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For me,
a great British castle is a fortress,
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a palace, a home.
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And a symbol of power, majesty, and fear.
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For nearly 1,000 years,
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castles have shaped
Britain's famous landscape.
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These magnificent buildings
have been home
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to some of the greatest heroes
and villains in our national history.
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And many of them
still stand proudly today,
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bursting with incredible stories
of warfare,
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treachery, intrigue, passion, and murder.
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Join me, Dan Jones,
as I uncover the secrets
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behind six great British castles.
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This time, I'm at York Castle,
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at the heart of one of Britain's
most ancient cities.
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In its long history, it's witnessed
all sorts of malice and mayhem.
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It's where kings like Henry VIII
made a bloody example of their enemies,
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where one of the worst religious massacres
ever seen in Britain took place,
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and where the most notorious Highway man
in history met his end.
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It's a castle packed
with thrilling stories,
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that go back nearly 2,000 years.
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This strange stone-tower
built in the shape of a four-leaf clover,
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on top of a steep mound of earth
in the middle of an ancient walled-city,
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is one of the most unusual fortresses
in Britain.
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York Castle, together with
its 19th century jewels and courthouse,
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has been a center of royal power
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in the north of England
for almost 1,000 years.
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In fact, its significance goes back
even further,
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for almost 2,000 years.
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The Romans, Vikings, Normans,
Kings of Medieval England
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have all seized upon
the strategic importance of this site.
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All of them left their mark,
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which is why the castle and the city
surrounded by two miles of stone walls,
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is one of Britain's
most famous historical sites.
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The first people to fortify York
were the Romans in 71 AD.
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That's why there's a statue
of a Roman Emperor in the city today.
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Constantine, the Great converted
the Roman empire into Christianity,
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and he was proclaimed Emperor,
here in York.
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The Romans called the town, Eboracum.
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They built walls around it
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and made it the official capital
of the North of England.
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But in the fifth century AD,
with their empire crumbling,
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the Romans left Britain
and Eboracum for good.
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Four centuries later, in 867 AD,
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a new set of invaders arrived
from across the sea, the Vikings.
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They called the area Jorvik,
over time it became known as York.
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With York as their capital,
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the Vikings imposed their laws and customs
in the North of England for 200 years.
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But it wasn't all rape and pillage.
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The Vikings were busy traders,
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and under them, York became a boom town.
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But soon,
a new conqueror arrived on the scene.
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In 1066, a band of ruthless warriors
invaded England,
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slaughtering anyone
who stood in their way.
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And they would bring
the art of castle-building to York.
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00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,920
When William the Conqueror's
invading army from Normandy
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met the army of Harold, King of England's
near Hastings,
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a day-long battle saw Harold killed
and William's army victorious.
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Marc Morris is a leading expert
on this period.
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So Marc, 1066, one of the most
famous dates in British history,
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William the Conqueror
crosses the English channel,
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beats the Saxon king, Harold,
at the battle of Hastings.
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That's usually where the story ends,
but what happens next?
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Just because the English
have submitted to him,
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doesn't mean they're happy about it.
And in the years that follow,
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there are constant uprisings
and rebellions against his rule.
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And what they're doing as they move
into each region of England
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is cementing their rule
by building castles.
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I see.
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So, there is a big rebellion early in 1068
in the west country,
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and they put a castle in Exeter.
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Later that year, in the summer,
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there is a much bigger rebellion
in the midlands and the north,
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so we get a large castle established
at Warwick.
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He then moves onto Nottingham,
which surrenders without a fight.
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And then he gets to York,
where he plants a castle in 1068.
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So Williams put a castle at York,
does that solve his problems?
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-No.
-Ugh!
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William thinks his problems are solved,
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by the end of 1068,
he indeed returns to Normandy.
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But in his absence,
the north rebels again.
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There is a major rising
at the start of 1069,
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which prompts William to come back
and it gets worse,
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because in the late summer of 1069,
the north rises for a third time,
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and this time
they have Vikings supporting them.
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The Viking and English forces
that rose up against the Normans
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in the summer of 1069,
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destroyed the first wooden castle
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that William the Conqueror
had erected at York.
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William was furious
and there would be hell to pay.
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Eventually, William paid the Vikings
to go home, but then,
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he unleashed a campaign of terror
known as "The Harrying of the North."
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His troops swept across
the nearby countryside,
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murdering people, slaughtering animals,
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burning crops and homes.
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Their aim was to make this area
totally unfit to support human life,
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and they were dreadfully successful.
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As many as 100,000 people
either died during the Harrying,
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or of starvation in the famine
that followed.
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Not surprisingly,
after the Harrying of the North,
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William's men at York
met with little further resistance.
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Norman rule in the north was here to stay.
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But entire communities were devastated.
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According to the Doomsday Book,
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the great land survey
ordered by William the Conqueror,
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large areas of Yorkshire
was still lying desolate
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seventeen years after the Harrying.
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It took decades for them to recover.
