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The first castle at Richmond was probably started in the late 1070s by Count Alan Rufus of Penthièvre, a relative of William the Conqueror. The oldest buildings on the site are believed to date from the 1080s. It is the best preserved Norman castle in England.
In the 1150s Duke Conan of Brittany strengthened the castle, the keep probably dates from this period. The castle came under royal control in 1171 but ownership moved between the crown and various individuals until it finally became a royal castle in 1372.
The castle gradually fell into disrepair until by the mid-16th century it was derelict. Ownership passed to the Dukes of Richmond in the seventeenth century and in the nineteenth century they leased it out to become the headquarters of the North York Militia.
By 1908 various military buildings had been erected and the castle was home to the Northern territorial Army. During the First World War the northern Non-Combatant Corps was stationed here. Many conscientious objectors were imprisoned here as well; they have left graffiti on the walls of their cells.
The castle, a Grade I listed building, is now kept by English Heritage.