THE VALE OF MOWBRAY - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 85

4 THE VALE OF MOWBRAY
RICHMOND
Richmond and the adjacent Vale of Mowbray are totally dominated by Richmond's
castle, as they have been since people first lived there, which almost certainly means
since 1071. This was when the first earl, Alan of Richmond, Alan Rufus (or 'Alan the
Red'), commander of the Norman rearguard at the Battle of Hastings, received from
William the Conqueror the not inconsiderable possessions of the Saxon Earl Edwin as a
reward.
Richmond Castle
The name 'Richmond' comes from the French 'Riche-mont', meaning 'Strong Hill', and
many of its first inhabitants were of French origin. Indeed, skilled French workmen were
brought from France to instruct local labour in castle-building techniques. With a vast
inner courtyard, and built on a siege-worthy scale in a commanding position, the castle
was a formidable fortress, though there is little historical evidence to suggest it was
ever really put to the test. Two kings of Scotland, however, William the Lion and David
II, have been imprisoned here, although there is a suggestion that at least one other
was (and presumably still is) present, for legend recounts that a local man, a potter
named Thompson, while seeking to escape the tongue of his nagging wife, stumbled
on an entrance in the rocks beneath the castle. With peace and quiet still no doubt a
strong notion in his mind, he ventured in, first finding a subterranean passage, and
then a huge cavern. The walls all around were hung with shields and armour, on the
floor lay a number of armoured knights, while in the centre, on a raised dais, lay a
regal figure grasping a sword. From his recounting of the tale, and his description of
the shields, the arms of King Arthur and his knights were identified. Alas, Thompson,