Berkhamsted Castle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Outer walls of Berkhamsted Castle as seen across the moat.

Berkhamsted Castle is a ruined castle in Berkhamsted in the English county of Hertfordshire . The Norman Motte was built during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century to control the vital route from London to the Midlands . Robert de Conteville , the half-brother of William the Conqueror , was probably responsible for the construction management and then became the owner of the castle. The castle was surrounded by earthworks for protection and was located in the middle of a deer park for hunting. It became the new administrative center and the former Anglo-Saxon settlement of Berkhamsted grew around the castle. The following kings of England loaned the castle to their lord chancellors . In the middle of the 12th century, Berkhamsted Castle was extensively expanded, probably on behalf of Thomas Becket .

The castle was besieged in 1216, during the first barons ' war . The barons who rebelled against Johann Ohneland were supported by France . Berkhamsted Castle was captured after the troops of Prince Ludwig , who later became King Louis VIII of France, attacked it with siege equipment for 20 days and finally forced the garrison to give up. After the castle had been recaptured by the English king's troops the following year, the king gave it to Richard , 1st Earl of Cornwall . This began a long-lasting association with the Earldom and later Duchy of Cornwall . Richard had the castle converted into a palace residence and made it the administrative center of the Earldom. King Edward III had the castle expanded in the 14th century and gave it to his son, Edward, the black prince , who had the hunting grounds expanded. The castle also served as a prison for royal prisoners, e.g. B. King John II of France and other rivals claiming the English throne.

At the end of the 15th century the castle became increasingly out of date and fell into disrepair. By the middle of the 16th century it was already in ruins and was no longer suitable for use by the royal family. Blocks were removed from the ruins to allow other buildings to be erected in the city. In the 1830s, when the London and Birmingham Railway was being built, the castle was almost completely destroyed. As a result, it was the first building in Great Britain to be grandfathered by Parliament . In 1930 the castle ruins were transferred from the Duchy of Cornwall to the British state administration. Today it is managed as a tourist attraction by English Heritage .

history

1066-1217

Berkhamsted Castle was built during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. After defeating the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings , William the Conqueror advanced from the coast through the Thames valley north to Hertfordshire. Chroniclers claim that the Archbishop of York at Berkhamsted surrendered to King William and ordered William to build the castle before moving back to London. Berkhamsted Castle was strategically important because it was on the route from London to the Midlands through the Chiltern Hills . The construction work was presumably overseen by Wilhelm's half-brother, Robert de Conteville, who owned the castle when the Domesday Book was written.

Floor plan of the castle: A - earthworks, possibly for French siege equipment; B - moth and donjon; C - core castle; D - Tower of Richard, the Earl of Cornwall; E - 19th century castellan's house; F - outer bailey; G - southern gate

The castle was located a little off the main road to allow additional space for earthworks, and was arranged to take advantage of natural springs located under the hill. It was first erected as a moth. The moth was 12 meters high and the inner castle was 150 meters by 90 meters, so that it encompassed an area of ​​0.24 hectares. A double earth wall with moats ran around the entire castle; both moats were filled with water. In total, the other earthworks took up an area of ​​4.5 hectares. A fossarius - a special digging device for trenches - is said to have been used when the castle was built in 1086.

A large deer park, which belonged to the crown, was created around the castle in order to obtain a hunting area. The castle was built next to the park over which the moth stood. A vineyard was also laid out next to the castle. The old, Anglo-Saxon manorial center was also moved to the castle grounds and so the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Berkhamsted also migrated from the area now known as Northchurch to the castle; various mills that were necessary for grinding flour existed in 1086.

Robert de Conteville's son, Wilhelm , rebelled against King Henry I and so the castle was confiscated. King Henry gave Berkhamsted Castle to his Lord Chancellor Ranulf as a fief. In 1123, however, when Ranulf traveled to the castle with King Heinrich, he rode over the hill next to the castle and was so upset by the sight that he fell from his horse and died of his injuries.

The castle was then lent to Thomas Becket by King Henry II when he became Lord Chancellor in 1155. Becket had the castle expanded to accommodate his large household, but fell out of favor in 1164 and the castle was again confiscated by the king. Henry II loved Berkhamsted Castle and subsequently used it frequently himself. In the middle of the 12th century the castle was rebuilt in stone, presumably by Becket. It had a keep that took up the entire top of the moth and an outer stone wall; the courtyard was divided by a wall into a core castle and an outer castle. A gatehouse closed off the castle on the way down to the town where the path meets Castle Street . Henry II also recognized the surrounding settlement of Berkhamsted as a city in 1156.

