Portchester Castle

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Inner bailey of Portchester Castle

Portchester Castle is a medieval castle built in an earlier Roman fort in Portchester , east of Fareham in the English county of Hampshire . It is at the north end of Portsmouth Harbor . The castle, which was probably built towards the end of the 11th century, belonged to a baron and was placed under royal control in 1154. The crown controlled the castle for several centuries; it was the preferred hunting lodge of King Johann Ohneland . In 1216, Portchester Castle was besieged and captured by the French , but shortly thereafter returned permanently to English hands.

The castle occupies a dominant position at the end of Portsmouth harbor and in the Middle Ages it had its own important harbor. From there, troops under the leadership of English kings embarked for a number of attacks against France. To guard against a possible French attack in the first quarter of the 14th century, Edward II invested £ 1,100 in repairs and improvements to Portchester Castle. A conspiracy to overthrow Henry V was discovered and the conspirators arrested at Portchester Castle. This event comes in William Shakespeare's drama Henry V before. Later the castle was also used as a prison.

Today Porchester Castle is a Scheduled Monument and has been listed as a Grade I Historic Building by English Heritage . The castle has been owned by the Southwick Estate since the 17th century but is managed by English Heritage and is open to the public all year round. The Norman parish church of St. Mary’s in the south-east corner of the property belongs to the Anglican diocese of Portsmouth.

Roman fort and Saxon burh

The D-shaped towers are typical of a Roman fort from the 3rd century AD. The Roman fortifications were integrated into the medieval castle.

The Romans recognized the strategic importance of Portchester by the 3rd century AD at the latest and built a fort in the same place as the later castle. It is not known exactly when this fort was built, but it is attributed to Marcus Aurelius Carausius , who had it built between 285 and 290 at the behest of Emperor Diocletian . It was one of several forts built along the British coast to defend against pirate attacks. Portchester was believed to have been a base for the Classis Britannica , the Roman fleet that defended Britain. It is the best preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. Although the Roman forces withdrew from Britain in the early 5th century, it is unlikely that the fort was ever abandoned entirely. Its use was only much less extensive. A hall and tower from the 10th century have been discovered in the fort, which is believed to have served as a residence for high-ranking personalities in the Saxon period. In 904 Porchester came under the rule of King Edward the Elder and the fort became a burh to help defend the country against the Vikings .

Medieval castle and palace

The outer bailey of Portchester Castle with the church from the donjon

It is not certain when the castle was built, but it is believed to be at the end of the 11th century. After the Norman conquest of England , the lordship of Porchester was given to William Maudit , a companion of William the Conqueror and powerful magnate. It was probably he who built Portchester Castle. The shape of this early castle is also not certain, but Maudit is credited with creating the inner castle in the northwest corner of the castle. At that time the fortifications probably consisted of a wooden palisade fence and a moat , with the old stone walls of the Roman fort serving as a fortification for the outer bailey. William Maudit died around 1100 and his possessions fell to his son, Robert Maudit . He died in 1120 and a few years later the family estate came into the hands of William Pont de l'Arche through marriage to Robert Maudit's daughter . Although the castle was not mentioned in a document at that time, it was probably rebuilt in stone. Proof of this can be seen in the fact that the masonry of the castle resembles that of the parish church of St. Mary, which was built in the outer bailey in the 1130s. The church was created for the Augustinian priory founded by Pont de l'Arche in 1128 within the castle walls. More buildings were planned for the priory, but no traces remained. Since the monastic community moved to their new location in Southwick between 1147 and 1150 , these buildings are believed to have never been completed.

Aerial view of Porchester Castle (June 1938) by Major George Allen (1891-1940)

