Hartley Castle

Hartley Castle stands in the Eden valley near Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria. The ruin occupies a rocky outcrop above farmland, close to the old Scottish Marches. A fortified manor was built here in the early 14th century by Andrew de Harcla. After his execution in 1323 the property passed through several owners until Thomas de Musgrave obtained a licence to crenellate in 1353. By the 17th century it had become an Elizabethan mansion with two courtyards and a curtain wall. The castle was enlarged in 1615 with symmetrical wings and remained in use until the late 17th century. Visitors in 1677 noted the inner quadrangle, kitchen, hall with an oriel window, chapel and long gallery. Drawings from 1692 show a high wall enclosing a square outer court and a smaller inner court. By the early 18th century only the walls and vaulted cellars survived before the structure was demolished for stone between 1704 and 1744. Today a farmhouse built in the late 18th century occupies part of the site. A few metres of masonry and the remains of the kitchen cellar mark the castle’s former position. The surrounding fields and the nearby village of Hartley complete the quiet rural setting.