in winter (December 2013) The history of Alnwick is the history of the castle and its lords, starting with Gilbert Tyson (written variously as "Tison", "Tisson" and "De Tesson"), one of
William the Conqueror's standard-bearers, upon whom this northern estate was bestowed. It was held by the De Vesci family (now spelt "Vasey" – a name found all over south-east Northumberland) for over 200 years and then passed into the hands of the
House of Percy in 1309. The castle was founded as a timber structure by
Ivo de Vesci in about 1096. In 1136, it was first recorded as being captured by
David I of Scotland. In 1147,
Alnwick Abbey was founded for
Premonstratensian canons, a short distance west of the castle. At about the same time, the castle was rebuilt in stone. At various points in the town are memorials of the constant wars with the Scots, in which so many Percys spent the greater part of their lives. A cross near Broomhouse Hill across the river from the castle marks the spot where
Malcolm III of Scotland was killed, during the first
Battle of Alnwick in 1093. At the side of the broad shady road called Ratten Row, leading from the West Lodge to Bailiffgate, a stone tablet marks the spot where
William the Lion of Scotland was captured during the second
Battle of Alnwick in 1174 by a party of about 400 mounted knights, led by
Ranulf de Glanvill.
Hulne Priory, outside the town walls in
Hulne Park, the Duke of Northumberland's walled estate, was a friary founded in about 1240 for the
Carmelites by
William de Vesci. It is said that the site was chosen for some slight resemblance to
Mount Carmel where the order originated. In 1314, Sir John Felton was governor of Alnwick. During the 14th century the Percys did extensive work on the castle, adding new towers in the outer wall, strong gates to the wall and keep, and new domestic apartments. In addition to the threat from Scotland, Alnwick was heavily contested in the
Wars of the Roses. It was held for
Henry VI until the Lancastrian collapse of 1461, when it fell to
Edward IV. That winter the
Lancastrians recaptured it but, in July 1462, the
Yorkists retook it. By the autumn, the Lancastrians were again in possession and quickly came under Yorkist siege. Despite Franco-Scottish reinforcements, the Lancastrians abandoned the castle to the Yorkists in January 1463, though by May they had regained it through betrayal. On 23 June, it was surrendered to the Yorkists for the final time. According to historian Dan Spencer, this made Alnwick the most besieged place in the country in the Wars of the Roses.
Sir Thomas Malory mentions Alnwick as a possible location for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde. In the
English Reformation, monastic life at Alnwick came to an end, with both Alnwick Abbey and Hulne Priory being suppressed in 1539. Shortly afterwards, the Percys also left Alnwick to decay, only resuming residence in the mid-18th century. Since then the Percys have remained at Alnwick. There was a
Church of Scotland congregation in Alnwick in the 17th and 18th centuries. A Royal Air Force distribution depot was constructed at Alnwick during the
Second World War with four main fuel storage tanks (total capacity 1700 tons) and road and rail loading facilities. The tanks were above ground and surrounded by concrete. The site was closed in the 1970s, and its demolition and disposal were completed in 1980. The Alnwick by-pass takes the
A1 London–Edinburgh trunk road around the town; it was opened in 1968. ==Geography==