Sandal
A wealth of history Sandal and Sandal Castle words and photography by Ian Neville
Sandal is a residential suburb of Wakefield strung out along the busy A61 two miles south of the city centre. The locality has been inhabited since before Roman times and was at the crossroads of history in the late medieval period.
There is archaeological evidence of occupation in the district going back into prehistoric times. Sandal is probably an Anglo- Saxon settlement name derived by combining the words sand and halh meaning a sandy area of land, but the Scandinavian words sandr and healh have a similar meaning, so a Viking origin cannot be discounted either. In William I’s Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as Sandala, a berewic or outlying estate in the Manor of Wakefield where cereal crops were grown. It’s recorded that the settlement was owned by the king, had a church, priest some plough land and a very small population, probably fewer than ten persons.
Sandal Castle moat
In 1107 William de Warenne (1081-1138), 2nd Earl of Surrey was granted the Sandal estate and began building a timber motte and bailey castle on top of a sandstone ridge west of the settlement in a dominating position above the Calder Valley. The castle was gradually rebuilt in stone from the end of the 12th century into the 13th century. In 1361 the castle became a royal possession again.
‘In William I’s Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as Sandala, a berewic or outlying estate in the Manor of Wakefield where cereal crops were grown’
In 1460 an important battle during The Wars of the Roses took place on a level area of ground just to the north of the castle called Wakefield Green. The battle for supremacy and the throne between the Lancastrians supporting Henry VI (1421-71) and the Yorkists supporting the claim of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (1411-60) had begun in 1455 and seen sporadic periods of fighting and stability. By December 1460 the country was at war again when Richard marched a small army north to confront a Lancastrian force of around 15,000. When he arrived at Sandal he had already suffered a setback in a skirmish at Worksop. The main Lancastrian force was encamped 9
Sandal Castle well and motte
miles away at Pontefract Castle. Preliminary engagements resulted in more defeats for the Yorkists. On 30th December Richard unwisely marched his force out of Sandal Castle and down Manygates Lane to confront a much larger Lancastrian army which quickly surrounded and destroyed them.
There are several possible explanations why Richard left the safety of Sandal Castle: either having under estimated the enemy force or going to the aid of a small foraging party. The Lancastrians may have deceived Richard by hiding the main body of their force, displaying false colours or even breaking a Christmas truce. Whatever the reason it cost Richard his life. Richard’s death did not end the wars which continued until 1485, but it did propel his >
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