Wressle Castle: Functions, Fixtures and Furnishings for Henry Percy ‘The Magnificent’ Fifth Earl of Northumberland, 1498–1527

Abstract

A single burnt-out wing is all that remains of Wressle Castle which stands on the banks of the Derwent, 10 km (6 miles) east of Selby in Yorkshire. It was built in the 1390s for Thomas Percy, and formed part of a significant group of rectangular castles designed by or attributed to the architect John Lewyn, but was later refurbished to the highest standards for the fifth Earl of Northumberland in the first quarter of the sixteenth century. Our knowledge of it during this period is enhanced by an almost unique combination of resources; the surviving structure, highly detailed plans and drawings made when it was complete, the great Northumberland Household Book of 1512, and a group of the Earl's woodwork. By combining these it is possible to visually recreate the castle, allocate a particular function to each of its seventy-one rooms, and people them with their respective staffs. This further enables probable attribution to be made regarding the domestic arrangements and use of Bolton Castle, for which there is little contemporary documentation. It also provides a well-provenanced body of information regarding the use of early Renaissance designs in an English noble household.