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The results were so appalling
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that even William is said to have repented
on his deathbed lamenting that,
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"I have persecuted the native inhabitants
of England beyond all reason,
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"especially in that county of York.
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"Innumerable multitudes have perished
through me by famine and by sword,
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"I am stained by the rivers of blood
that I have shed."
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The rebellion against the Normans
was over.
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But the population of York felt
its devastating effect for years to come.
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The castle was rebuilt as a permanent
reminder of the dominance of the Normans.
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But this was not the last time York Castle
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would be associated
with death and destruction.
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In the centuries to come, it would be
the scene of persecution, torture,
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00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:24,240
gruesome executions,
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and one of Britain's worst ever
religious massacres.
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00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:36,120
The brutality of the Harrying of the North
had vividly demonstrated
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William the Conqueror's ruthlessness
in the face of rebellion.
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York Castle was now recognized as his
power base in the north of England.
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But in the 11th century,
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there was one thing considered
more important
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than the might of the King,
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the power of God.
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Nothing said more about the importance
of York Castle
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than the building of a huge cathedral
close by.
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Cathedrals were the only
medieval buildings
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that could ever rival the scale
and grandeur of castles.
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In fact, they were usually built
by the same craftsmen
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because they require the same materials,
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and the same intricate precision
and workmanship to construct.
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This is York Minster,
and it's been a holy site
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for 1,400 years,
since the first Christian church
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was recorded here in 627 AD.
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That one was destroyed
when William the Conqueror
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laid York waste in 1070.
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But it was rebuilt
by the first Norman Bishop of York,
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Thomas of Bayeux.
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It was no coincidence
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that York Minster stands
just down the road from York Castle.
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The one represents
the power of the church,
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the other, the power of the crown,
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and they've always been closely connected.
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Just as the castle protected the city,
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so the cathedral protected the castle.
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It was a visible reminder of the belief
that kings ruled by the will of God,
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and anyone
thinking of attacking York Castle
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would do well to remember that.
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But just because York was God-fearing,
that didn't mean it was peaceful.
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Much of the mayhem the castle faced over
the centuries, centered around religion.
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And in 1190, the castle would be the scene
of a hideous massacre
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carried out in the name of Christianity.
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After William the Conqueror
invaded England in 1066,
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he brought a small but influential
community of Jews over from Normandy.
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One hundred years later,
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York had one of the largest
Jewish communities in England.
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But anti-semitic feeling was rife.
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In the early spring of 1190,
writing against Jews broke out in London,
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and very soon it spread north to York.
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In March, a crowd gathered in the city
and began burning Jewish homes.
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The attacks unleashed on York's Jews
had several causes.
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For a start, the medieval church
was basically intolerant of other faiths,
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branding non-Christians as infidels
or unbelievers,
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and then there was money.
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00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,200
In the middle ages,
Jews were heavily involved in finance
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because Christians were forbidden
to lend money and charge interest.
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The people of York who'd run up
large debts to the Jews
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needed very little encouragement
to join in violence against them.
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On March the 16th,
fearing for their lives,
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York's 150 Jews fled into the castle
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seeking safety and protection
from the Sheriff.
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00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,520
Under medieval law,
the King's representative in the castle,
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in this case, the Sheriff,
was duty-bound to offer royal protection
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to anyone who sought it here.
But as the mob surrounded the castle,
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the Sheriff's officers lost control
of the situation,
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and they found themselves on the outside,
with the Jews on the inside.
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So the Jews of York came to the castle
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seeking royal protection.
What happened next?
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At some point, the Jews inside the castle
realized that, actually,
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they wouldn't be able to hold out
any longer,
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that the attackers
would be able to get in,
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and they feared that they would be killed.
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It was on the council of someone
among their community advised them
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that actually the sacred
and important duty of all of them
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was to take their own lives.
And, so, a horrible spectacle took place
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in which the heads
of all the different households,
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first of all, slit the throats
of their dependent women and children,
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and then killed one another,
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00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,080
and finally those that were left
took their own lives.
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00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:11,000
Those that had chosen
not to take their own lives,
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00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,000
they were brought down out of the tower,
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00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,800
they were set upon by the mob
and murdered every one of them.
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00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:22,400
In total, all 150 Jews died,
the entire Jewish population of the city.
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00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,480
To this day,
it remains the worst Jewish pogrom
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00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:28,240
in this country's history.
200
00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,240
During the pogrom of 1190,
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the castle, at this stage,
still a wooden tower,
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was burned and badly damaged.
203
00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,400
It wasn't fully repaired
for more than half a century.
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It was only in 1244
that the castle was brought up
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00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:50,760
to the building standards of the day.
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00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:54,840
King Henry III visited York,
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and he was appalled at the state
he found the castle in.
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00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:02,560
So he ordered it to be rebuilt.
Only this time, in stone.
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00:14:02,680 --> 00:14:06,440
Now, Henry III was one of the most
renowned builder kings
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of the whole English middle ages,
and he sent one of his best craftsmen
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00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:13,920
to oversee the job,
Master Henry the Mason.
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00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:21,000
The budget would eventually
come to more than £2,500.
