The Castle Trilogy

The Castle Trilogy brings together three previously published books about Conisbrough Castle, Crusader, The Abduction of Lady Alice , and The Poet and the Castle . Between them, they tell the story of the castle from its rebuilding in stone in the 12th century to its partial collapse in the 16th.

Crusader begins with the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, and goes on to describe the adventures of William de Warenne and his squire on the Second Crusade.

The Abduction of Lady Alice tells the story of the abduction of lady Alice de Laci, wife of the powerful Thomas of Lancaster, in 1317, an event which led to the siege of Conisbrough Castle and the loss of John de Warenne’s Yorkshire possessions.

The final story, The Poet and the Castle , is set in the declining years of Conisbrough Castle. Thomas Wyatt, the poet, was made constable of the castle in 1536, and soon found himself having to hold out against the Pilgrimage of Grace. Unfortunately, the castle was already in a dilapidated state, and it was not long afterwards that the south curtain wall collapsed.

At the end of the book are historical notes and a bibliography to help the reader to distinguish between what actually happened and the Bard of Burgh Conan’s flights of fancy.