Under King Johann Ohneland , the castle was part of the lands that formed the widow's fortune of his second wife, Isabella . King Johann handed the castle over to Geoffrey Fitz in 1206 Peter , who had a large part of the city rebuilt. Geoffrey fitz Peter died in 1213 and the castle fell to his son, John FitzGeoffrey .

Political tensions began to develop in England and a conflict between King John and an alliance of barons who rebelled against his rule appeared likely. In early 1215, King John put Berkhamsted Castle in charge of a trusted German mercenary named Ranulph and in April had the castle fortifications redesigned. The first barons' war broke out later that year. Initially, a lack of weapons - especially siege equipment - prevented the rebels, but in May 1216 Prince Louis of France crossed the English Channel with his troops and joined the rebel cause. He brought heavy siege equipment with him.

King Johann died in October 2016 and in December the troops besieged Prince Ludwig's Berkhamsted Castle. The prince deployed his siege equipment , presumably Bliden , and attacked the castle several times for 20 days, showering the defenders with what chroniclers called "damnable stones". In the 13th century, a number of earthworks were erected outside the walls, presumably serving as platforms for these machines. After the garrison built a strong defense, they were allowed to surrender and withdraw with their weapons and armor. When the Heinrich III. defeated the rebels in the following year against loyal troops, the castle returned to royal hands.

1218-1461

moth

In the years that followed, Berkhamsted Castle was closely associated with the Earls and Dukes of Cornwall . Henry III's brother, Richard , became Earl of Cornwall and inherited the castle from his mother, Isabella; the castle thus became a permanent part of the earldom. Berkhamsted Castle was Richard's favorite castle, also because it was conveniently close to London. Richard had an impressive three-story tower added to the property in 1254 and the rest of the castle restored; the chroniclers from nearby Dunstable complained that the construction work required so many wagons to transport the wood that the local trade in other goods was badly affected. The castle served the central administration of the Earldom and Richard's nine stewards submitted their annual financial reports there. In the meantime, the town of Berkhamsted also got rich with the growing wool trade . Richard of Cornwall died at the castle in 1272 and it fell to his son, Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall .

The castle then fell to King Edward I , who apparently found the castle in poor condition, and his second wife, Margaret , to King Edward II. Edward II lent it to the royal favorite Piers Gaveston , whom he made Earl of Cornwall . Gaveston married there in 1307 in the presence of King Edward. Edward II and Gaveston lost their power in 1327 and John , Edward's second son, took it over as the new Earl of Cornwall.

When John of Eltham died, King Edward III claimed . Berkhamsted Castle again. A report showed that significant repairs were needed to the castle. King Edward had not yet had Windsor Castle repaired, so he used Berkhamsted Castle as his headquarters and invested significant sums in renovating the castle. His son, Edward the Black Prince , was made Earl of Cornwall and also made frequent use of the castle, which was part of the Duchy of Cornwall. The black prince took advantage of the aftermath of the black death and had the castle park enlarged by 26 hectares, so that it occupied an area of ​​401 hectares. John II, King of France , was imprisoned in the castle after he was captured in the Battle of Poitiers . When the black prince fell sick after his attacks in France, he retired to Berkhamsted Castle and died there in 1376.

King Richard II inherited Berkhamsted Castle in 1377. Initially he let his favorite Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland , use the castle and after De Veres fall from grace and exile in 1388 John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter . King Henry IV lived at the castle after deposed Richard II in 1400, and he used the property to deter rivals for the English throne from doing what they did. During this time, Geoffrey Chaucer , the writer who would later become famous for his Canterbury Tales, oversaw renovations at the castle in his role as a clerk. Both Henry V and Henry VI. owned the castle, although the latter only made use of it until his fall in 1461.

1462-1900

View from the Motte into the inner castle

Berkhamsted Castle was confiscated by King Edward IV when he came to power in the Wars of the Roses . At the end of the 15th century, the castle was occupied by his mother, Cecily Neville , the Duchess of York. At that time, however, the castle had become increasingly out of date and was abandoned after her death in 1495. When the history scholar John Leland visited it in the mid-16th century, it was "largely in ruins" and unsuitable for use by the royal family.