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00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:24,120
In today's terms,
that would be more than two million.
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00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,320
What emerged was pretty impressive,
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00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,280
the main castle was completely
reconstructed in stone,
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00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:35,600
and a hall, a chapel, a prison,
and offices were added.
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00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,440
At the heart
was a very unusual defensive tower
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00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,400
designed as four overlapping circles.
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It looks a bit like a four-leafed clover.
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Obviously, we only have the tower now,
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what would the rest of the castle
have looked like?
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Well, a bit like this.
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What we're actually standing in
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00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:56,080
is the area of the bailey
of the medieval castle,
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00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,680
which is the enclosure that
stands at the foot of the castle mound
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00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,760
separated from it, actually,
by a ditch that was filled with water.
227
00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:04,640
And if we'd been here in the middle ages,
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00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:07,760
what we would have seen here
are lots of different buildings,
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00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,000
the hall, the chamber, workshops, stables,
230
00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,920
and I think it would look very busy
and a hive of activity.
231
00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:16,600
So here we are,
around the back of the castle,
232
00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:18,920
and there's a very strange
bit of architecture here, isn't there?
233
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,000
What's this?
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00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,840
Uh, this is the king's toilet, in fact,
specifically, two levels of toilet,
235
00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:27,280
the King's toilet up above
and the toilet for the ground floor,
236
00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,440
in fact there are two, one on that side
and one on that side.
237
00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,600
So this is actually quite an elaborate
piece of plumbing, I suppose?
238
00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,880
It's a very elaborate...
Plumbing is exactly the right word
239
00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:36,880
because in the guard rail
of the high level
240
00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,240
which I think must've been for the King,
241
00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,440
actually it flushed, and you know,
in the 13th century,
242
00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:42,800
you don't get many that do that.
243
00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,080
The water came in from the gutters
on the roof level
244
00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,880
and it poured all down this pipe
behind us.
245
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,960
Very necessary, and, also,
very elegant at the same time.
246
00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,040
Yeah, that's Henry III for you, yeah.
247
00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:00,280
In the 13th century,
the castle's importance grew even further
248
00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:04,720
when Henry III was succeeded
by his son, Edward I.
249
00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:09,040
Edward was one of England's greatest
warrior kings.
250
00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,360
In 1283, he marched a conquering army
into Wales.
251
00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:17,200
The next decade,
he turned his sights on Scotland.
252
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:20,640
While he was fighting the Scots,
253
00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:25,200
Edward didn't want to keep returning
to London to govern his kingdom.
254
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,920
So in 1298,
he moved part of the government
255
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:30,640
from London to York
256
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,880
to be closer to the battlefront.
257
00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:36,160
As the king's entourage moved north,
258
00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,120
York became the temporary capital
of England.
259
00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,720
Along with York's status
as a center of government,
260
00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,960
came a greater responsibility
for enforcing law and order.
261
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,680
From about 1300,
the courts for the whole of Yorkshire
262
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,920
were held here every spring and summer.
263
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,360
The prisoners awaiting trial
were held in the castle's dungeons,
264
00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:06,200
sometimes for months on end
and often in terrible conditions.
265
00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,600
And few inmates attracted more attention
266
00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,240
than a group of men
locked up here in 1308.
267
00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,120
They were called the Knights Templar.
268
00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,920
A knighthood today is just a nice title
you get from the Queen,
269
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,400
but in the middle ages
it really meant something.
270
00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,840
Knights were privileged warriors,
whose titles were bestowed upon them
271
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:35,240
in return for loyal service.
272
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:39,800
They pledged to fight in the front line
for the King or the Church,
273
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,320
anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
274
00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:49,040
Tobias Capwell is an expert
on their arms and weapons.
275
00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:54,840
He's gonna help me find out what it was
really like to be a medieval Knight.
276
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:57,560
And what've we got here?
Tell me piece-by-piece.
277
00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:01,920
This is basically the kit
of the medieval Knight.
278
00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:06,320
I mean, you'd be my sort of squire, right?
A knight would have someone
279
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:08,000
-helping to do all this.
-Yeah, you have to have...
280
00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:09,400
You have to have assistance.
281
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,560
So it doesn't feel that heavy
when it's on, does it?
282
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:15,400
It felt heavy at first, but actually
the weight is kind of distributed.
283
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,800
So it's not like it's really weighing
on your shoulder.
284
00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,080
This is the male hood, or kaufen.
285
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:21,520
Okay, so now it's getting quite hot.
286
00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:28,520
If you're going to have one piece
of good iron or steel armor,
287
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:30,200
it's always gonna be the helmet.
288
00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:32,520
That's the power of a knight right there,
289
00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:39,440
the ability to wield three feet of steel
with deadly ability and accuracy.
290
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:43,080
You know, playing it
like a virtuoso musician.
291
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:44,440
There is one group of knights
292
00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,480
particularly associated with York Castle.
293
00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,040
And I wanna ask you about them,
the Knights Templar.
