Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York by a French chronicler to have betrayed to the king a conspiracy at the end of 1399 by a group of Richard II's former favourites who planned to murder Henry IV and his sons at a jousting tournament at Windsor Castle on 6 January 1400. But according to James Tait, contemporary English sources that describe the conspiracy make no mention of Edward, and his role in it is open to question. In October 1400, the king made Edward Keeper of North Wales, and on 5 July 1401, his lieutenant in Aquitaine. On 1 August 1402, Edward's father died, and he
Pontefract of Pontefract was known by the Anglo-Scandinavian name of Kirkby. After the Norman conquest in 1066 almost all of Yorkshire came under the ownership of followers of William the Conqueror, one of whom was Ilbert de Lacy who became the owner of Tateshale (Tanshelf) where he began to build a castle. Pontefract Castle began as a wooden motte and bailey castle, built before 1086 and later rebuilt in stone. The de Lacys lived in the castle for more than two centuries and were holders of the castle and the Honour of Pontefract from 1067 until the death of Alice de