The constableship of Bamborough Castle was worth a hundred marks per annum, as appears from various entries on the Liberate Rolls, in the 10th, 11th, and other years of the reign of Henry III. A single entry will be sufficient to show the form in which the writs for payment usually run. "Rex ballivis Novi Castri super Tinam salutem. Precipimus vobis quod de firma villæ nostræ habere faciatis Johanni Wascelin constabulario de Bamburg lx marcas de termino Paschæ anno regis nostri x° in parte solutionis c marcarum quas percipit per annum ad custodiam castri de Bamburg et computabitur vobis ad Scaccarium. Teste Rege apud Keniton, vi die Februarii." After the same said two chambers ther is foure fayr vawttes; and the said two chamberys must haue two newe royffes of v balkes of viij yerdes longe for ather of the said two chamberys. And the ryst of all mayner of tymbere for the royffes of boithe the said chamerys will be xxx tonne of tymbere, the said tymbere to be hade at Chop welle woddes a for said, and at the Bykere wodes a lyttylle from New Castelle, wich Bykere wodes was layt the erle of Northumberlandes. And this said tymbere must be caryid by watter. And all mayner of charges, as well for caryage as warkmanschype of the said roy ffes, xiiijli. Item, ther must be for couerynge of the said two chamber royffes x royd of sclaytt, wiche wille cost with lyme, lattes, broides, and other necessarys, by estimacion, xiijli. Item, ther muste be for the said two chambers and for the said foure vawttes, for doyrs, wyndows, lockes, and kays, and other necessarys therto appertenynge, by estimacion, iiijli. Item, ther must be half a foyer of leyde for a gutter to the said two chambers. For the plummere wages, iijs. Item, ther is a brewhowsse and a bakhowse boithe under one royff, wiche is decayd, wherfor ther must be a new royff of v balkes vj yerdes longe, and for all other tymbere appertenynge to the said royffes xiiij tonne of tymbere, wich tymbere may be had at Chopwelle and Bykare wodes aforsaid, and framyd and wroght in the said woddes, and caryd by watter. All mayner of charges ther of by estimacion, vjli. Item, ther must be for couerynge of the said howse of sclattes foure royde, wiche wyll cost, with lyme, lattes, broddes, and othere necessarys, by estimacion, vli. Item, for dors, wyndowes, partycyons, and lookes to the said howsses, xxs. Item, for maykynge ovynnes, rayngyes, fornesses, and brewynge vesselles meyt for a brewhowse, by estimacion, viijli. Item, ther must be a fother and a half of leyde for maykynge of the brewynge leydes. Item, ther must be a horse mylne, wych wyll cost, all thynges meyte for the saym purpos, xli. Item, ther is two draw welles, wherof one in the dongyone, wich dongyone the royff therof is all decayd, and the sayd welle is of a marvellus grett dypnes. Item, the other welle is in the west end of the west warde, and the walle that inclosys the said well to the castelle must be amendyt. For the mendynge therof and clensynge of the said welle, by estimacion, iiijli. Item, ther must be for repellynge and a mendynge boithe of dyuers fayre towres and for the walles of the innere warde, that is to say, for battylmenttes and for putynge in of aschelare stones and for pynynge with stone where the walles is rent, and rowgh castynge of the said walles with lym, by estimacion, xlli. Item, ther is foure towres within the said innere warde, wherof the walles ar veray god and the tymbere of the royffes fresche; and the leyde of the said foure royffes must be new castyn, and there must be thre foyer of leyde more for mendynge of the said royffes. And for the castynge of the leyde of new of all the foure forsaid royffes, with gutters, spowttes, and fyllettes, iiijli. Item, dyuers of theis howses aforsaid must be dyght and clensyd, for ther is a grett substans and quantyte of sand within theym, wiche in mayner has fyllyd full dyuers of the said howsses. And for the labore and carrynge owte therof, iiijli. Summa totalis, ccxli. xs. iiijd. And ouer and aboue the said summe ther must be for the said castell x foyer of leyd. mode expenses on the Vineyard were paid in the same year, and the wages of horse and foot soldiers keeping guard, for the former at the rate of 7d. and the latter 3d. per day. Similar charges run continuously through the Liberate Rolls up to the 13th year of the reign. In the 21st, the office of constable was united in the person of Hugh de Bolebeck, sheriff of Northumberland, to the custody of Newcastle-on-Tyne, the writs for payment being addressed to the barons of the exchequer, in consequence of his official position, and the salary raised to 200 marks per annum. In the 23d of Edw. I. it was granted to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey.* I do not trace the custody after 37 Hen. VI., the office being saved 34 Hen. VI. to John Heron by the act of resumption. The Liberate Rolls give the following notices of repairs and incidental expenses during the reign of Henry III. In the 10th year, writ for Roger de Hodesac to cover the tower with lead; 12th, reparations of breech; 13th, erection and reparation of a windmill; 17th, repairs of gate; 21st, repairs of bridges, grange, and bakehouse. In the 28th year Magister Gerardus is mentioned as the Ingeniator or engineer. In the 33d, reparations to the amount of forty marks. During this year there is the following writ to the sheriff of Northumberland: "Precipimus tibi quod balistas et quarellas nostras in castris nostris de Bamburg et de Novo Castro qui indigent reparacione reparari et atiliari facias." This is perhaps the earliest instance we have on the Rolls of the use of the word printed in italics, from which the English term "artillery" has been derived. It seems evidently of English origin, the most ancient authorities for its adoption being adduced by Du Cange, from this language. He, as usual, with his continuator Henschel, is copious in illustrations of it. But to resume the notices on the Liberate Rolls. In the 34th year the tower of St. Edmund and the barbican before the gate of St. Oswald were repaired. The hall repaired in the 35th year. In the 37th, the great tower, and three gates within the castle, with their hinges, fastenings, and bindings, and the great drawbridge outside the great gate on the south side. In the 40th, repairs of a general character. *Rot. Pat. sub anno, m. 5. CHAPTER XII. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF PRUDHOE CASTLE. IT has been already stated, under the history of the barony of Prudhoe, that the castle was erected by Odonel de Umframville. The precise year of building it has not been recorded, but it was probably within the first twenty years of the reign of Henry II.; it was certainly completed at the latter time, since in 1174 it sustained a vigorous siege. The position was appropriately selected, being a considerable elevation above the Tyne, which flows on the northern side; it was also well fortified by a deep fosse in the other direction. It consisted of a keep of lofty but unusually narrowed proportions, an inner and an outer baly, a gatehouse and barbican. A survey was made of Prudhoe Castle in 1586 by Stockdale, which furnishes so good a description, that it will be unnecessary to offer another account of its arrangements. Yet it may be desirable to mention a few particulars that have escaped his observation. Commencing with the barbican, which is the latest portion of the structure, it may be assumed, from the character of the masonry, as well as from the marks on the stones themselves, that this part was built at the close of the reign of Edward I. by Gilbert de Umframville, second Earl of Angus; at all events, if it be not his work, it must have been done very early in the reign of Edward II., since there is evidence in the mason's marks that the same workmen were employed here who laboured at Dunstanborough and Alnwick. That would make it the erection of his nephew Gilbert, the third earl. But there is this superior presumption, that the first of these Gilberts constructed it, inasmuch as he caused another work to be executed in the 28th of Edw. I., by converting |