We have today delivered our first individual/small group tour on the history of Pontefract Castle and some of the key events that happened there throughout the Medieval period, including John de Lacy & Magna Carta, Thomas of Lancaster, War of the Roses and Richard II. If you would like to join us on one of these tours/talks, please get in touch via the ‘Contact Us’ button on the front page of this website.

On the 9th May we attended a fascinating talk given by historian Matthew Lewis at the Towton Battlefield Society meeting on ‘King Henry III – Son of Magna Carta”. The talk gave a brilliant insight into the life of this oft forgotten king who reigned for fifty-six years, the longest period of any English Medieval king, and who in Matthew’s words provided a ‘bridge between the chaos of the reign of his father, King John, and the order of his son who followed, King Edward I.

Thanks to historian and author Sharon Bennett Connolly for meeting with us today and giving us a highly informative tour of Conisbrough Castle – home of the De Warenne’s who also built and owned Sandal Castle. Sharon is working on a new book on Nichola de la Haye who held Lincoln Castle for six weeks against the French in May 1217 until aided by William Marshall which ultimately led to the French defeat. Sharon will hopefully have another new book out in the next few months on ‘The Anarchy” of King Stephen’s reign, and we would heartily recommend getting hold of a copy when published.

On the 26th April we will once again be meeting with historian and author Sharon Bennett Connolly at Conisbrough Castle. Sharon recently published a book on the De Warenne’s – Earls of Surrey and owners of Sandal Castle – and is now working on a new biography of Nichola de la Haye, who held Lincoln Castle against the French in 2017.

Following our highly successful 700th anniversary commemoration of the execution of Thomas of Lancaster, we are pleased to say that a synopsis of the tour is now available on this website. Please click on the ‘Talks and Tours’ link on the right of this page under Media Galleries. We are delighted to say that we are now working on a follow-up tour which will cover the ‘Life and Times of John De Lacy’, Baron of Pontefract and one of the lead protagonists in enacting Magna Carta in 1215. Watch this space for further information including date and times.

We are delighted to announce that from the 19th March 2022, we are now in a position to offer free, individual or small group tours at either Pontefract or Sandal Castles. These tours can be personalised to cover either a general history of either site or a more specific tour covering such events as the Battle of Wakefield or Thomas of Lancaster. To request any such tour please contact us through the ‘Contact Us’ button situated on the ‘Welcome’ page of this site and we will come back to you as soon as possible.

We have today held a meeting with Linda from the Boroughbridge Historical Society and Louise from the Battlefields Trust to discuss all things relevant to Thomas of Lancaster with the 700th anniversary of his capture following the Battle of Boroughbridge on 16th March 1322 and his subsequent execution at Pontefract six days later, fast coming up. Boroughbridge Historical Society is holding a commemorative day this coming Saturday – 12th March – which will include two battlefield tours, so please go along if you can. The Battlefields Trust will also have a stand there for the day. You can visit both their websites from the links here.

To commemorate the 700th anniversary of the execution of one of Pontefract’s most famous sons within sight of his mighty fortress, we invite you to a 50 minutes’ talk/tour on Saturday 19th March at 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. at Pontefract Castle. Places are limited and available for those aged 12 and over, so please book for free at https://bit.ly/WMandCEvents

Thanks to John Barker for allowing us to publish his drone footage of Sandal Castle and the surrounding environs. This gives an intriguing perspective of the dominant position the castle held in the area whilst giving a great overview of the site of the Battle of Wakefield. The link to the video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik7ffnGQIF0 or can be viewed from our ‘Links’ header above.

Today we met with Chris and Richard from Towton Battlefield Society to discuss all things Wars of the Roses, with particular reference to the battles of Wakefield and Towton. This was a fantastic few hours and we would definitely recommend checking out their website https://www.towton.org.uk or joining their society which undertakes a series of monthly talks and fascinating tours of the battlefield.