RICHMOND TOWN AFC: A FORTRESS?

No, not an ancient grandstand or hospitality, this is Richmond Town AFC's ground in the shadow of the Yorkshire town's impressive castle; sadly a bit battered, the castle that is. I was visiting today, no game, no obvious plans for a game this week (it is June!) but I did catch a few moments of inter Second XI County Cricket League match between the local lads Richmondshire CCC and Middlesex 2nds, played in the shadow of the castle.

Back to footy:  Richmond Town AFC last season ended in 12th place, 

P32, Pts32, W13, D6, L15, F61 A 70.

The club supports also, Richmond Town Women, who play in the North Riding Premier League and until the disruption of COVID had: 

Played 14, Won 9, D 1, L 4, F45, A 22, 

so doing rather well! Standing 3rd in the division at the moment, chasing Poppleton Ladies and  Redcar Town Reserves.

The CLUB also supports : Minikickers,
11 boys U7-U16 teams
4 Girls teams and 
6 adult teams

Richmond Castle was built in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The exact circumstances remain obscure, but it was most likely founded in the late 1070s by Count Alan Rufus, a kinsman of William the Conqueror, Alan may have commanded the Breton contingent of the Norman army at the Battle of Hastings. In return for his service, King William granted him land in the north in about 1071. Richmond Castle was probably begun soon afterwards to join royal control in the north and to maintain vigilance over the border with Scotland, which at that time was further south than it is today. 

The castle is referred to in the 1086 Domesday. Although the survey makes no direct reference to a castle, it describes Alan’s lands as forming a ‘castlery’, an estate organised to sustain a castle. The survey also names Richmond (then called Hindrelag) as Alan’s possession, and as Richmond came to form the centre of his estates it was doubtless Richmond Castle that he had built. The earliest surviving buildings at Richmond were probably erected by Alan Rufus in the 1080s. They include long stretches of the stone curtain wall, the great archway in the ground floor of the keep, and Scolland’s Hall. No other castle in England can boast so much surviving 11th-century architecture – it is probably the best-preserved castle of this scale and age in the country. To gather some more info on the castle, link up:

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/richmond-castle/richmond-graffiti/