 The site of Brougham Castle has been fortified since the Romans erected the fort of Brocavum at the intersection of three Roman roads . With the rivers Eamont and Lowther flowing nearby and meeting to the west , the site had natural defences and the area was fertile and easy to cultivate . A civilian settlement grew around the fort . When Angles arrived in the area they named the place Brougham , meaning " the village by the fort " . Between the end of Roman rule in the early 5th century and the Norman Conquest in the late 11th century , Cumbria was a turbulent area . Although the site was a defendable position , there is no evidence that Brougham was refortified during this time . In 1092 , William II ( also known as William Rufus ) captured Cumbria south of the Solway Firth and established a new border far north of Brougham . The site at Brougham remained unfortified . Carlisle Castle secured the border , and castles at Appleby and Brough , both south east of Brougham , protected the line of communication from Carlisle to Yorkshire . In 1203 , the barony of Westmorland – containing Appleby , Brough , and Brougham – was granted to Robert de Vieuxpont by King John . A favourite of John 's , Vieuxpont was one of only a few lords loyal to him in northern England , whose inhabitants became so discontented with the king 's rule that they eventually rebelled . Around 1214 , Vieuxpont asserted control over more land , including half the manor of Brougham . It was in this atmosphere of unrest that Brougham Castle was founded . 
