Earl Shilton Castle

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Earl Shilton Castle is an Outbound castle in the small town of Earl Shilton in English county Leicestershire .

history

The anarchy

Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester , ( Bossu ) was on King Henry I's deathbed in 1135 and became a close confidante of the new King Stephen . Heinrich's daughter Matilda felt she was heir to the throne and, with the help of her half-brother, the Earl of Gloucester , unleashed a cruel civil war against her cousin Stephan, known as anarchy .

construction

As the defense of his lands became more important, Robert Bossu started the fortification of Shilton Hill . The Earl's new moth watched over the Vale of Kirkby and Bossus connecting routes south and west.

Earl Shilton Castle was built around an old 12th century chapel dedicated to Saint Peter . This area called Hall Yard is now between Church Street and Almey's Lane . There are natural springs nearby, from which the castle was supplied with drinking water. They are called Spring Gardens today .

Rebellion and destruction

The castle served as a fortress for 30 or 40 years. Then it was destroyed and turned into a hunting lodge. There is no record of any siege or fighting in the Earl Shilton area, not even in the English Civil War . This presumably shows that the castle served its purpose [of deterrence]. When the church was rebuilt in 1854, building blocks from the castle were used for its construction.

In 1173 Prince Heinrich started a rebellion against his father, King Heinrich II. Robert Bossu was just in France and willingly joined the Prince's cause. He fought several battles. On October 17th, while the prince's forces were still on their way, the king's supporters attacked them at Farnham, near Bury St Edmunds . The Earls of Norfolk and Leicester were taken by surprise and defeated; Robert Bossu was captured and taken to a prison in Falaise , Normandy .

The King began demolishing the Earl of Leicester's castles and the workers in charge moved into Earl Shilton Castle as well. Only the forts at Leicester and Mount Sorrell survived the destruction. The manor of Earl Shilton remained a good source of income.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John N. Lawrence: Associations with Earl Shilton, a Leicestershire Village . 2006.

swell

  • John N. Lawrence: Associations with Earl Shilton, a Leicestershire Village . 2006.
  • Mark Morris: Earl Shilton Castle . Pan Books, 2003.

Coordinates: 52 ° 34 ′ 46.6 "  N , 1 ° 18 ′ 25.2"  W.