I have been trying to go to Barnard Castle since I got to England. I was hoping that by visiting Don's ancestral homeland, I would find out that he was in fact the heir to some Barnard family fortune/castle that of course he would share with me since I discovered it. Alas, Barnard castle is now in ruins, awesome ruins, but ruins none the less. 
Barnard castle was originally founded under the Normans, but was most prevalent in the 12th century under the rule of Bernard de Bailleu. I was rather disappointed to find out that it was from Bernard that the castle got its name, not from a family of tall sarcastic Barnards. I Edward I gave the castle to the Earl of Warwick in 1300. In the 15th century, the castle became part of the Neville family's holdings. In 1477, the Duke of Gloucester (who would later become Richard III) took possession of the castle in the War of the Roses. The Neville family continued to enlarge and expand the castle over the next two centuries.
However, one of the Nevilles was involved in an uprising against Elizabeth I and the property (along with Raby Castle) was taken away. Raby Castle (located 8 miles away from Barnard Castle) has been the home of Lord Barnard since the 1600's. At last, I had found a way to obtain a fortune (and maybe even a castle ) for 
After we were done at Barnard castle, we decided to visit Auckland Castle and the Deer Shed that they had there. The castle was not that impressive. It currently houses the Bishop of Auckland. What was impressive was the fact that the castle had an ornate stone building built to house deer so that the inhabitants could come and look at them while they ate. The sheer opulence of the nobility constantly amazes me...
Deer Shed
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