Medieval continued...

1168 to 1178 AD Henry II rebuilds the ‘New Castle’ in Stone.
The Keep, which cost £1,114.5s.6d. to build, was probably designed by Maurice the Engineer and possibly the architect of the Keep at Dover, another royal castle of this period.
Other castles built in the region at around the same time were Norham, Bamburgh and Prudhoe.
1174 AD William the Lion invades Northumberland
William was captured and imprisoned in Newcastle, in the partly-finished Keep, before being taken to Rouen. Eventually, he was ransomed for £4,000, and set free at York. A condition of his freedom was that he gave up all claim to Northumberland. Not everyone in the north was happy with this lenient treatment. On his journey back to Scotland, William crossed the Tyne Bridge. The local people were incensed when they saw that their old enemy had escaped serious punishment. They attacked the royal cortege and William was forced to cut his way through the masses. Sir John Perch and others in the Royal escort were killed in the affray.
1189 AD
Henry II dies and Richard I, called the Lionheart becomes King of England.