Richard II - Wakefield Museums and Castles

$Pontefract Castle$ Pontefract Castle

Richard II

Pontefract Castle was important throughout much of history. It became the location of many dark and terrible deeds.

In 1399 King Richard II was captured by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke took the throne and became the new King Henry IV.

Richard II was kept prisoner by Henry IV at Pontefract Castle, and he died here. He is thought to have starved to death while being held close to the bakehouse.

Painting of King Richard II looking forlorn, resting his head on his hand in his bare and simple prison room

Richard II in Prison, J. Coghlan, early 1800s. Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection.

This infamous event is immortalised in Shakespeare’s play Richard II. However, Shakespeare crafted a more dramatic version of events!

'The Sacred King' - a scene from Shakespeare's Richard II filmed at Pontefract Castle

$A tour guide pointing at the remains of a tower at Pontefract Castle$

Find out more on a tour

If you would like to find out more, then come and visit us at Pontefract Castle!

We run two types of guided tour every weekend:

Our Dungeon Tours explore the eerie underground dungeon. They are at 10:45am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Our Castle Explorer Tours tell stories of the castle's past around the grounds. They are at 2pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.