Bridgnorth Castleis acastlein the town ofBridgnorth,Shropshire.It is ascheduled monument,first listed in 1928.[1]
| Bridgnorth Castle | |
|---|---|
| Shropshire,England | |
 Bridgnorth Castle in 2008 | |
  Bridgnorth Castle | |
| Coordinates | 52°31′53″N2°25′12″W/ 52.5314°N 2.4201°W |
| Grid reference | grid referenceSO716927 |
| Type | Castle |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1101–1646 |
| Events | English Civil War |
History
edit11th century
editThe castle was founded in 1101 byRobert de Belleme,[2]the son of the French Earl,Roger de Montgomery,who succeeded his father asEarl of Shrewsbury,possibly on the site of aSaxonburhbuilt byÆthelflædin 912. One year later in 1102, KingHenry Itook control of the castle from Robert de Belleme and Henry built another temporary castle onPanpudding Hill.Much of the outer building, which consists of shattered walls, dates to a period of construction that is believed to have occurred between 1105-1113.
Around 1120, Henry I re-plastered the walls of the castle and replaced them with better quality stone. Its principal feature, a square great tower, was built during the reign ofHenry IIin 1160 and the castle was extended between 1166-1174.[3]In the early 13th century, construction to extend the castle continued.
13th-16th centuries
editA turret ormural tower,present in 1160, was extended in 1226 and thebarbican,with a drawbridge, was built in 1212 and was first mentioned in 1221.[4]In 1242, the outer bailey, which does not survive today, was legally made part of the town[5]and in 1261, thesheriffof Bridgnorth was ordered to roof and repair the houses within the bailey of the castle. By 1267, the castle had begun to lose its significance and it was in disrepair by 1281.
In 1321, the barons who rebelled against KingEdward II of Englandduring theDespenser Wartook control of the castle but by the mid 14th century, the castle had lost most of its strategic importance again due to theBlack Deathand it was largely forgotten about by the 15th century.
It was noted as being in disrepair during the start ofHenry VIII's reign (1509-1547) and it was partially repaired around 1530.John Lelandvisited Bridgnorth Castle sometime betweenc.1536 and 1542[6]and his description of Bridgnorth Castle is as following:
The Walles of it be of great height. There were 2 or 3 stronge wardes in the castle, that now goe totally to ruine. I count the castle to be more in compasse than a third part of the town. There is one mighty gate by north in it, now stopped up, and a little posterne made of force thereby through the wall to enter into the castle. The castle ground and especially the base court, hath now many dwellinge houses of tymbre in it newly erected.
— John Leyland[6]
17th-21st centuries
editIn 1642, KingCharles Idescribed Bridgnorth and its castle as "the finest in my domain".[citation needed]During theCivil War,Bridgnorth was one of the Midlands' mainRoyaliststrongholds and in 1642 many Royalist troops were garrisoned there.
The castle was partly slighted in 1645 and in 1646,Cromwell’sRoundheadsarrived with orders to take Bridgnorth for the Parliamentarians from the garrison led bySir Robert Howard.[7]Following a three-weeksiegestarting on March 31, 1646, Cromwell was successful and he ordered that the castle be demolished, but before this, they tried a strategy that failed. A team of men led by engineer Colonel Lavington dug a 21 meters (69 ft) long tunnel into Castle Hill known asLavington's Holeto try and blow up the gunpowder stored inside theChurch of St. Mary Magdalenebut the tunnel was abandoned after the Royalists surrendered to Cromwell. Lavington's Hole became one of many other holes within Castle Hill now known as theHermitage Caves,many of which were supposedly dug during the 10th century by theAnglo-SaxonhistorianÆthelweard,[8]and the tunnels are now no longer accessible to the public due to safety concerns.[9]
By 1647 little of the structure remained.[2]The Parliamentarians left it much as it is today, the stone from the castle being taken and used to repair the town's damaged buildings starting from 1647. The royal palace, known as the "King's House" was still maintained as a royal residence until later in the 17th century, after the Civil war ended.[10]
In 1821, The Hole in The Wall, apublic housebuilt against ruins of the castle, was demolished and the postern (northern) bailey gate belonging to the castle was discovered. It was planned to be kept standing but later that year, the bailey gate was demolished by being blown up withgunpowderas it heavily obstructed traffic.[11]
Parts of the great tower still remain, but because of the damage caused during the Civil War, it now leans at an angle of 15 degrees, four times the lean of the leaningtower of Pisa.[11]By 1900, the castle was overgrown by moss and it was beginning to go into another state of disrepair, but in 1956, the castle was donated to the town council and the overgrowing shrubbery and moss were cleaned off the ruins. In 1945, the ruined barbican was discovered and in 2001, the castle grounds were excavated over three days by archaeological television programmeTime Team,clarifying the layout of the castle and the history of its construction.[11]
After theFirst World Warthe town war memorial, topped by the statue of an infantryman byAdrian Jones,was erected in the castle grounds.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Bridgnorth Castle, Bridgnorth - 1004783".Historic England.Archivedfrom the original on 16 March 2018.Retrieved3 June2021.
- ^abBridgnorth CastleArchived30 September 2018 at theWayback Machine,ShropshireTourism.co.uk, accessed May 2010
- ^Somerset Fry, Plantagenet(1980).The David & Charles book of castles.Newton Abbot, Devon:David & Charles.p. 194.ISBN0-7153-7976-3.OCLC7547072.
- ^Brown, R. Allen, (1959), 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216'The English Historical ReviewVol. 74 p. 249-280 (Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 90-121) view online copy (subscription required)
- ^Cook, M., (2007), Watching brief at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth, Shropshire
- ^abChandler, John, (1993),John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England(Sutton Publishing) p. 392, 393, 396
- ^.Dictionary of National Biography.London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
- ^"AboutBridgnorth: The Hermitage Caves".AboutBridgnorth.23 February 2019.
- ^"AboutBridgnorth: Lavington's Hole".AboutBridgnorth.23 February 2019.
- ^Watkins-Pitchford, D.W., (1948), 'A visit to Bridgnorth'Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical SocietyVol. 52 p. 153-178
- ^abcdThe Leaning Tower of Bridgnorth, Shropshire,Time Team,episode aired 18 March 2001, accessed May 2010
- ^Francis, Peter (2013).Shropshire War Memorials, Sites of Remembrance.YouCaxton. pp. 108–109.ISBN978-1-909644-11-3.