Richmond Castle was begun in around 1071 when William the Conqueror held Christmas in north Yorkshire where he granted large amounts of land to Alan (Alain) Rufus from Brittany who was one of William's trusted lieutenants. Alan selected a site above the River Swale for a castle, a site which may have not been used as a defensive site before. It appears that the castle he built was of stone which was unusual for the time when castles were built of earth banks and wooden stockades. The inner bailey is shaped roughly like a triangle with its apex pointing north and facing towards the town. The southern base of the triangle has a steep slope stretching down to the river. Two towers occupy the south-east and south-west corners of the castle. At the apex there was a gatehouse, but this was later replaced by a massive keep in the time of Henry II. Near the south-east corner is Scolland's Hall; a more old-fasioned type of keep. According to legend King Arthur and his Knights sleep in a crypt deep beneath the keep. It is said that a Peter Thompson located the crypt and found King Arthur's Sword and Horn lying on a table. Peter lifted the Sword but became afraid and ran after replacing it. As he left he heard voices saying that if he had lifted the Sword and blown the horn marvellous good fortune would have been his.
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