower, we gain the west front. A strong machicolated curtain, bending slightly westward, connects it with a lofty tower of slight projection, and separated by a short wall space from the well-advanced and diagonally set turrets of the great Gatehouse. A deep recess in the elevation intervenes between the latter and our starting-point, the Duke’s Tower, which stands well out again, and terminates the whole. Passing under the long vault of the great Gatehouse, we reach the Court-yard. Lofty walls close it in on all sides with very picturesque and fine effect, the Great Hall lying to the east. A central tower of beautiful proportion, which stands out at right angles to it, shuts off a smaller court-yard to the north. There are many points about the exterior which require careful examination. First as to detail. What may be considered the typical form of window is very characteristic and peculiar—a single square-topped light, with a rounded trefoil in the head, the eye of which is either sunk or pierced. It is very domestic, and has an excellent effect. In Clifford’s Tower they are superimposed. The windows of the Chapel, which, though good in themselves, are of an ordinary form, square-headed, with net tracery, raise an important and interesting question, viz. What is their probable date, and can we possibly assign them to what may fairly be called the time of the builder of the great Gatehouse? Now the Chapel, which is unquestionably the earliest part of the castle, and thoroughly fortress-like in character, determines by its date the period when the general work of reconstruction and fortifying began. In the Moat Tower, above segmental, circular, and depressed four-centred arches, we have on the summit concave, shoulder-arched doorways of wonderfully pure and early-looking character. The side-windows of the Great Hall, again—pairs of long lancets set closely together, and without hood-moulds—though Transition or Early Perpendicular in date, are almost Early English in composition. We need feel no very great surprise, therefore, if in the Chapel we find a type adopted which was generally expiring. An examination of the masonry on either hand of the great Gate Tower will show that an extensive alteration was made in that part of the castle. It would seem that the face of the original Gatehouse, which probably stood midway between the back and front of the present one, just about where the inner doorway spans the passage, was taken down, and the whole structure brought forward as we see it. The roof proves this almost to demonstration. Within the central archway, towards the Court-yard, it is a simple barrel vault, strengthened with plain chamfered ribs. Without it, where the passage-way widens, it is a well-moulded, beautiful lierne, the ribs producing, perhaps intentionally, the Nevil saltire four times repeated. At the same time the short curtain which connected the old Gatehouse with the tower to the north was advanced level with the face of the latter, and the western half of the Duke’s Tower, already described as a double one, added, so as to flank the front, which now, instead of having a salient angle in the centre, as at first, was, so to say, made square. The outer entrance of the Gatehouse is very fine. Its boldly moulded four-centred arch is surmounted by a second of the same contour, but richly cusped and trefoiled. Above it are three shields, each surrounded with the garter. They are—1st, Nevil; 2nd, St. George; 3rd, Latimer; and fix certainly the erection of this Gatehouse, though it looks so much later, between 1382—the probable date of John Nevil’s second marriage with Elizabeth Latimer—and his death in 1389.

Another most noticeable point about the work is the entire absence of buttresses. Every tower and curtain stands in its own unaided strength. The great diversities of design, especially as seen in the towers, should also be noticed. Without the least approach to affectation or extravagance in any, yet of all the nine included in the central group there are no two which bear the faintest resemblance to each other—the variety and beauty of proportion in its parts, and the admirable way in which they are combined, producing, as they did once, a sky-line perhaps unmatched in England, are really the glories of the castle. A perfect simplicity and directness of purpose, with infinite change and play of line, characterize the building throughout, and stamp it as the work of a master.

Modern alterations have so obscured and destroyed John Nevil’s work in the interior that there is little of it left to see. Still there is something. Leland, who mentions it, says, “The Haul and al the Houses of Offices be large and stately. The Great Chaumber was exceeding large, but now it is fals rofid and divided into two or three partes.” Now if by the “Haul” and “Great Chaumber” he refers to the same thing, which internal evidence seems to show he must, then the worthy itinerant was entirely mistaken. “A recent investigation, accompanied by a vigorous use of the pick, has shown me,” says Mr. Hodgson, “that the Hall, as its external appearance indicates, was always, from the very first, a double one, consisting, that is, of two halls of nearly equal height, one above the other. About ten feet below the present floor I came upon the line of the old one, which had been of wood carried on pillars (whence, perhaps, the mistake of being ‘fals rofid’), the mutilated remains of the great fire-place, and three doorways, all of which I partially opened out. The upper, or Baron’s Hall, called so, perhaps, to distinguish it from the lower, was a noble room. Ranges of long narrow transomed windows lighted it on each side, as well as two large traceried ones of three lights to the south, and another to the north. The roof, a very fine one of oak, was carried on cambered beams, each displaying the saltire on its centre. These were the ordinary arrangements. Extending the full width of the north end was a lofty stone music gallery, with arch cornice. In advance of it the screens, behind which, and leading to the Kitchen, Pantry, and Buttery, were once most likely the usual three doorways, but of these, owing to mutilations, I could only find one. At either end of the passage was a large arched doorway. One of these opened upon a staircase close to the Chapel door, the other upon the roof of a sort of cloister in the Great Court, which must have formed a promenade, and of which also I have found the traces. Platforms of this sort, carried on arches, and occupying an exactly similar position, occur in the castles of Coucy and Creil.”