294
00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:53,200
Oh, the Templars were
one of a number of military orders
295
00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:57,880
that were founded to defend the territory
of Christian Palestine.
296
00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,200
And a Templar would've been dressed
and armed, more or less, like this?
297
00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:05,640
The only major visual difference
is that they wore the white mantles
298
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,440
that you would've worn over the armor.
299
00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:12,120
But technologically and practically,
this is what they were wearing.
300
00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:19,320
Today, this house,
Temple Newsam, is an incredible mansion
301
00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:21,480
dating from the late Tudor period.
302
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,480
But in the middle ages,
this was the Yorkshire headquarters
303
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:30,320
of the most famous international order
of knights, the Knights Templar,
304
00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,640
whose members came from all over Europe.
305
00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,480
The Templars were a religious order
of knights founded in the 12th century
306
00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,480
in Jerusalem as part of the Crusades,
307
00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:46,560
the medieval wars between Christian
and Muslim armies,
308
00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,520
which raged for centuries right across
the Mediterranean.
309
00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,360
They were pious and fearsome warriors
310
00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,080
famous throughout the Christian world
for their distinctive uniform,
311
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:03,000
a white mantle
emblazoned with a red cross.
312
00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:07,240
They also owned vast amounts of property
and land
313
00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,160
in France, Germany, Spain, Portugal,
314
00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:14,040
and in England, where their presence
was particularly strong
315
00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:15,640
here in Yorkshire.
316
00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,840
The Templars also built
an unlikely reputation
317
00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,120
as international bankers.
318
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:28,160
With their profits,
they built castles and churches,
319
00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,240
they had their own fleet of ships,
320
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:34,280
and at one point, even owned
the entire island of Cyprus.
321
00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:39,320
But their extraordinary success
would also be their downfall.
322
00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:45,640
The Templars' power, privilege, and wealth
made them some very powerful enemies.
323
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,800
Among them was King Philip IV of France.
324
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:54,600
When Philip found himself owing
large amounts of money to the Order,
325
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:56,480
he took drastic action.
326
00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:01,320
In 1307, he ordered mass arrests
of the Templars in France.
327
00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:05,800
They were tortured and forced to confess
to immorality, and heresy.
328
00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:10,440
It wasn't long before other kings
across Europe took similar action.
329
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,360
In 1308, Edward II issued orders
330
00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,240
for all the Templars in England
to be rounded up.
331
00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,320
Twenty-five were arrested in Yorkshire,
332
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,560
some of them here at Temple Newsam.
333
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:25,960
They were taken to York Castle,
334
00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,320
where they were thrown in the dungeons
to await trial.
335
00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,600
In 1310, legal proceedings finally began.
336
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,520
The Templars were accused
of religious crimes,
337
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,320
so they were tried by a panel of bishops
and other churchmen.
338
00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,480
Dominic Selwood is an expert
on the Templars.
339
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,760
So the trial of the Templars
in Yorkshire
340
00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,080
took place here
in the Chapter House of York Minster.
341
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:55,840
What were the Templars accused of?
342
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:57,880
The crimes were framed by Philip of France
343
00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,320
and he wanted to shock people
as much as he could.
344
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:01,840
And he did a very good job.
345
00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:03,200
He said that they were guilty
346
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,720
of urinating and spitting on crucifixes
on the image of Christ.
347
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:11,520
He said that they worshiped idols
in the form of cats, calves, human heads,
348
00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:13,440
it was a black magic charge in effect,
349
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:15,760
'cause these idols were said to give them
magical powers.
350
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,080
And he said that they engaged in shocking,
assorted, secret sexual ceremonies.
351
00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:22,400
So as a smear tactic, it really worked.
352
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:23,880
What happened at the trial?
353
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,120
The outcome was
that they were all found innocent.
354
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:27,480
The charges didn't stick.
355
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:30,960
Why do you think people
are so fascinated
356
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:32,720
with the Templars even today?
357
00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:34,760
It's an amazingly cinematic story.
358
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:36,720
They were supermen,
they were super heroes.
359
00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:39,480
For 200 years, they defended Christendom.
360
00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,360
They hammered their enemies.
361
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,600
They also were not prepared
362
00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:47,320
to let the Order be dishonored.
They would rather face death and prison,
363
00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:49,160
than admit these false charges
against them.
364
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,960
Although the individual Knights
were not found guilty,
365
00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:57,760
the trial was a disaster for the Order,
366
00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,000
which was stripped of its possessions
and disbanded.
367
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,320
But it could've been far worse.
368
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:06,960
In France, many of the Templars
were burned to death.
369
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:12,520
In the future, however,
370
00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:17,080
York Castle would be the scene
of its own horrific executions.
371
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,680
And none was more gruesome
than the hideous punishment dished out
372
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,720
by the most famous British Monarch of all,
373
00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:26,920
King Henry VIII.
374
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,880
York's medieval castle saw invasions,
375
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,240
uprisings, show trials,
and religious slaughter.
376
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,320
By the 16th century,
the fortifications beyond the castle
377
00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,440
had been thoroughly extended and updated.
