Alnwick is a medieval market town in Northumberland, dominated by Alnwick Castle, ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland. The town grew up around Alnwick Castle, an 11th-century border stronghold. In 1309 the castle came into possession of the Percy family and the 1st Earl of Northumberland' s famous son, Harry Hotspur, was born here. The estates were temporarily confiscated after the planned revolt against Henry IV and the Battle of Shrewsbury where Hotspur was killed, but they were later restored to his son and the Duke of Northumberland, of the same family, lives there still. In the 15th century the town was given the protection of stout gatehouses which served until peace was finally made between England and Scotland in the 17th century. From then on Alnwick thrived, as county town and a staging post on the Great North Road. The castle was renovated in the 18th and 19th centuries and landscaped by Capability Brown.
Alnwick's Medieval Fair is an annual summer event, costumed and based on a 13th-century market fair. Research Alnwick