Dalton Castle (NT)

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Overview

The 14th-century tower known as Dalton Castle was formerly the manorial courthouse of Furness Abbey. Here the abbott exercised his right to hold manorial courts and administer justice within the lordship of Furness, as authorised by the abbey's foundation charter of 1127. The building would have contained not only the courtroom and one or two other rooms in which the business of the lordship was transacted, but also a gaol, guardrooms and stores. After the dissolution of the abbey in 1537, the castle continued as a courthouse for over 300 years, owned at first by the Crown and then by the Dukes of Albermarle, the Dukes of Montagu, and finally the Dukes of Buccleuch. The interior has seen many alterations, the last and most radical being that of 1856 when three upper floors, accessible from a stone spiral staircase, were superseded by a single upper room and an additional stairway. Dalton Castle was given to the National Trust by the 8th Duke of Buccleuch in 1965.

Location

Market Place, DALTON-IN-FURNESS, LA15 8AX

About the area

Cumbria's rugged yet beautiful landscape is best known for the Lake District National Park that sits within its boundaries. It’s famous for Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake, and Derwent Water, ‘Queen of the English Lakes', but other lesser-known areas in the south, such as the Lune Valley and the coastal towns, are secret gems of wide cobbled streets and rolling hills.

Area image

Dalton-In-Furness Cumbria Things To Do in Cumbria

Dalton Castle (NT)

Market Place, DALTON-IN-FURNESS, LA15 8AX

015395 60951

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Dalton Castle (NT)

Recommended by

Overview

The 14th-century tower known as Dalton Castle was formerly the manorial courthouse of Furness Abbey. Here the abbott exercised his right to hold manorial courts and administer justice within the lordship of Furness, as authorised by the abbey's foundation charter of 1127. The building would have contained not only the courtroom and one or two other rooms in which the business of the lordship was transacted, but also a gaol, guardrooms and stores. After the dissolution of the abbey in 1537, the castle continued as a courthouse for over 300 years, owned at first by the Crown and then by the Dukes of Albermarle, the Dukes of Montagu, and finally the Dukes of Buccleuch. The interior has seen many alterations, the last and most radical being that of 1856 when three upper floors, accessible from a stone spiral staircase, were superseded by a single upper room and an additional stairway. Dalton Castle was given to the National Trust by the 8th Duke of Buccleuch in 1965.

Location

Market Place, DALTON-IN-FURNESS, LA15 8AX

About the area

Area image

Cumbria's rugged yet beautiful landscape is best known for the Lake District National Park that sits within its boundaries. It’s famous for Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake, and Derwent Water, ‘Queen of the English Lakes', but other lesser-known areas in the south, such as the Lune Valley and the coastal towns, are secret gems of wide cobbled streets and rolling hills.

Explore Cumbria

Dalton-In-Furness Cumbria Things To Do in Cumbria