Built for the mighty dynasty of the Nevills, this great fortress stands proud and defiant, its history rolling back almost a thousand years.
King Cnut (also known as Canute II the Great) owned the Estate, then known as 'Rabi' (derived from 'Ra', Danish for a boundary, and 'Bi', a settlement or dwelling) in the early 11th Century.
The Viking King and self appointed 'Emperor of the North' may well have built a manor house here, but it was the Nevills who built the 14th century castle which still stands today.
Ralph, Earl of Richmond and Cicely, the "Rose of Raby" John, Lord Nevill, was succeeded by his son, Ralph, mentioned by Shakespeare in Henry V, who was created Earl of Westmoreland in 1397, the first to hold this title, by Richard II, but he afterwards joined the Lancastrians and was instrumental in placing his brother-in-law. Henry IV, on the throne. In return the King created him Earl of Richmond, a Knight of the Garter and Earl Marshal of England. His first wife was Lady Margaret Stafford, by whom he had seven children, and his second Lady Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, by whom he had a further fourteen children.
Their youngest daughter, Cicely, the "Rose of Raby", married Richard, Duke of York, and was the mother of Edward IV and Richard III. Through her granddaughter Elizabeth of York, Queen of Henry VII, she is an ancestress of the Royal family. The Earl's youngest son, Edward, was created Baron Bergavenny and his descendant, the Marquess of Abergavenny, is the present head of the Nevill family. The Earl was a great church builder, and his alabaster tomb in Staindrop Church, where his effigy lies between that of his two wives, is regarded as being among the finest monuments in the North. He died in 1425