In 1298, King Edward I stayed at the castle on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by William Wallace.

The building underwent a harsh series of enhancements, and in 1344 a Licence to crenellate was issued by King Edward III to allow battlements to be built, effectively upgrading the stronghold to a fully fortified castle, of quadrangular form.

At the Union of the Crowns, Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scotland, and her children stayed in the castle on their way to London on 6 June 1603.

The castle was gradually transformed; the moat was filled, and battlements were converted into residential wings.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the grounds underwent landscaping, including work carried out by Sir Jeffry Wyattville.

[11] The Prince and Princess of Wales stayed at Chillingham Castle en route to Scotland, in 1872.

Lead had been removed from the roof, resulting in extensive weather damage to large parts of the building.

[19] In the novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819) by Sir Walter Scott, Chillingham Castle is singled out as a last refuge for an ancient breed of Scottish cattle.