378
00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,800
A high stone-wall, over two miles long,
379
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,400
now totally encircled
the entire medieval city.
380
00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,360
It was studded with gates known as "bars."
381
00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:58,680
Manned by the King's men,
382
00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:03,400
these kept strict control of the traffic
in and out of York.
383
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:07,080
This is Micklegate Bar,
384
00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:10,280
one of six gates
in York's old defensive walls
385
00:24:10,360 --> 00:24:14,680
which once controlled access to the city
and to the castle.
386
00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,400
This is where kings and queens
would enter York.
387
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:22,600
It was also where the heads of traitors
would be stuck on spikes and left to rot,
388
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:26,600
as a warning to anyone who was thinking
of rebelling against the crown.
389
00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:32,680
And no one ever used
these gates to more dramatic effect
390
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:34,640
than King Henry VIII.
391
00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:42,000
During his reign, York Castle was swept up
in a violent rebellion against the crown,
392
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:45,480
and the dreadful retribution
that followed.
393
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:52,480
In 1534, Henry VIII declared himself
394
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,600
Supreme head of the Church in England.
395
00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,000
And across the country,
all references to the Pope
396
00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,440
and the Catholic Church in Rome
were removed.
397
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:06,040
To some people, this was long overdue
religious reform,
398
00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:10,480
but to others, it was little more than
state-sponsored vandalism.
399
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,000
Henry VIII's Protestant Reformation
400
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,480
was a direct attack
on the Roman Catholic faith.
401
00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:24,320
Some of the biggest symbols of Catholicism
were England's monasteries,
402
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,480
like St. Mary's Abbey,
just across the road from York Castle.
403
00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:35,760
In 1536, Henry's men came here
and tried to shut the Abbey down.
404
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,240
Monasteries like this one
were big employers
405
00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:43,960
and people relied on them for work,
education, and medical care.
406
00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:47,520
But Henry closed this Abbey
and dozens of others like it,
407
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:51,200
stripped it of its assets
and seized then for the crown.
408
00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:55,160
Eventually, for the conservative
Catholic people of the northern England,
409
00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:56,480
this was all too much.
410
00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,600
And they rose up in rebellion
against their king.
411
00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,640
This rebellion was led by Robert Aske
412
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,880
from Selby, just 14 miles from York,
413
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:13,200
who gave his uprising a stirring,
and very deliberately Catholic name,
414
00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:16,160
the Pilgrimage of Grace.
415
00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:21,240
It was the worst revolt
of the whole of Henry VIII's reign,
416
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,960
turning the North upside-down
for three months,
417
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:29,720
as up to 35,000 people
rose up against him.
418
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,360
Robert Aske was a lawyer
from a well-to-do local family.
419
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,480
He was also a gifted public speaker
and a disciplined organizer.
420
00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:45,800
In October, 1536,
421
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:50,200
Aske led a procession of 5,000 men
through the streets of York
422
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:54,160
here to the Minster,
and he posted on the door a petition
423
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:58,360
calling for the monks and nuns
to be returned to their religious houses.
424
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,880
He also wanted a parliament of the north
held here at York
425
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,600
and a pardon for all those
involved in the rebellion.
426
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:12,240
Henry VIII's representative
in the North, the Duke of Norfolk,
427
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:16,920
presented the rebel's petition to the King
who then asked to meet with Aske.
428
00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,400
Naively trusting
the King's good intentions,
429
00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,680
Aske left Yorkshire and headed to London.
430
00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:28,640
But by the time he arrived,
King Henry had changed his mind.
431
00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:33,840
He had Aske arrested and thrown
into the Tower of London,
432
00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,280
where he was charged
and convicted of high treason.
433
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,280
Then, to further drive home the point,
434
00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:45,640
Henry had Aske taken from London
back to York Castle
435
00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:50,160
and paraded in chains
in every town he passed through.
436
00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,880
When he arrived at York,
Aske was taken to the Castle
437
00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,720
for the final stage
of his ghastly punishment.
438
00:27:57,800 --> 00:27:59,360
His sentence read,
439
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,120
"You're to be drawn upon a hurdle
to the place of execution,
440
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,800
"and there you're to be hanged by the neck
and being alive cut down,
441
00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:11,400
"and your privy members to be cut-off,
442
00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,400
"and your bowels be taken out
of your belly and then burned,
443
00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:19,040
"you still being alive,
and your head to be cut-off,
444
00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:22,080
"and your body to be divided
into four quarters,
445
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:25,800
"and that your head and quarters
to be disposed of
446
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,840
"where His Majesty shall think fit."
447
00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:32,200
When they were finished with him,
what was left of Aske's body
448
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,040
was hung in chains
from the walls of the castle,
449
00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:36,840
so the people of the city could see
450
00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:41,080
just what happened to those
who rose up against their King.
451
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,560
Aske's uprising was the bloodiest chapter
452
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,160
of Henry VIII's entire reign.
453
00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:54,000
Over 200 of the rebels across Yorkshire
received similar punishment.
