Hanley Castle (castle)
Encyclopedia
Hanley Castle was a Norman
castle
that stood to the south of the present site of the village of Hanley Castle
, which lies 2 km north of Upton-upon-Severn
, in the county of Worcestershire
, England
, United Kingdom
. .
between 1206 and 1212. In 1216 it was given by Henry III
to Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford
and it remained in the powerful de Clare
family until 1314.
After that date there was a succession of owners until the castle
was surrendered with the manor
to the Crown in 1487.
After this the castle gradually fell into decay and was mostly demolished due to its ruinous state in the reign of King Henry VIII
. The masonry of the only remaining tower is said to have been removed in 1795 by to repair the bridge at Upton upon Severn.
No traces of the castle building now remain. A modern house which stood on some portion of the site was destroyed by fire in January 1904. The site is marked by tall conifers and a dry remnant of the moat
ditch and bank.
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
that stood to the south of the present site of the village of Hanley Castle
Hanley Castle
Hanley Castle is a village in Worcestershire, England, between the towns of Malvern and Upton upon Severn and a short distance from the River Severn. It lies in the administrative area of Malvern Hills District, and is part of the informal region known as The Malverns...
, which lies 2 km north of Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn
Upton-upon-Severn is a small town and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England, on the River Severn. According to the national census 2001 it had a population of 2,859. Located from Malvern, the bridge at Upton is the only one across the river Severn between Worcester...
, in the county of Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. .
13th Century Castle
It was built by King JohnJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
between 1206 and 1212. In 1216 it was given by Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
to Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford
Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford
Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester was the son of Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford, from whom he inherited the Clare estates. He also inherited from his mother, Amice Fitz William, the estates of Gloucester and the honour of St. Hilary, and from Rohese, an...
and it remained in the powerful de Clare
De Clare
The de Clare family of Norman lords were associated with the Welsh Marches, Suffolk, Surrey, Kent and Ireland. They were descended from Richard fitz Gilbert, who accompanied William the Conqueror into England during the Norman conquest of England.-Origins:The Clare family descends from Gilbert...
family until 1314.
After that date there was a succession of owners until the castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
was surrendered with the manor
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
to the Crown in 1487.
After this the castle gradually fell into decay and was mostly demolished due to its ruinous state in the reign of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. The masonry of the only remaining tower is said to have been removed in 1795 by to repair the bridge at Upton upon Severn.
No traces of the castle building now remain. A modern house which stood on some portion of the site was destroyed by fire in January 1904. The site is marked by tall conifers and a dry remnant of the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ditch and bank.