Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle, an old market town in the county of Durham, on the river Tees, 32 miles S.W. of Durham. It derives its name from the castle built there at the end of the twelfth century by Barnard Baliol, ancestor of John Baliol (q.v.). It was abandoned after a siege in 1569, but the massive ruins still cover six acres of ground. Sir Walter Scott laid the scene of parts of Rokeby in the neighbourhood. The parish church dates from the twelfth century, and there are almshouses said to have been founded by John Baliol. The Bowes Museum, left to the town by Sir George Bowes in 1874, contains some interesting relics. Carpets and woollen cloths are the chief manufactures, and the corn market is important.