454
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,640
It was intended, Henry said himself,
455
00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:01,440
as a fearful warning to anyone
who dared defy the King.
456
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:06,160
And Aske wasn't the last
Catholic dissenter
457
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:08,360
to be imprisoned in York Castle.
458
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:14,120
Fifty years later, during the reign
of Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I,
459
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,400
a woman called Margaret Clitherow
460
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,520
also defied the monarch's ruling
on religion.
461
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,800
The fate she suffered
after coming to the Castle
462
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,120
was arguably even worse.
463
00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,000
This is the Shambles,
one of the oldest streets in York,
464
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:36,000
and in Tudor-times, there were
as many as 20 butcher shops here.
465
00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:41,320
And this is where, in 1571,
a woman called Margaret Clitherow moved
466
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,040
when she married her husband, John,
a wealthy butcher.
467
00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:48,440
Three years later,
Margaret converted to Catholicism,
468
00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:51,360
and soon she was
one of the leading figures
469
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,040
in York's underground Catholic community.
470
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,960
Margaret was determined
to cling onto her old faith.
471
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,440
Not only did she hold illegal masses
in her house,
472
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:07,400
she was also suspected of hiding
outlawed Catholic priests.
473
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:10,600
In this chapel, in York,
474
00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:15,120
I found evidence of just how dangerous
that sort of thing could be.
475
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:22,880
This is a priest hole, built to hide
Catholic priests from the authorities.
476
00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:27,360
You can imagine just how scary it would be
to be the person inside there.
477
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:31,160
It's small, it's dark,
I imagine it's pretty cold as well.
478
00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,160
But if you were hidden away in this hole,
479
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,480
you'd know that it was better down there
than up here.
480
00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:38,880
Because it the authorities caught you,
481
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,760
then your fate would be very grizzly,
indeed.
482
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:49,240
Eventually, in 1586,
Margaret's home was raided
483
00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,480
and a priest hall was found.
484
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:56,800
She was arrested and taken to York Castle
to prepare herself for trial.
485
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:00,920
When Margaret was brought
before the court,
486
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,720
she wouldn't say
whether or not she was guilty.
487
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:08,280
She knew that under English law,
that meant a trial couldn't go ahead,
488
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:13,200
and that crucially, her children wouldn't
be called to testify against her.
489
00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:16,680
Unfortunately, English law had a way
of dealing with people
490
00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:18,000
who refused to plead.
491
00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:22,200
It was called peine forte et dure,
better known as crushing.
492
00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:25,560
Margaret was taken from the court,
she was laying on the floor
493
00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:29,080
with a stone the size of a man's fist
beneath her back.
494
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,240
Then a door was placed on top of her.
495
00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:37,760
And onto that was piled about
700 pounds of other stones.
496
00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:41,200
Margaret was literally squashed,
497
00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:44,720
and the stone beneath her back
snapped her spine in half.
498
00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,560
It took her about 15 minutes to die.
499
00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:51,680
And even Queen Elizabeth I
was shocked when she heard about it.
500
00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:58,000
What was the point of pressing
someone like Margaret Clitherow to death?
501
00:31:58,200 --> 00:31:59,680
It's so horrendous,
502
00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,520
so exquisitely savage that, uh,
503
00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:05,960
no one would dream of not entering a plea,
504
00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:10,080
that they would all accept by Jury.
That's the theory, but Margaret didn't.
505
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:11,600
Why?
506
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:12,680
Well, there are many reasons.
507
00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:17,080
She said that she wanted to preserve
the consciences of her jurors,
508
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,480
so they wouldn't have to make her...
You know, find her guilty.
509
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:22,080
She also wanted to protect her children
and her servants
510
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:23,400
from testifying against her.
511
00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:24,760
That's what she said.
512
00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:28,000
Um, some people think that, really,
she was seeking martyrdom.
513
00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,160
People, but tried to get her off...
In that ten-day period or so,
514
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,480
between her trial and her pressing,
515
00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,320
everyone was going to her cell
trying to get her to plead.
516
00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,120
And there was even one stage
when a jury of women examined her
517
00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:41,320
to see if she might be pregnant,
518
00:32:41,400 --> 00:32:43,320
and they came out and said
she probably was pregnant.
519
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,200
So there is a sense that
she's accepted her fate already,
520
00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,680
and she's going in as a willing martyr.
521
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,680
It's believed that her body
was eventually dug up
522
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:55,880
and given a secret burial,
523
00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,480
or at least, most of it was.
524
00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:01,080
So, James, show me
what's inside here.
525
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:03,280
Okay, Dan, I just have from the coffin
526
00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:11,640
-the hand of Margaret Clitherow.
-Wow!
527
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:15,960
So, this is the hand that was taken
from Margaret Clitherow
528
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,120
just after she'd been pressed to death.
529
00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:20,800
That's right. I understood that,
530
00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,640
basically, after her execution,
531
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:28,560
friends of hers recovered the hand
from the body,
532
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:32,120
which, in all honesty,
probably was one of the few items left.
