The forgotten castle: Sad monument to family who backed the wrong side

LOOKING at some castles there can be no doubting their importance.

A few weeks ago I looked at Caernarfon, which was of international importance from the 13th century until the 17th.

It was central to English/Welsh military and political thinking. I also explored Clitheroe Castle, built by the Normans to defend the crossing of the River Ribble. Although small it is, as they say, "perfectly formed."

The Normans needed its stout keep firstly to control the Saxons and later to ensure that the invading Scots were kept at bay. Some castles, however, received such a battering during the course of history that they have all but been forgotten. One such is Greenhalgh Castle, of which so little remains that most people forget that Garstang actually had a castle.

This historic and once-substantial pile controlled the crossing over the River Wyre. For many years Garstang was under the feudal rule of the Greenhalgh family who backed the right side in one of the most significant battles in English history.

They provided an influential presence on the side of Henry Tudor (the Seventh) who defeated Richard Plantagenet (the Third) at Bosworth in 1485.

They were therefore rewarded by grants of land and permission to construct their own heavily-fortified castle.

By 1490 the Greenhalghs had built an impressive castle with corner towers up to 60 feet high, providing a clear view of Garstang Bridge over the meandering River Wyre. For more than a century the family lived in splendidly dominant isolation until, in the 1640s, they again had to choose sides in a civil war.

This time they backed the wrong side and went solidly for Charles I against Cromwell's Parliament.

Greenhalgh Castle was one of the last to haul down its Royalist flag and it paid heavily for its faith in the King.

After the war ended, Cromwell ordered the castle to be dismantled and the local farmers were not slow to make use of it as an unofficial quarry. It is still, however, an impressive ruin, even though only a few stones of the corner tower remain.

From Garstang itself, Greenhalgh Castle is hardly visible and it is not very well signed from the town.

It can be seen particularly well in winter when all the trees are leafless.

The bracing climb along the footpath, however, is a joy at any time of the year.

I chose a bright day in January and the sun was almost spring-like in its warmth.

Lapwings were obviously not yet ready for nesting but they did seem to be prospecting for sites.

Others were joining flocks of starlings in turning over the soil on mole hills, obviously in search of earthworms.

Sloping fields which are well drained are perfect habitats for moles and they are more obvious in winter than in summer.

The reason for this is that moles dig deeper burrows in cold weather in order to keep warm.

The deeper they dig, the more soil they need to heap up and hence more hills are produced.

However, I digress.

I once saw a list of Lancashire's castles and there was no mention of Greenhalgh.

One book written many years ago even stated that Garstang did not have a castle.

Quite the reverse is true for, although it was never the largest in the county, this spot has had more than its share of history.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.