In 1580 Sir Edward Carey leased the estate with the ruins and the park for the symbolic lease of one red rose per year from Queen Elizabeth I. Bricks from the castle were used to build Berkhamstead Place , a school and other buildings in the late 16th century . The castle park, which covered an area of ​​507 hectares in 1627, was divided over the next few decades, leaving only a remaining area of ​​152 hectares. The English Civil War in the 1640s left Berkhamsted Castle relatively unscathed, which apparently played no role in the conflict.

In 1761 the property was separated from the castle. The park was leased to Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater , while the castle remained with the Duchy of Cornwall. In 1863 the Duchy sold the park and property together to '' Earl Brownlow '', who also agreed to rent the castle from the Duchy for a nominal rent.

In the 1830s, plans were drawn up for the new London and Birmingham Railway . From an engineering point of view , the ideal route for the railroad ran through the castle property, but concern for the protection of ancient monuments and buildings had been growing for a number of years and the owners of the adjacent Bridgewater property also wanted to protect the view from their buildings. The castle was finally specially protected by a law of 1833, which obliged the railway company to relocate the route of the new line across the valley floor. Berkhamsted Castle was thus the first building in Great Britain to be grandfathered from developments of this kind. Nevertheless, the route had to be relocated through the outer fortifications of the castle, a major engineering task that was mastered in 1834, although the gatehouse of the castle was destroyed.

20-21 century

Ruins of the outer walls; Kastellanshaus and Motte in the background.

The Office of Works acquired Berkhamsted Castle from the Duchy of Cornwall in 1930. In the 1950s, the inner moat was drained. Today, in the 21st century, the ruined castle is a tourist attraction under the management of English Heritage and historian Isobel Thompson considers it "one of the best-preserved moths" in England. The castle ruins are considered a Scheduled Monument .

