Bishops Gifthouse Traditional Geocache
Workyticket: As there appears to have been no cache to find for months, we are archiving the cache listing to prevent it from continually showing up in search lists, and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements.
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Workyticket
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Bishopton Castle ... The site of a Motte and Bailey Castle from the 12th Century.
Under Norman rule, noble men could not build castles without the Monarch’s permission. To do so would invite royal displeasure, and leave the impression that the nobleman might be a threat to the crown.
Feudal custom limited the extent and strength of private fortification, and by the 12th century the crenellation or battlementing distinguished a castle from a manor house. A structure would be forfeited to the monarchy if not authorized. In 1150 there were an estimated 1,115 unlicensed castles in Britain.
Formal permission was granted by a "license to crenellate." A license to build a castle was sometimes granted by someone other than the king, such as a bishop. The date of the license is not necessarily the actual date of the castle building.
The first license to crenellate, or build a New Castle, was possibly for Bishopton Castle (1143) though earlier licenses gave permission to strengthen an existing castle
The Lordship of Bishopton was given to Roger de Conyers by Bishop Rannulf of Durham in the early 12th Century AD and the first phase of Castle construction may date from that period. In 1141 William Cunin seized the Bishopic of Durham with Scottish support and Roger de Conyers became the leader of the resistance to Cunin. In 1143 Conyers fortified his manor house - phase 2 of the defenses – and successfully withstood an attack there in the summer of 1143. Following this the rightful Bishop, William de St. Barbe used the castle as his base to regain the Bishopic.
Subsequently the Conyers family moved to Sockburn (and for the next six hundred years play a big part in Durham’s history) and the later history of the castle isn’t known. The Conyers Bailiff in Bishopton may have used the site, but it was never rebuild in stone unlike such contempories as Durham Castle.
The Cache is not within the fenced off area.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pyvzo bire gur fgvyr, sbyybj gur urqtr gb lbhe yrsg, 25 cnprf cnfg gur ryrpgevpvgl cbyr, arne gur oebnq cbfg