William Pont de l'Arche probably kept Portchester Castle until his death in 1148 and it is not known who inherited it. It could have fallen to William Maudit , a descendant of the Maudit family, or to Henry Maudit , William de l'Arche's son. The first explicit mention dates from 1153 and says that Henry Plantagenet , later King Henry II of England, gave the castle to Henry Maudit as a fief. Notwithstanding, Heinrich took Portchester Castle in possession when he ascended the throne in 1154. From then on, the castle remained in the hands of the crown for several centuries. There are more records of the castle as a royal fortress than of the previous period. The pipe rolls contain details about the condition and structure of Porchester Castle. For example, from the fact that only small sums were invested in royal hands for the entire time in the donjon , one concludes that it was largely complete, and for the year 1183 these records show that there were royal apartments in the castle next to the donjon gave. Henry II visited Porchester Castle regularly and the castle is mentioned in his dispute with Thomas Beckett . Here King Henry met with the Bishop of Évreux , who stood up for Thomas Beckett. The castle also served as a prison for important people, such as B. the Earl of Leicester . When the son of Henry II, with the help of some leading barons, rebelled against his father in the revolt of 1173–1174 , Porchester Castle was made ready for war. In order to be able to defend the castle, it was equipped with catapults and a garrison under the direction of 10 knights, a number that was later increased to 20 knights.

Military expeditions to France often went from Portchester Castle.
Portchester Castle floor plan

King John Ohneland often stayed at Portchester Castle and was there when he heard of the loss of Normandy in 1204 . The Forest of Bere was nearby and made Portchester Castle a popular getaway for the king. English troops also went to France from Portchester when Johann Ohneland tried in 1205 and 1213 to recapture Normandy from Philip Augustus , King of France. Johann's trips to France ended in defeat. After Johann signed the Magna Carta in 1215, he turned to the Pope with a request for cancellation. As a result, his opponents were excommunicated in September. He then besieged Rochester Castle and the rebels turned to France for help. The barons offered the English throne to Prince Ludwig , the eldest son of the French king. Ludwig's attack was initially successful and took London and Winchester before Portchester Castle surrendered to his troops in June 1216. Johann Ohneland died on October 19, 1216 and nine days later his eldest son became King Heinrich III. crowned. Ludwig's fortunes of war turned and the English retook Portchester Castle in the spring of 1217. As a result, there was a stalemate between Heinrich III. and Ludwig until the English victory at the Battle of Lincoln on May 20, 1217. After his supply lines to France were cut in August 1217, Ludwig was forced to leave England. Heinrich strove to recapture Normandy, which his predecessor had lost, until conditions in England forced him to abdicate in 1259. Military expeditions to France often moved from Portchester Castle during this period.

For much of this century little attention was paid to the fortifications of the castle, but towards the end of the century a wooden tower was built to reinforce the eastern part of the Roman wall. During the reign of Edward II (1307-1327) feared another French invasion and moved a garrison to Portchester Castle. Between 1320 and 1326, the Crown invested more than £ 1,100 in the repair and expansion of Portchester Castle. The main castle buildings were rebuilt and the outer gatehouse expanded. Despite the expensive work ordered by Edward II, an assessment from 1335 showed that many of the buildings in the castle were in a ruinous condition and that the southern wall of the Roman fort had been damaged by the sea. Although he rarely stayed at Portchester Castle, Edward III assembled . in June 1346 his 15,000-strong army there before he launched an attack on France that ended in victory in the Battle of Crécy . Further work was done in the 1350s and 1360s; the residential buildings in the castle were rearranged and the wall facing the sea was repaired. The royal sleeping quarters were built between 1396 and 1399 and can still be seen today, albeit in a ruinous state. They were built for King Richard II under master builder '' Walter Walton ''.

View of Portchester Castle from Picturesque Views of the Antiquities of England & Wales (1786)

In 1415 King Henry V had Portchester Castle prepared for an attack on France that was part of the Hundred Years War between the two countries. While he was at Portchester Castle in July, a plot to overthrow him, later called the Southampton Plot , was discovered. In the castle he had the traitors locked up: Richard of Conisburgh, 1st Earl of Cambridge , Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham , and Sir Thomas Gray . The three men were executed in early August.

