Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 06 July 1912
Conisboro’ and its Castle.
Early Britons and Saxons.
Visits of Three Kings.
In view of the approaching visit of their Majesties the King and Queen to this district and their announced intention of inspecting the ruins of Conisborough Castle, it is thought that a short history of the ancient pile may be of general interest.
Few places have seen more real history than Conisborough. No doubt plenty of old castles have seen more plotting and scheming, or conspiracies, and what, for lack of a better term, must be called “devilry”; but Conisborough have generally been in the thick of the fighting: for in ancient times who ever held this district was practically master of Northumbria. And yet, in the ordinary history of England the old town is hardly mentioned. It is, then, to the old monks who lived in bygone days and we must turn for some of the most exciting history ever written. The venerable Bede, Gildass, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Roger of Horden, and others supply chapters which Hulme and his colleagues omit. And surely good men who lived about the times in which they write are worthy of credence.
Early in the fifth century a Romanised Briton named Conan, by fair means or foul (presumably the latter, for morality seems to have been at a discount at that time,) acquired the rank and title of Earl of Kent. Being anxious to rise still higher in social and political, he proposed marriage to a charming princess, the daughter of the reigning King, in the hope of someday succeeding to the Crown.
But when it came to the vital matter of “asking Papa” he was met with point-blank refusal, and the prize he coveted was bestowed on his hated rival, Maximilian, another ancient Briton of high rank, who had won favour in royal circles, and we must hope, made a good husband for the fair lady.
Conan was very disgusted at his rebuff, and, with a large following, left the Court to throw in his lot with the Scots, who then inhabited northern Ireland and south-western Scotland, and who were a terrible thorn in the side of the Britons. Bede, who was a Saxon, speaks of them as “bold Irish robbers.” Gildas, a British monk, call them a “Scottish swarm of vermin,” “hideous crows,” etc.
In his journey Conan seems to have followed the old Roman road to York, which nearly corresponded with our modern “Great North Road,” for reaching the valley of the Don he appears to have thought he had gone far enough. So he decided to make his home, and, picking out a convenient site between the two principal crossings of the river (one in Dunum, the old Roman camp, and the other at the Strata ford) he began then a “Burgh,” and, when it was made with much strength he set on it a name after himself, “Conan’s Burgh.” The natives called it “Caer Conan” (the city of Conan), and, to quote another old writer, “And the northern men it is not long since through a ill practice called it Conisboro.’”
Conan seems to have been a good Lord of the Manor, for we read later. “There was not in all the world a Burgh so fair,” although what constituted one “much strength” is a matter of speculation. It could hardly have been a castle, for we read of that been built by Hengist some years later.
Appearance would point to the North Cliff Hills, opposite the station, for this would indeed have been a strong position; but no one has any definite knowledge of the matter.
While at his burgh, Conan seems to have got over the disappointment, and fallen with some lady who smiled on him more sweetly than the Kentish princess, for his great grandson was a distinguished general, and recaptured his ancestral home after it had been some 40 years in the hands of the Saxons.
A curious point may here be noted – great grandson seem to have been popular in our history. It was a great grandson of Aeneas who is said to have been the first discoverer of Britain. Hengist seems to have been a great grandson of Woden, a sort of pagan deity, and Aurelius, who revived the warlike spirit of the Britons and led them onto victory, was a great grandson to Conan, who, though a dashing commander, and no doubt a good landlord, seems to have been of a restless roving disposition, for the next we hear of him is making up his feud with his old rival Maximilian, and joining him in an expedition to Armorica (now Brittany), where he (Conan) is made King, leaving Conan’s Burg to look after itself. Here we lose sight of Conan; but not of his burg.
In the troublesome times that followed when Britons and Saxon and Pict and Scots were mixed up in endless fights and struggles for existing, Hengist asked the King (Vortigern) to appoint him some city or Royal Burgh for resident and to which he might bring his wife and family.
The King, always ready to do almost anything for his old friend and ally Hengist, gave him Conan ‘s Burg, which was then vacant and without an owner. This spot was on the borderland of the Picts and Scots, who it was Hengist special mission to keep them out of Britain, and there he made his stronghold, and for a time served his royal master faithfully. The story that Hengist, who was no fool, whether he was a nave or not, asked for as much land as he could measure out with the skin or hide of an ox, cut into strips and hence the castle got the nickname of “Thong Castle”; but this appears to have been only a local name.
As we know now, the Saxons continually increased in numbers, and feuds between them and the Britons were frequent, the Britons generally get the worst of it. “For 40 years they lived together in consternation,” says one old writer, till in the year 488 or 489 Aurelius Ambrosius, Conan’s great grandson, became King of the Britons. He was a great general, and so roused and reorganised his forces that he was able to successfully offer battle to Hengist and his Saxons.
The exact route taken by the opposing armies is not very clear; but they met in a field known as Maisbeli (field of battle) near the river Don, which is evidently Mexborough Ings. “Aurelius abode upon a mount. His Welsh he sent to there wood.” Bellen’s Wood is near Barnburgh.
