Time to introduce another one of our Castle Characters, one much lowlier than the Knight and Royal Lady that we have met so far. This is Matilda, the Barber, who lived in Newcastle near the Castle itself at the end of the 1200s. Ordinary working people like Matilda often disappear in histories of the medieval period, which tend to concentrate much more on the doings of knights, kings, queens and what have you. But we should not lose sight of the people that it was the work of these ordinary people that kept the whole kingdom running, and they lived lives every bit as interesting as their “betters”. Today we’ll be delving into the often gruesome work of the medieval barber…

Hallowe’en is traditionally a busy time of year at Newcastle Castle. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has put paid to our usual program of film screenings, family activities and other eerie events that would normally fill our days at this time of year. We thought instead we might have a little look at the history not just of Hallowe’en, but of spooks, spectres and sinister creatures that were once believed to roam the North East in medieval times. 

Mary Bruce was the younger sister of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. In 1306 when Bruce was living as an outlaw fighting a guerrilla war against the English, Mary was captured along with Robert’s wife and daughter by the Earl of Ross, who handed them over to Edward I.

Sir Aymer de Atholl was a Northumbrian Knight living in the 1300s. The second son of an exiled Scottish Earl who had fought with King Edward of England against Robert the Brice, Sir Aymer was an experienced soldier who saw some of the most turbulent times in British history.