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What is Pontefract Castle?
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Pontefract is a historic market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, east of Wakefield and south of Castleford. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is one of the towns in the City of Wakefield district and had a population of 30,881 at the 2011 Census.
Nov 24, 2020 · Wakefield, England, United Kingdom. Originally a Norman structure, Pontefract castle played an increasingly important role in English Royal history for over 500 years. Today it lies in ruins but has much for visitors to enjoy, including its underground dungeons.
- Sarah Roller
Pontefract Castle, in Yorkshire, England (or Pomfret Castle, as it was known at its time) used to be the most important, and most terrifying castle in the whole of Early Modern England. However, visitors today would find this unbelievable to understand. Nowadays, Pontefract is absolutely ruined, and it’s incredibly difficult to visualise this ...
A Brief History of Pontefract. The current town does not fully relay the importance of Pontefract during the Middle Ages. At its height, Pontefract was the 4th largest town in modern day Yorkshire and its castle was deemed one of the most unassailable in the country. It was the main settlement of modern West Yorkshire.
Pontefract grew around a Norman castle as the market centre of a rich agricultural area. The castle, built in 1069, became an important stronghold, sustaining three sieges in the mid-17th-century English Civil Wars before the Royalists surrendered. With the development of coal mining in the locality in the 19th century, Pontefract acquired ...
Jan 20, 2022 · The castle was extended and added to over the centuries to become one of the greatest and most feared castles in England. It was within its walls that King Richard II was imprisoned and died in 1400. The castle was served by a small garrison town and market which took the name Pontefract from the castle.
