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Wakefield Museums and Castles
The Norman Conquest
After William the Conqueror became king in 1066, he rewarded his loyal friends and allies. He did so by giving them land.
One such friend was Ilbert de Lacy who had fought for William at the Battle of Hastings. William gave Ilbert the Honour of Pontefract, a large estate in Yorkshire.
It was here, on the site of an Anglo-Saxon manor, that Ilbert de Lacy built Pontefract Castle shortly after 1086.
King William I ('The Conqueror'), unknown artist, dated to around 1597 - 1618. National Portrait Gallery.
William the Conqueror and his allies were from Normandy. There was a lot of opposition from the Anglo-Saxons to their new Norman rulers.
The Normans built mighty castles - like Pontefract - to help them rule over their new subjects. The massive castles were built to inspire awe and fear in the local people.
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.