533
00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,360
You can sort of feel it,
actually, can't you?
534
00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:35,960
Because if this is the hand of this woman,
535
00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:40,240
they've endured such terrible hardship
and brutality,
536
00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:42,080
and here it is right in front of us.
537
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,600
Then it becomes much more than
just a story, doesn't it?
538
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:46,200
You can't help but be in awe
539
00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,160
by looking at something like this,
you know.
540
00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,000
-It's amazing.
-Hmm.
541
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:53,880
By the start
of the 17th century,
542
00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,440
York Castle was being
referred to as Clifford's Tower,
543
00:33:57,520 --> 00:33:59,920
named after the powerful Clifford family,
544
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,800
who were lord lieutenants
of the North of England
545
00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,880
and hereditary constables of the castle.
546
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,040
Like all families of the time,
they would take sides in a civil war
547
00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,680
that was about to tear the country in two.
548
00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:18,440
In 1642, Charles I fell out violently
with his parliament
549
00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,240
and civil war erupted in England.
550
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:24,720
On one side were the Royalists,
known as Cavaliers,
551
00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:26,000
who supported the King
552
00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:29,160
with what he considered
his God-given right to rule.
553
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,120
On the other side were the Roundheads,
554
00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:36,200
who felt parliament should be
the ultimate power in the country.
555
00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,080
The Cliffords were loyal to Charles I.
556
00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:44,040
And in April, 1642,
the city of York and its castle
557
00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:45,760
became the refuge for a king
558
00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:50,520
who was in danger of losing his crown,
his kingdom, and his head.
559
00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,000
Fearing for his crown,
as well as for his safety,
560
00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:58,440
Charles I moved his family
and the entire Royal Court north
561
00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,600
to what he thought
was the security of York.
562
00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,560
To bolster the city's defenses,
the castle was reroofed,
563
00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:09,040
its walls repaired,
and sentry boxes were set up.
564
00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:12,200
York was now the effective capital
of England,
565
00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:14,480
but it was also in the firing line.
566
00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:22,000
In April, 1644, York was besieged
by Roundhead forces.
567
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,680
The siege went on
for more than two months.
568
00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:26,840
But on the first of July,
569
00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,560
the Royalists inside York
thought their luck had changed
570
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:36,000
with the arrival of reinforcement troops
led by Charles's glamorous nephew,
571
00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:37,960
Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
572
00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:41,280
But the Royalists were wrong.
573
00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:45,680
The following day, just west of York,
they suffered a bloody defeat
574
00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:49,600
of what's thought to be the biggest battle
ever fought on English soil,
575
00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:53,640
the Battle of Marston Moor.
576
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:59,240
After the battle, York Castle
held out for a further two weeks.
577
00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,200
But finally, on the 16th of July,
578
00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:06,800
the King's remaining supporters,
who were holed up inside, surrendered.
579
00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:11,960
The North was now firmly within
Parliament's and the Roundhead's control,
580
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:15,040
and York became
their capital of the North.
581
00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,360
After being controversially tried
for treason,
582
00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:23,760
King Charles I was executed in London
in January, 1649.
583
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:30,160
Charles's son, Charles II,
was restored to the throne in 1660,
584
00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:34,040
and York Castle entered a new phase
in its history.
585
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:37,400
The castle's warring days were over.
586
00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:43,680
But its importance as a site of justice
and punishment would continue.
587
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:46,640
At the beginning of the 18th century,
588
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:51,000
a state-of-the-art new prison
was built in the castle grounds.
589
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:52,160
And it was here
590
00:36:52,240 --> 00:36:55,240
that the most notorious
highwayman in history,
591
00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:58,120
Dick Turpin, would meet his end.
592
00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:09,600
York Castle has witnessed
religious persecution,
593
00:37:09,680 --> 00:37:13,400
torture, execution, and all-out war.
594
00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:18,160
But the English Civil War
in the 17th century,
595
00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:21,640
was the last military action
the castle saw.
596
00:37:21,840 --> 00:37:25,480
By the end of the conflict,
its fighting days were over,
597
00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:28,640
and its main use was now as a jail.
598
00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:32,240
Criminals were held in cells
within the wall
599
00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:35,640
which once encircled a broad area
of the castle
600
00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:38,000
in front of the central tower.
601
00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:41,920
They were waiting for traveling judges
to come and hear their cases.
602
00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:44,480
But that only happened twice a year.
603
00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:49,520
Terrible prison conditions, no heat,
poor food, dirty cells
604
00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:53,560
meant that many of them died here
still waiting for justice.
605
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:58,040
But plans were in place to bring
the whole complex up to date.
606
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:04,120
The old medieval buildings
in front of the castle were demolished,
607
00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:08,800
and a new purpose-built prison
was opened in 1705.
608
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,560
This prison was one of the first
in Britain
609
00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:16,600
designed to house both
male and female prisoners.
610
00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:21,920
Its most famous inmate was
one of the most celebrated outlaws
611
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:23,600
in English history.