Individual references and comments

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  2. ^ A b Nigel JG Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994. ISBN 978-0-521-45099-7 . Pp. 6-7.
  3. ^ A b Ella S. Armitage: The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles . John Murray, London 1912. p. 105.
  4. ^ A b c d Reginald Allen Brown: Castles from the Air . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1989. ISBN 978-0-521329-32-3 . P. 52.
  5. ^ A b Adrian Pettifer: English Castles: a Guide by Counties . Boydell Press, Woodbridge 1995. ISBN 978-0-851156-00-2 . P. 104.
  6. ↑ a b c d Adrian Pettifer: English Castles: a Guide by Counties . Boydell Press, Woodbridge 1995. ISBN 978-0-851156-00-2 . P. 105.
  7. ↑ a b c d e James Dixon Mackenzie: Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Macmillan, New York 1896. p. 130.
  8. ^ Tom Williamson: The Origins of Hertfordshire . Hertfordshire Publications, Hatfield 2010. ISBN 978-1-905313-95-2 . P. 218.
  9. ^ Anne Rowe: The Distribution of Parks in Hertfordshire: Landscape, Lordship and Woodland in Robert Liddiard (editor): The Medieval Park: New Perspectives . Windgather Press, Macclesfield 2007. ISBN 978-1-9051-1916-5 . P. 132.
  10. ^ Robert Liddiard: Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500 . Windgather Press, Macclesfield 2005. ISBN 978-0-954557-52-2 . Pp. 111-112.
  11. ^ Tom Williamson: The Origins of Hertfordshire . Hertfordshire Publications, Hatfield 2010. ISBN 978-1-905313-95-2 . P. 219.
  12. ^ Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  13. ↑ James Dixon Mackenzie: Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Macmillan, New York 1896. pp. 127-128.
  14. ^ Robert Liddiard: Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500 . Windgather Press, Macclesfield 2005. ISBN 978-0-954557-52-2 . P. 111.
  15. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k James Dixon Mackenzie: Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Macmillan, New York 1896. p. 128.
  16. ^ Adrian Pettifer: English Castles: a Guide by Counties . Boydell Press, Woodbridge 1995. ISBN 978-0-851156-00-2 . P. 10.
  17. ^ A b History and research, Berkhamsted Castle . English Heritage. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  18. ↑ a b c d e f Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  19. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. p. 14.
  20. ^ Frank Barlow: The Feudal Kingdom of England, 1042-1216 . Pearson Education, Harlow 1999. ISBN 0-582-38117-7 . P. 356.
  21. ^ John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2011. ISBN 978-0-300110-58-6 . P. 170.
  22. ^ A b Nigel JG Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994. ISBN 978-0-521-45099-7 . P. 109.
  23. ^ Peter Fraser Purton: A History of the Early Medieval Siege, c. 450-1220 . Boydell Press, Woodbridge 2009. ISBN 978-1-843834-48-9 . P. 325.
  24. ↑ The academic opinions about the interpretation of the earthworks from the 13th century around the castle differ. The historian Nigel Pounds is certain, because of their unusual shape, that they were platforms for firing the French siege device; Adrian Pettifer is not sure about this; John Goodall says instead that they were defensive works that Richard, Earl of Cornwall , had built, as otherwise it is unlikely that the earthworks would have remained intact after the end of the war.
  25. ^ Nigel JG Pounds: The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Social and Political History . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1994. ISBN 978-0-521-45099-7 . P. 111.
  26. ^ John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2011. ISBN 978-0-300110-58-6 . P. 44.
  27. ^ Robert Liddiard: Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500 . Windgather Press, Macclesfield 2005. ISBN 978-0-954557-52-2 . P. 88.
  28. ^ A b John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2011. ISBN 978-0-300110-58-6 . P. 189.
  29. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. p. 17.
  30. ↑ Jennifer Sherwood: Influences on the Growth of Medieval and Early Modern Berkhamsted in Michael Wheeler (editor): A County of Small Towns: the Development of Hertfordshire's Urban Landscape to 1800 . Hertfordshire Publications, Hatfield 2008. ISBN 978-1-905313-44-0 . P. 230.
  31. ^ Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  32. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. p. 18.
  33. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. p. 19.
  34. ^ Anne Rowe: The Distribution of Parks in Hertfordshire: Landscape, Lordship and Woodland in Robert Liddiard (editor): The Medieval Park: New Perspectives . Windgather Press, Macclesfield 2007. ISBN 978-1-9051-1916-5 . Pp. 131, 134, 142, 144.
  35. ↑ James Dixon Mackenzie: Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Macmillan, New York 1896. pp. 128-129.
  36. ^ John Goodall: The English Castle . Yale University Press, New Haven and London 2011. ISBN 978-0-300110-58-6 . P. 321.
  37. ^ A b c James Dixon Mackenzie: Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Macmillan, New York 1896. p. 129.
  38. ↑ John H. Pratt: Chaucer and War . University Press of America, Lanham 2000. ISBN 978-0-761815-88-4 . P. 41.
  39. ^ A b John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. pp. 22-23.
  40. ↑ James Dixon Mackenzie: Castles of England: Their Story and Structure . Macmillan, New York 1896. pp. 129-130.
  41. ^ Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  42. ^ Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  43. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. pp. 46-47.
  44. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. pp. 45-46.
  45. ↑ a b Jennifer Sherwood: Influences on the Growth of Medieval and Early Modern Berkhamsted in Michael Wheeler (editor): A County of Small Towns: the Development of Hertfordshire's Urban Landscape to 1800 . Hertfordshire Publications, Hatfield 2008. ISBN 978-1-905313-44-0 . P. 245.
  46. ^ John Wolstenholme: Two Lectures on the History and Antiquities of Berkhamsted . 2nd Edition. Nichols and Sons, London 1883. p. 26.
  47. ^ A b c Jeffrey Richards: The Role of the Railways in Michael Wheeler (editor): Ruskin and Environment: The Storm Cloud of the Nineteenth Century . Manchester University Press, Manchester 1995. ISBN 978-0-719043-77-2 . P. 123.
  48. ^ Hugh C. Prince: Parks in Hertfordshire Since 1500 . Herfordshire Publications, Hatfield 2008. ISBN 978-0-954218-99-7 . P. 179.
  49. ^ Isobel Thompson: Extensive Urban Survey - Hertfordshire . English Heritage and Hertfordshire County Council. 2005. Accessed December 9, 2015.
  50. ^ Reginald Allen Brown: Castles from the Air . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1989. ISBN 978-0-521329-32-3 . P. 53.
  51. ↑ Berkhamsted Castle . Gatehouse. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2015.

literature

  • Paul Martin Remfry: Berkhamsted Castle and the Families of the Counts of Mortain, the Earls of Cornwall and the Crown . SCS Publishing, Worcester 2009. ISBN 978-1-899376-48-3

Web links

Commons : Berkhamsted Castle  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 45 ′ 49 ″  N , 0 ° 33 ′ 32 ″  W.