Picton Castle
Picton Castle ( Welsh : Castell Pictwn ) is a medieval castle near Haverfordwest in the County of Pembrokeshire in Wales . Built at the end of the 13th century by Sir John Wogan, it is still inhabited by his descendants, the Philipps family.
history
The Picton Castle estate was part of Wiston Castle in the 12th century . The first fortification on the grounds of Picton Castle is believed to have arisen when Baron Wizo, lord of the castle of Wiston, distributed lands to his knightly followers. The first lords of Picton, whose name and origin are not known, built a motte , a wooden castle on a mound several 100 meters east of the current building. In the 13th century Sir John Wogan , a vassal of William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke , became Baron of Wiston and between 1295 and 1308 built the main parts of today's castle complex. He then gave up Wiston Castle and relocated his ancestral home to Picton Castle.
In 1405, French troops supporting the Welsh national hero Owain Glyndŵr in his struggle for independence captured the castle. Picton's Wogan line ended in an heiress who married Owain Dwnn , so the estate fell to the Dwnn family . In 1495 Sir Thomas Philipps of Cilsant married the heiress Jane Dwnn, whereby Picton Castle came into the possession of the Philipps family. In 1611, King James I began selling baronets to cover the cost of his army in Ireland. Sir John Philipps bought the title of Baronet of Picton Castle at a cost of £ 1095, which allowed 30 soldiers to be maintained for a period of 3 years. In 1645 parliamentary forces confiscated the property during the English Civil War .
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Philipps of Picton Castle were the most powerful family in Pembrokeshire and exerted a great political, social and economic influence on all aspects of local life. They owned extensive estates, were prominent philanthropists, and provided a number of sheriffs , magistrates , lords lieutenants, and members of parliament in the House of Lords . As a result, Picton Castle was the center of local, social and cultural life in Pembrokeshire during this period. In 1697, Sir John Philipps, the 4th Baronet of Picton Castle, carried out extensive renovations, as did Sir John Philipps, the 6th Baronet, between 1749 and 1752.
In 1776 Sir Richard Philipps was given the title of Baron Milford . Since he had no male descendants, this title expired after his death in 1823. Picton Castle went to his cousin Richard Philipps, for whom the title Baron Milford was created a second time in 1847. However, this title also expired after his death in 1857, as he had no male descendants either. Picton Castle went to his half-brother James Henry Alexander Gwyther, who was allowed to take the family name and coat of arms of the Philip by royal permission. After his death, the property was inherited by his son-in-law Charles Edward Gregg Philipps, who was awarded the title of Baronet of Picton in 1887 , and then his grandson, Sir Richard Foley-Philipps, the 4th Baronet of Picton. In 1939 the title Baron Milford was bestowed a third time on a Philipps, but this time not on the owner of Picton Castle. The property is now managed by the Picton Castle Trust. Board member Susie Philipps lives in a guest house on the property.
architecture
Originally, the main building was protected by seven protruding round towers. One tower each stood at the corners of the rectangular floor plan, two more were in the east at the entrance and another was on the west side. The two at the eastern end were connected to form a gatehouse. The entrance led directly through a portcullis into a vault under the hall. The building itself still does not have a courtyard, but there was a walled courtyard in front of the castle, but probably no moat. Around 1400 the tracery window in the hall was enlarged and a large decorative arch with several windows was installed in the gatehouse. Picton Castle is similar to a group of 13th century Irish castles, but these had four round towers at the corners of the rectangular building instead of seven like Picton Castle.
In 1697, Sir John Philipps, the 4th Baronet of Picton Castle, pulled up parallel walls in front of the gatehouse and created a terraced entrance to the first floor as the main entrance. He also moved an additional floor above the great hall and probably changed some windows and rooms. Sir John Philipps, the 6th Baronet, redesigned the interior of the building in the Georgian style between 1749 and 1752 . All rooms above the basement were renovated and newly plastered. Paneling, wooden floors, sliding windows and at least four marbled chimneys were installed. In 1800 the entrance area was redesigned. The large arch was dismantled and replaced by a smaller arched window. A small portico with a balcony was placed in front of the main entrance . A few years later, the building was expanded to include a four-story Regency-style west wing . In 1820 the terrace in front of the main entrance was significantly enlarged and received its current round shape. The portico with balcony disappeared again and a portal with a Gothic arch took its place. Two arched windows were placed above this so that the entrance area received its current appearance.
Others
There is a three-masted Canadian tall ship called "Picton Castle" that is used as a sailing training ship. Home port is Lunenburg in the province of Nova Scotia .
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ see English Wikipedia
Coordinates: 51 ° 47 '2.7 " N , 4 ° 53" 6.8 " W.