DERBYSHIRE. PEVERIL CASTLE, IN THE PEAKE. THE very ancient and curious remains of Peveril's Castle, stand on the elevated summit of an almost inaccessible rock, impending over the mouth of the celebrated Peake Cavern, shewn in our former view.* This Castle, in the opinion of a very learned antiquary, the late Edward King, was an Anglo-Saxon royal residence, but its structure is more generally referred to the Norman era, and is supposed to have been the work of William, natural son of William the Conqueror, by the wife of Ralph Peveril. He obtained very considerable possessions by the gift of his father, and this is expressly mentioned at the head of his manors in Domesday Boke, as "The Castle in the Peke Forest." The only ascent to this fortress is towards the north, by a winding path, so steep that a small force might easily defend it on the very top of the hill is the Ballium or castle-yard, formerly encompassed by a wall, which had a gate-house on the eastern side. On the west, opposite to the gate, is the Donjon Keep or principal tower; one side of which stands upon the very verge of the precipice. Vol. i. page 9. The court-yard is spacious, and, besides the principal gate-house on the east, which is now destroyed, has another gate-house on the north nearly entire. How long the Castle has been in ruins is not exactly known, but it appears that the records of the Miners' Court were kept here until the reign of Elizabeth, when they were removed to Tutbury Castle. The town of Castleton undoubtedly derived its name from its situation at a short distance from the Castle, and was originally fortified, being surrounded by a fosse and rampart on every side, excepting that on which the Castle is situated, which quarter of the town was left open, that a free communication might be maintained with the garrison. |