Legend
The Grand Old Duke
Up the hill, and down again.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- Ruined castle mounds and walls with views over the Calder Valley
- Legend from
- Local folklore
- Best time
- Daytime
- Tone
- Playful
He marched his men up to the top of the hill, and down to the Battle of Wakefield.
Sandal Castle is a ruined castle on a hill above the Calder Valley at Wakefield. In 1347 Edward III granted it to his son Edmund of Langley, later the first Duke of York. In December 1460 Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, came to Sandal during the Wars of the Roses, and the Battle of Wakefield followed. Wikipedia reports local folklore that the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York was written about the castle, referring to the frequent movement of soldiers to and from it, or to troop movements just before the battle. Wakefield Museums and Castles says it is free to visit.