Sandal Castle

From 1361 the castle was in the hands of royal owners, who were largely absentee landlords. No further major building work seemed to take place until 1484/5, when Richard III ordered building works to make Sandal suitable as a base for a permanent household in the north.

His defeat at Bosworth in 1485 brought an end to any further development at Sandal. The only major event of the Wars of the Roses to take place here was the Battle of Wakefield on 30th December 1460 at which the Duke of York was mortally wounded. The battle was fought on Wakefield Green below the castle, and the castle suffered no damage.