Frodsham Castle

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Ruin of Frodsham Castle in the 18th century

Frodsham Castle is a disused hillside castle in Frodsham in the English county of Cheshire .

At first it was used for military purposes, then it served as a mansion and eventually became a prison . After its destruction in the English Civil War , it was replaced by the Park Place country house .

Location

The castle stood on the hillside at the foot of Overton Hill in the western part of Frodsham Market above the narrow passage between Frodsham Marsh and the hill.

history

It is believed that the castle was built around 1070 at the behest of Hugh Lupus , the Earl of Chester . It was possibly a wooden building that collapsed completely in the course of the 14th century. A new castle was built on the same site as the bailiff who ran the property for the lord, who was usually the Earl of Chester or the sovereign. It is thought that this building was more of a fortified mansion than a real castle, as evidence of minimal fortification has been found, but no attempt to obtain a Royal License to Crenellate could be determined. Nevertheless, the walls were "extremely thick". Later the building became the manorial prison.

In the early 17th century, Sir Thomas Savage acquired the manor, lordship and castle of Frodsham from the crown. This had previously belonged to the Frodsham family. Sir Thomas Savage died in 1635 and his son, John , who four years later inherited the title of Earl River , inherited him. During the English Civil War, John Savage lived in the nearby Rocksavage mansion . He was a royalist and his house was damaged by parliamentary troops. He died at Frodsham Castle in 1654, but while his body was still in the castle it burned to the ground.

John Daniels from Daresbury bought the ruins and then sold them in 1750 continued to Daniel Ashley , a local solicitor . His son, Robert Wainwright Ashley , a lawyer, had the ruins torn down and a new house, Castle Park House, built. Parts of the foundations of the castle formed the cellars of the new house.

today

The large Castle Park House , which is managed by the administration of Cheshire West and Chester , now stands on the site .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b F. A. Latham (editor): The History of a Cheshire Town . Local Historians, Frodsham 1987. ISBN 978-0-901-99306-9 . P. 20.
  2. ↑ a b c W. Hawkin, N. Duncan: Discovering Castle Park . The Frodsham & District Local History Group, Frodsham 1989.
  3. ^ A b George Ormerod, T. Helsby (editor): History of the County Palatine and City of Chester . 2. Edition, 1882. P. II 53.
  4. ^ FA Latham (editor): The History of a Cheshire Town . Local Historians, Frodsham 1987. ISBN 978-0-901-99306-9 . P. 31.

Web links

Commons : Frodsham Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 53 ° 17 ′ 33.4 "  N , 2 ° 43 ′ 51.2"  W.