NAWORTH, a township in Brampton parish, Cumberland; on the river Irthing and the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, near the Roman wall, 2 ½ miles ENE of Brampton. Real property, £4,714. Pop., 557. Houses, 97. Naworth Castle was built, in the 13th century, by Ranulph Dacre; continued in the possession of the Dacres till 1569; passed then, by marriage, to Lord William Howard, the ”Belted Will ” of traditional lore, and warden of the marches in the time of Elizabeth; and belongs now to the Earl of Carlisle. It stands on the edge of a platform, nearly insulated by a deep gulley; was originally designed for protection against raids from the Scottish Border; was much enlarged and strengthened about 1316; underwent further improvement by Lord William Howard; was severely injured by fire in 1844; has been carefully restored, with retention of its ancient features; consists chiefly of two large square towers, with intervening buildings, and with interior quadrangular court; includes a great hall with walls 7 ½ feet thick, the private apartments of Lord William Howard, a concealed passage from his oratory to a grated aperture at the top of dungeons, and these dungeons themselves with their old appliances of imprisonment; and contains curious old paintings, pieces of tapestry, and suits of armour.
An ancient earth-work, probably British, with two encircling ramparts, is S of the castle and near the railway.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