The Kitchen, though it has a certain air of rudeness, and has lost its ancient fire-place, is still a very interesting relic, and one of the most perfect things in the castle. It occupies the whole interior of a large strong square tower. The windows, which have stepped sills, are set high up in the walls, and are connected by a perforated passage of defence provided with garde-robes, which runs all round. Two pairs of very strong vaulting ribs, intersecting in the centre, carry the louvre, which is of stone and of immense size. The lower part, twelve feet square, rises to upwards of the same height above the leads, and is surmounted by an octagon fifteen feet higher still. Externally it forms a very striking and effective feature. Below the Kitchen a cellar of the same shape and size has a well-groined vaulted roof carried on a central pillar. Another to the east, which has a large double fire-place at one end, has a strongly ribbed circular segmental vault. All the first-floor chambers of the west front, including Clifford’s Tower, have plain barrel vaults. The lower chamber of Bulmer’s Tower had till lately a richly groined vault of great strength and beauty. The Hall Tower has both its lower stories vaulted; the first ribbed, the second plain. The whole of this tower, inside and out, has been wonderfully preserved. Vaults, windows, grilles, doorways, stairs, garde-robes, all are nearly intact, and will bear careful examination. It is really the most perfect thing in the place. The Chapel, all mutilated as it is, still deserves notice. The Sanctuary, which forms the central portion of a tower, has a boldly ribbed quadripartite vault. Above it is a guard-chamber. Its exterior window, above the eastern one of the Chapel, is marked by a very remarkable little hanging machicoulis.

The entrance to Raby is by the Porter’s Lodge in the north-west portion of the embattled outer wall. In this Lodge are found some family relics; among others, the sword worn by Lord Barnard, son of the first Earl of Darlington, at the battle of Fontenoy, where a bullet, striking his sword, broke it, and then, glancing off, disabled its wearer. The Gateway is flanked by two towers, each of which is surmounted by a figure of a mail clad warrior.

The main entrance to the castle itself is on the west side, between two towers. It is a long passage, with groined roof and traces of portcullis; and carriages drive through this passage into the Quadrangle, or Court-yard. Crossing this, and facing the main entrance just alluded to, is the enormous doorway opening into the Great or Entrance Hall. Through this doorway the carriages literally drive into the mansion, and there set down the guests in the Hall itself, which is of great size, with an arched roof, supported by eight octagonal pillars in its centre. “When the brilliant gas above combines its glare with that of two enormous fires, and the roof is echoing to the tramp of horses and the roll of wheels, the visitor cannot but be struck with the unusual entrance,” says a recent writer. In this Hall is hung Turner’s famous picture of Raby Castle.

Above this Great Hall is the famous Baron’s Hall immortalised by Wordsworth, where

“Seven hundred knights, retainers all
Of Neville, at the muster’s call,
Had sate together in Raby’s hall.”

This Hall, which is 126 feet long by 36 feet broad, is ceiled with oak and contains a large number of family portraits; also “Interior of an Artist’s Studio,” by Teniers, and portraits of Queen Elizabeth, Cromwell, James II., and Frederick, Prince of Wales. The south end of the room is modern, being built over the Octagon Drawing-room. A staircase leads from the Baron’s Hall to the Chapel, renovated by the second duke. Some of the windows are filled with stained glass by Wailes; others with old German glass. The Chapel contains Murillo’s “St. Catherine” and “The Saviour bearing the Cross.”

In most of the apartments of the castle are many fine pictures, portraits and others, among which are the Duke of Cleveland, son of Charles II.; Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland; Lady Barnard, wife of Christopher, Lord Barnard; Harry, second Duke of Cleveland, in his Garter robes; and the first Duke of Cleveland in his uniform as Colonel of the Durham Militia. The Octagon Drawing-room, built by the second duke, is, in all its details, a most elaborate and highly finished apartment. The furniture is elegant. In this room is Hiram Powers’ celebrated statue of the “Greek Slave,” purchased by the second Duke of Cleveland for £1,800.

The Kitchen is a fine specimen of mediÆval architecture, and is evidence of the lavish hospitality of a former age. “The enormous oven would have baked bread for an army, and is described by Pennant as being, in his time, used as a wine-cellar, ‘the sides being divided into two parts, and each part holding a hogshead of wine in bottles.’”

It is not necessary for us to enter further into the details of the interior arrangements of the castle. All we need say is, that the rooms are fitted and furnished with all the appliances of Art which might be expected in the home of so enlightened and so liberal-minded a nobleman as his Grace the Duke of Cleveland.

Staindrop, closely adjoining Raby Park, is an interesting town, whose Church contains many monuments to members of the noble families of Nevil and Vane. The Church was restored in 1849. Among the monuments, perhaps the most interesting are an altar-tomb, with recumbent effigies, to Ralph Nevil, Earl of Westmoreland, and his two wives, Margaret, daughter to Hugh, Earl of Stafford, and Joan, daughter to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster; and a monument in wood, with effigies of Henry, fifth Earl of Westmoreland (1564), and his two wives. There is also a magnificent white marble altar-tomb to the first Duke of Cleveland, by Westmacott, the recumbent figure on which is beautifully executed. In the chancel there is a monument, of exquisite design, in the purest white marble, in memory of Sophia, Duchess of Cleveland (wife of the second duke), who died in 1859. Within the altar-rails are other monuments, including those of Henry, second Earl of Darlington, who died in 1792; Margaret, Countess of Darlington, who died in 1800; and Katharine Margaret, Countess of Darlington, who died in 1807. There are also stained-glass windows in memory of Henry, second Duke of Cleveland; one erected by the friends and tenants of the Duke, and the other by Lady Augusta Powlett, his sister-in-law. A monumental brass of chaste design, on the north side of the Church, preserves the memory of William, third Duke of Cleveland. North of the Church is a Mausoleum, erected by the second Duke of Cleveland, in which the remains of the Duke and other members of the family repose.