In the later Middle Ages , the Percy family was one of four major land-owning dynasties in Yorkshire . The 14th century saw their properties spread into Northumberland , though Yorkshire remained important . The Percys held the manor of Wressle from the early 14th century , and it was granted to Thomas Percy in 1364 . Wressle Castle was first documented in 1402 , but was probably built in the 1390s . By 1390 , Thomas Percy had spent nearly ten years abroad as either a soldier or on diplomatic errands . From then on he was active in the royal sphere and friends of both Richard II and Henry IV . According to archaeologist and architectural historian Anthony Emery Wressle Castle was built “ as a residence reflecting the Earl ’s pedigree and distinguished state service ” . Though Henry IV gave Thomas Percy influence in south Wales , relations between the two deteriorated due partly to delays in payment . Thomas ’ nephew , Henry Percy , rose in armed rebellion in July 1403 and Thomas joined him . The rebellion culminated in the battle of Shrewsbury in which Thomas Percy was captured . Two days later , on 23 July , he was beheaded and his property – including Wressle Castle – was subsequently confiscated by the crown . Between 1403 and 1471 ownership of the castle swapped between the crown and those the reigning monarch chose to grant it to , though only for short periods . In 1471 , Wressle Castle was given to Henry Percy , 4th Earl of Northumberland , returning it to the Percy family . His son , Henry Algernon Percy , 5th Earl of Northumberland , undertook an extensive programme of refurbishment at Wressle Castle , refurbishing the interior and updating the gardens . At the time he was one of the richest men in England . '' The Northumberland Household Book '' was compiled around this time and details day-to-day domestic activities at the castles of Wressle and Leconfield , and is used by historians to study the late medieval household . Percy died at Wressle in 1527 and was succeeded by his son , Henry Algernon Percy , 6th Earl of Northumberland . The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt against the rule of Henry VIII in 1536 partly in response to the dissolution of the monasteries . The rebels in Yorkshire were led by Robert Aske and in October he sought the support of the Percy family . Aske travelled to Wressle Castle and tried to persuade Henry Algernon Percy , who at the time was suffering from illness , to join the rebellion . Though initially opposed to Aske , Percy eventually gave him control of Wressle Castle . Percy had fallen out with his younger brothers , and when he died in 1537 his one surviving brother did not inherit because he was imprisoned for his role in the Pilgrimage of Grace . In 1537 , the crown again resumed control of Wressle Castle , and Henry VIII visited for three nights in 1541 . Antiquarian John Leland visited Wressle Castle in about 1540 . He wrote in his '' Itinerary '' that the castle was " one of the most proper beyond the Trent , and seemeth as newly made ... The castle is all of very fair and great squared stone , both within and without " . He also gave the first surviving description of the castle gardens , noting that they were " exceedingly fair " and with orchards beyond the moat . The castle was garrisoned by parliamentarians during the English Civil War during which time it was badly damaged . At the time it was estimated that the damaged to the castle and surrounding area would take £ 1,000 to repair . Wressle Castle was slighted ( partially demolished ) on several occasions in 1646 – 50 . The 1648 demolition work was focused on the castle ’s battlements , with a contemporary letter noting that “ Parliament ’s agents would show no care in preserving any of the materials , but pitched of f the stones from the battlements to the ground ” Destruction was more extensive two years later , when Algernon Percy , 10th Earl of Northumberland , was ordered to demolish everything that remain except the south range of the castle . The earl would be allowed to use the surviving range as a manor house . The damage was not confined to the castle buildings , and probably affected the ornamental landscape . The castle remained with the Percy family until the mid-18th century when it passed to the earls of Egremont . The lands and castle were then inherited by Elizabeth Seymour who assumed the name Percy and was later Duchess of Northumberland . Wressle Castle was occupied by a tenant farmer who on 19 February 1796 caused a fire which gutted the castle ’s remaining wing . He had been trying to clear the chimney . A report three months later in '' The Gentleman 's Magazine '' noted that “ This loss was of truly national significance " . The farm continued to be leased to tenants , and the farmhouse which still stands was built . By 1880 the castle was partially covered in ivy . In 1957 the castle and farm were sold to the Falkingham family who own the site today . Wressle Castle is now a Grade I listed ruin and a scheduled monument . The remains include earthworks indicating the moat , and some parts of the castle : the remains of the two towers of the south range ; and a building fragment , thought to have been a bakehouse . According to Historic England , the site was first investigated archaeologically in 1993 , when Humberside Archaeology Unit held a watching brief . The state of the site deteriorated to the point at which in 1999 Wressle Castle was included on the Heritage at Risk register . Historic England , Natural England and the Country Houses Foundation invested £ 500,000 in repairing the castle and in 2015 Wressle was no longer considered ‘ at risk ’ and was removed from the register . This included architectural and landscape surveys carried out by Ed Dennison Archaeological Services , with funding from the Castle Studies Trust for the landscape survey
Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
Wressle Castle