“The Scots he sent aside to meet the heathen by ways and streets.” Street Lane was the old road from Melton down to the Strata Ford. “They saw Hengist holde over Don,” which he would naturally cross in marching from his stronghold at Conisburg. The battle was long and furious, both sides feeling that it was almost a fight for existence, till Algol, Duke of Gloucester, encountered Hengist in single combat, and seizing him by the helmet, dragged him into the British ranks, shouting that God had given his side to victory. The Saxons were dismayed and fled in all directions. Octa, one of Angus’s sons fled to York and Easa, another of the generals to Alcherd (apparently near a place now called Doncaster), while the great leader, who by this time must have been at least 70 years old, was led as a prisoner of war to his own fortress, Conansburgh, where a Council was held, and it was decided that Hengist must die. Some wanted to commute the sentence but Eldad, Bishop of Gloucester, Eldol’s brother, described as a “man of great wisdom and piety” was most insistent that the extreme penalty should be paid. The great Saxon was accordingly now through the postern gate to a neighbouring hill, and there beheaded. “There Aurelius commanded him to be buried, and a heap of earth to be raised over his body, according to the custom of the pagans.”
Some historians say that Hengist lived and died in Kent; but that is absurd. The Picts and Scots were in the northern end of the country, and how could an army in Kent keep them at bay? Again, local commenclature shows this district have been thoroughly Saxonised – we have in Hexthorpe, Hengist’s thorpe or farm; Edlington, Ething’s or Athling’s town, the Athling being the heir apparent; Wadworth from Wadden a Saxon chief; Hickleton, Icel town, Icel being a descendant of Woden etc, etc.
During the next 400 years or so, nothing is recorded of Conisborough. During the frequent wars between Northumbria and Mercia the old “burg” would be a sore bone of contention, but whoever held this district, with its safe crossing of the Don, and the neighbouring hills, would be practically master of Northumbria.
The great battle of Heathfelth (Hatfield) in 633, when Penda, King of Murcia, and Caedwallar, King of the Britons, overthrew Edwin, King of Northumbria, would be within the jurisdiction of Conisborough, and no doubt the town supplied many of the combatants.
The next item we find in the year 887, when Egbert, having subdued the rest of England, made a treaty with the Northumbrians, “at the waters of the Dune.” While at Konyngsburg, as it was then called, news was brought that the Danes had landed. He met them at Doncaster, defeated them with great slaughter, thus restoring peace to the troubled country. The peace never lasted long; for the Danes soon returned in greater numbers than ever, and overran the whole of the northern and eastern portions of the country, inflicting “horrors that the pen cannot portray, not imagination paint,” and records for this period are scarce and unreliable. Conisborough and district did not escape the general turmoil; but exactly what happened is not recorded – beyond that fire and pillage, murder, battle and sudden death were the order of the day.
In the year 1010, Wulfric Sprot, Earl of Murcia (from whom Sprotbrough is said to be named) bequeathed Connigesburg and Doncastre to his nephew; but that young man’s mother appears to have thought it too much, and gave the latter place to the church at Coventry. The Holy Church, however, did not retain it long for Swain, Tosti and Harold, sons of Earl Godwin, appropriated it to their own use.
In the year 1022 occurs the insurrection of Worcester, when Siward, Earl of Northumbria with his son Osborne and his grandson Malcolm (afterwards King of Scotland) was sent by the King to put it down.
On his journey he would pass this way, probably crossing the Don at the Strata ford (just opposite Denaby Main gasworks), and what is more likely that he would rest a night with his friends at Conisobrough Castle? Indeed, one tale is to the effect that Silward stayed at the Castle; but there was not accommodation for all the following, so some of the men were quartered in the Moote Hall, the priest who accompanied the forces stayed at the Priory, and Malcolm, the future King of Scotland at a large house adjacent to the church.
At this time Conisborough was a wealthy and important place, and Doncaster was but an appendage or remote part of the Manner of Hexthorpe, the whole of which was valued at £18 per annum. The great Conisbrough fisheries, which extended far down the Don at this time were very productive. The people of Judworth (near Hatfield) had to provide the Lord’s of Conisborough with 20,000 eels annually, and the industry found employment for seven Sokemen, seven Villeins and 20 Fishgarths. One third of the product of the fisheries were given about this time (Edward the Confessor) to the Abbot and monks of Burton upon Trent, and later the occupiers of Roche Abbey also had a share.
With the advent of the Normans, great changes occurred throughout the country. The Conqueror bestowed Conan’s old city on the Earl of Warren, in whose family it remained for several generations.
One of these Earls of Warren distinguished himself greatly in 1137 by kidnapping the Earl of Lancaster’s wife, and confining her in a castle in the south of England. The outraged Earl raised an army and lay siege to Conisborough Castle, which he probably would have taken had not the King intervened and ordered him to desist. Two years later, however, he returned, and succeeded in capturing the place. What he said to Earl Warren is not recorded – possibly it was not fit for publication.
In the year 1201 King John paid a visit to Conisborough to take stock of the place, as the owner had died, and the property was changing hands. Though the place subsequently became the property of the Crown, and so remained for many years, there is no record of any King coming here; the next week the local citizens are hoping to see King George and Queen Mary at the ancient stronghold, and give them a right royal welcome.
This will be the third king of England to enter our King’s Borough:
489 – Aurelius
1201 – John
1912 – George V
Article Continues