The remains of
Wallingford Castle, once an important royal castle and defensive stronghold, are situated in
WallingfordWallingford is a small market town and civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in England. It was transferred from Berkshire to Oxfordshire in 1974.-Geography:...
in the
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
(historically in
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
until 1974 reorganization), adjacent to the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
.
Wallingford Castle is generally thought to have been built by
Robert D'OylyRobert D'Oyly was a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror on the Norman Conquest, his invasion of England. He died in 1091.Robert was the son of Walter D'Oyly and elder brother to Nigel D'Oyly...
between 1067 and 1071 on orders from William the Conqueror, at the same time as
Oxford CastleOxford Castle, located in Oxford city centre, was built by a Norman baron, Robert D'Oyly, in 1071 ....
, to the
NormanThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
motte and baileyA motte-and-bailey is a form of castle situated on a raised earthwork and surrounded by a protective fence. Many were built in Britain, Ireland and France in the 11th and 12th centuries, favoured as a relatively cheap but effective defensive fortification that could repel most small...
design, though it has been suggested that
Miles CrispinMiles Crispin was a wealthy Norman landowner, particularly associated with Wallingford Castle in Berkshire ....
may have founded it.
The remains of
Wallingford Castle, once an important royal castle and defensive stronghold, are situated in
WallingfordWallingford is a small market town and civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in England. It was transferred from Berkshire to Oxfordshire in 1974.-Geography:...
in the
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
(historically in
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
until 1974 reorganization), adjacent to the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
.
History
Wallingford Castle is generally thought to have been built by
Robert D'OylyRobert D'Oyly was a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror on the Norman Conquest, his invasion of England. He died in 1091.Robert was the son of Walter D'Oyly and elder brother to Nigel D'Oyly...
between 1067 and 1071 on orders from William the Conqueror, at the same time as
Oxford CastleOxford Castle, located in Oxford city centre, was built by a Norman baron, