Skipton Castle in Craven was the most northerly Royalist stronghold in the West Riding. Its garrison held throughout the war under the remarkable Lady Anne Clifford. Parliamentary forces established an early blockade in 1642-1643 but lacked the heavy artillery needed to breach the massive medieval walls. The castle was not to fall until 1645, after a three-year siege. It was the last Royalist castle in the north to surrender, and Lady Anne Clifford subsequently restored it after the slighting.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
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