612
00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:34,600
In 1738, Dick Turpin,
a notorious gangster and highwayman,
613
00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:36,920
shot and killed a man in London
614
00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:39,960
and fled to Yorkshire to escape the law.
615
00:38:40,240 --> 00:38:42,360
But later that year, he was arrested,
616
00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,880
rather bizarrely,
for shooting someone's chickens.
617
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:50,240
Inquiries soon connected him
to a string of local horse thefts,
618
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:53,320
and he was imprisoned at York Castle.
619
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,520
This is the cell
that Richard Turpin was held in
620
00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:01,040
before his trial for horse theft in 1739.
621
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:04,040
Now, at first,
the authorities at York Castle
622
00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:06,280
didn't know that he was Turpin.
623
00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:09,240
They thought he was a man
called John Parmen.
624
00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:13,640
And they only realized their mistake
when Turpin's old school teacher,
625
00:39:13,720 --> 00:39:17,040
back in Essex, recognized his handwriting
626
00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:19,440
on a letter he'd sent
to his brother-in-law.
627
00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:24,440
And the school teacher traveled north
to York to identify Turpin
628
00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:26,800
and claim a £200 reward.
629
00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:32,280
Over the years,
many myths have grown up around him.
630
00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:35,080
But who was the real Dick Turpin?
631
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:39,480
In the popular fiction of the day,
Turpin was described as a brave,
632
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:41,960
heroic, and chivalrous character.
633
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,520
A knight of the road,
with a spirited devotion to the fair sex,
634
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:48,560
sort of Robin Hood character.
635
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:50,640
But was this really true?
636
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:56,960
Historian Katherine Prior has studied
the man behind the legend.
637
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,400
Turpin's crimes were
638
00:40:01,560 --> 00:40:03,880
pretty unpleasant,
I mean, highly unpleasant.
639
00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:08,080
They're the sort that you'd get headlines
screaming in the Sun about today.
640
00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:12,720
Uh, torture...
Murder, point-blank murder.
641
00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:16,840
There's absolutely no evidence that Turpin
gave anything to anybody else.
642
00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:20,120
As far as we can establish,
he lived for himself,
643
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:23,520
so the idea that he gave to the poor
is pretty nonsensical.
644
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:28,640
So having Richard Turpin as a prisoner,
this was a real boon for York Castle?
645
00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:30,480
It was a real boon for the Jailer.
646
00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:34,240
Because in those days,
jails were commercial enterprises.
647
00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,360
They weren't run by the state.
648
00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:40,920
And you got your money back from the fees
that you levied on the people
649
00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,640
who were in the jail.
That was a form of accommodation.
650
00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:45,280
So, like, you paid for your accommodation
651
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:48,560
while you waited to be tried
or waited to be executed.
652
00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:54,000
And Richard Turpin lived it up,
rather grandly, while he was here.
653
00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:02,480
And there was a lot of bribery,
654
00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:06,680
and he paid to have a lot of things
brought in, a lot of wine, fine food.
655
00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:08,480
And people paid to come see him.
656
00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,320
I mean, it was sort of like a zoo, really.
657
00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:14,720
In the 18th century,
horse theft was a capital crime.
658
00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:19,120
So when Turpin was found guilty,
there was only one sentence.
659
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:20,880
Death.
660
00:41:21,720 --> 00:41:23,520
A couple of days before he died,
661
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:25,840
he shelled out some money
and got a new frock,
662
00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:27,520
coat, and new shoes.
663
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:32,520
And he paid five men to be his mourners,
or pallbearers.
664
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:35,880
He was seen to be quite calm going out.
665
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,960
There's an account saying
his right leg wobbled a bit
666
00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:40,800
and he slacked it down very firmly
667
00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,200
and climbed the ladder in a manly fashion.
668
00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:48,640
And then he stayed talking with the chap
who was going to pull the ladder away
669
00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:51,840
for about half an hour. Everyone...
It's described now as bravado,
670
00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:54,000
but you sort of think
he was probably hoping,
671
00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:56,960
maybe, maybe there'll be
a last minute reprieve.
672
00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:59,800
But there wasn't
and so the ladder was pulled away.
673
00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:00,880
And he died.
674
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:12,000
By the 19th century,
most of this once-great fortress
675
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:15,480
had either crumbled away,
or being demolished to make way
676
00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:17,960
for new buildings such as the prison.
677
00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:22,600
Eventually, all that was left
were the outer walls of the city,
678
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:27,040
and this one structure
still standing proudly on the hill,
679
00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:31,520
York Castle, known locally
as Clifford's Tower.
680
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:35,200
York's famous for its Cathedral
and its city walls.
681
00:42:36,240 --> 00:42:38,320
But I love this curious castle.
682
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,760
Fifty-five steps up on top of its hill.
683
00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,320
From Viking raiders,
684
00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:48,600
and Norman conquerors,
685
00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:52,600
to Tudor saint,
and a notorious highway man,
686
00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:55,320
it's the stories of York Castle
687
00:42:55,400 --> 00:44:02,475
that really put
this historic northern city on the map.
61073
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