De Bailleul, Bernard

In the late 11th or early 12th century, Bernard de Bailleul (Baliol), began construction of a castle near Durham, overlooking the River Tees. As was common in those days, Barnard Castle acquired the name of its builder. Bernard played a prominent part in history: he fought for King Stephen during the civil war. He was a military commander of some reputation and participated in the victory over the Scots in 1138 at a battle near Northallerton, which came to be known as the Battle of the Standard. Like King Stephen himself, Bernard was later taken prisoner at the battle of Lincoln, on February 2, 1141. The exact date of his death is unknown.