When the Normans arrived in the 11th century, they realised the strategic value of Church Brough and built a castle and small town there which they called Nether Brough. The village was then larger than it is today and the Norman castle was one of the earliest built in Cumbria. It was constructed just after 1092 as a frontier castle and was owned by William Rufus, William the Conquerer’s successor. The castle was built to guard the western approach of the military road from Carlisle to York and defend the newly won lands of North Westmorland and Cumberland. The keep, which we now know as Caesar’s tower, was built as a royal stronghold.

During the War of the Roses, the Lancastrian, 9th Lord Clifford, held the castle. After an arrow in the throat killed him in 1461 the castle was taken by Warwick the Kingmaker, a Yorkist. During the Christmas festival in 1521, a fire broke out and destroyed much of the castle’s interior.

It was not until 1659 that Lady Anne Clifford, the last noble owner who slept within the walls, started repairing the ruined castle. By 1660, the keep was repaired and in 1662, stables, a kitchen, bake house and brewery were added but unfortunately, in 1666 another fire destroyed the interior of the castle. In 1695, Thomas, Earl of Thanet, demolished the interior of the castle and sold the timbers and stone so that he could carry out extensive repairs to his castle in nearby Appleby. Some of the stones that remained were used by villagers to repair their own buildings. In 1763, part of the keep’s wall collapsed and it has been in ruin ever since. In 1923, the castle passed first to Lord Hothfield and then later to the Department of the Environment.

The church in the village of Church Brough was originally built by the Normans in the middle of the 12th Century. It was badly damaged by raiding Scots. The present church of St Michael was erected in the 14th Century. It’s original Norman roof was destroyed by the Scots and replaced with a wooden Tudor roof in the 16th Century.

It wasn’t until 1330 that Market Brough became the dominant settlement and a very busy trading centre. Until a bridge was constructed in 1369, there was a ford at the end of Bridge Street. A charter granted to Lord Clifford allowed for a weekly market, four cattle markets a year and a four day fair. Brough’s heyday was during the 18th and 19th Centuries. It became a major stopping place for coaches and the village was developed because of the heavy traffic.

In the 1850’s the importance of Brough diminished when the villagers refused permission for the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company to build a railway line through the village. The line was instead diverted via Kirkby Stephen. The most prominent building in Brough is the Clock Tower in the centre of the village. This was built in 1911 and is sited over St Mary’s well, once a place for pilgrimage. The upper part of the clock was the original Market Cross and was built to commemorate the coronation of King George V. The Market Cross itself can be seen near the top of High Street. There are still many historic buildings to be seen in the village, indeed, River View was once a slaughterhouse owned by the local butcher who lived in the house next door. The garage used to be the main slaughter area and the old ring is still in the ground where the animals used to be tied up. The current owners converted the building into a home in 1972. The house next door to River View is called The Maltings in recognition of the fact that it used to be a brewery and three of the original inns also still remain in the village.