History of Pontefract Castle - Wakefield Museums and Castles

$History of Pontefract Castle$ Pontefract Castle

$The Keirincx oil painting of Pontefract Castle in its heyday, a large imposing castle with many different towers looking down over a rural settlement$

History of Pontefract Castle

Pontefract Castle was built nearly a thousand years ago. It has seen some truly incredible things.

Since the 1200s Pontefract Castle has been known as the Key to the North. The castle has been at the centre of some of the most important events in English history.

Discover medieval barons and loyal royalist soldiers. Explore royal scandals and selfish kings. Learn about liquorice farmers and generous Victorians.

Get ready to discover the stories contained within these castle walls.

Pontefract Castle stories: a short look at the history of Pontefract Castle

Find out more

$The Keirincx oil painting of Pontefract Castle in its heyday, a large imposing castle with many different towers looking down over a rural settlement$

Pontefract Castle interactive painting

Explore the history of Pontefract Castle through this interactive version of Alexander Keirincx's painting.

An oil painting of William the Conqueror in royal regalia looking determined

The Norman Conquest

Discover how the Norman Conquest in 1066 led to the building of Pontefract Castle.

Painting of King John being forced to sign the Magna Carta as a crowd of barons watch on

The Magna Carta

Learn about Pontefract Castle's role in the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.

Painting of King Richard II looking forlorn, resting his head on his hand in his bare and simple prison room

Richard II

King Richard II died at Pontefract Castle in 1399. Did he starve himself to death in protest, or was he murdered?

A painting of priests talking to a crowd of monks and soldiers

The Pilgrimage of Grace

From 1536, Henry VIII wanted to destroy all of the Catholic monasteries in England. Find out how a national revolt was started here in Yorkshire.

A painting of Catherine Howard as Queen in a gold dress, against a bold blue circular background

Catherine Howard

Find out how events at Pontefract Castle led to Catherine Howard's execution.

$Part of a map showing the siege of Pontefract Castle in 1648$

The English Civil Wars

Discover Pontefract Castle's important role in the English Civil Wars of the 1600s.

$The remains of the keep at Pontefract Castle$

The demolition of Pontefract Castle

Pontefract Castle was demolished in 1649. Find out why.

$Two children looking in a display case containing cannonballs found at Pontefract Castle$

Cannonballs found at the castle

Conservation workers made a surprising discovery during works on the castle in 2016.

$A green Dunhill's Pontefract Cakes tin$

Liquorice farming

Learn about a sweeter side of Pontefract Castle's history - when it was a liquorice farm!

A portrait of Jeannette Emmet Leatham, a wealthy woman in a green and gold dress, standing in front of a tree

The Victorians

Learn about how Pontefract Castle was transformed by the Victorians, and the role of Jeannette Leatham in particular.