propped up with ship's masts in 1574. By the end of the century the castle had already fallen into a state of disrepair. In 1596 Queen Elizabeth gave the Captain, Sir Robert Carey, her 'resolute answer' that she would spend nothing on Norham. Norham was the site of regular meetings of border wardens. A meeting at the west ford of Norham in October 1597 ended in a gun fight over the River Tweed at dusk. The castle was destined not to see any further fighting, but the castle and manor was given to George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar by James VI of Scotland on his accession to the throne of England. The castle was left to fall into ruin. Nineteenth century The surrounding area of Norham was, until 1844, an outlying part of the County Palatine of Durham, and with the shires of Island (including Holy Island and the Farnes) and Bedlington was known as North Durham. In the nineteenth century, Norham Castle became well known far and wide from the paintings of J. M. W. Turner. He first painted the castle in 1797, but returned to paint it many times. Several examples of his work can be seen in the Tate Gallery in London. Description of the castle The castle stands on the south bank of the River Tweed, high above the river, so that the north side is protected by a steep slope. A deep ravine protected the east side and an artificial moat was dug round the west and south sides to complete the protection. The castle had an inner and outer ward. The inner ward stood on a mound and was separated from the outer ward by a moat, crossed by a drawbridge. The main entrance to the castle was the strongly fortified West Gate leading into the outer ward. It was protected by a stone causeway spanned by a drawbridge and is also known as "Marmion's Gate". There was an additional gate to the south of the outer ward, known as the Sheep Gate. The inner ward was entered by crossing a drawbridge across the moat and entering through a fortified gate on the west side. The drawbridge has now been replaced by a wooden bridge. On the north side of the inner ward was the bishop's hall, measuring 60 ft by 30 ft (18.3m by 9.1m), now in ruins. To the east side