In the 15th century, the nearby town of Portsmouth , about 10 km away, developed into a prominent economic center and important port. It took over from Portchester as the important military establishment and Portchester Castle began to fall into disrepair. An assessment from 1441 called the castle "quite ruinous and weak". Despite its condition, however, the castle was used in 1445 as the place for the landing of Margaret of Anjou , the wife of Henry VI. , chosen. The castle continued to crumble until, in the last decade of the 15th century, efforts were made to restore the castle's buildings. When King Henry VIII came to the castle with his Queen Anne Boleyn in October 1535, it was the first time in over a century that a ruling monarch had stayed there. From October 1562 to June 1563 the English occupied the port of Le Havre on the north coast of France. During this period the castle served as a military hospital for soldiers injured in the conflict with France. As relations with Spain deteriorated, Queen Elizabeth I had Portchester Castle ready for war to forestall a Spanish invasion. In 1603 the castle was in a suitable condition for the queen to hold court there. Sir Thomas Cornwallis became constable and had the buildings along the east side of the inner castle rebuilt. A royal appraisal from 1609 documents the improved condition of the castle and mentions that the buildings Cornwallis had remodeled now contain "four beautiful bedrooms upstairs and as many offices downstairs".

Use as a prison

Donjon of Portchester Castle

The Crown gave up control of the castle when King Charles I sold it to Sir William Uvedale in 1632 . Since then Portchester Castle has been passed on to his descendants, the Thistlethwaite family . The castle was not involved in fighting during the English Civil War , although it housed a garrison of parliamentary dragoons for a brief period in 1644 . A possible role for castles back then was that of a prison. From the end of the 17th century, this became the main function of Portchester Castle. In 1665 500 prisoners of war from the Anglo-Dutch War (1665–1667) were housed in the castle. Some of them lived in the church in the outer bailey. They damaged the building by setting fire. The church was not repaired until 40 years later. From 1702 to 1712 the Crown leased Portchester Castle from the Uvedales to house prisoners from the War of the Spanish Succession . The first detailed descriptions of the conditions of detention date from the middle of the 18th century.

The castle was last used as a prison in the 19th century, for over 7,000 prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars . On Hospital Lane (formerly Seagates Lane ), which runs along the west side of the castle, was the prison hospital, which is now a private residence under the name `` Portchester House ''. Deceased prisoners were often buried on the tidal flats south of the castle, so that their remains were washed away in occasional storms.

today

Today Portchester Castle is mainly used for leisure activities: There are exhibitions in the inner castle. The castle is a popular destination for school trips, while at high tide the beach is used by anglers fishing for flounder and perch .

Local legends

Local legend has it that in old age Pontius Pilate was brought here in a galley for a final refuge.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Portchester Castle. Pastscape.org.uk, accessed June 25, 2015 .
  2. ^ Portchester Castle. ImagesofEngland.org.uk, accessed June 25, 2015 .
  3. ^ Southwick and Norman Court Estates. In: Access to Archives. The National Archives, accessed November 4, 2009 .
  4. ^ Portchester Castle. English Heritage , accessed July 9, 2017 .
  5. ↑ David Prudames: Archaeologists Uncover Evidence Of Portchester Castle's Trading Past. Museums Libraries Archives Council, June 24, 2004, accessed June 25, 2015 .
  6. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , pp. 23-24.
  7. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 3.
  8. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 29.
  9. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 30.
  10. ^ A b John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , pp. 30-31.
  11. ^ A b John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 32.
  12. ↑ SE Rigold: Portchester Castle, Hampshire . Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London 1965, p. 9.
  13. ^ A b c d John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 33.
  14. ↑ John Gillingham: John (1167-1216) in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  15. ↑ a b c H. W. Ridgeway: Henry III. (1207-1272), King of England in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  16. ^ Barry W. Cunliffe: Excavations at Portchester Castle 1: Roman . Society of Antiquaries of London Research Report, 1975, p. 3.
  17. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , pp. 33-34.
  18. ↑ Baryy. W. Cunliffe, JT Mumby: Excavations at Portchester Castle 4: Medieval, the inner bailey . Society of Antiquaries of London Research Report, 1985, p. 302.
  19. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 34.
  20. ^ A b c John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 35.
  21. ^ GL Harriss: Richard (1385-1415), earl of Cambridge in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  22. ^ Leonie Frieda: Catherine de Medici . Phoenix, London 2005, ISBN 0-7538-2039-0 , p. 191.
  23. ^ John Goodall: Portchester Castle. 2nd Edition. English Heritage, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84802-007-8 , p. 36.
  24. ^ Donald A. Parr: Web of Fear . Breedon Books, 1996.

Coordinates: 50 ° 50 ′ 11.6 "  N , 1 ° 6 ′ 46.9"  W.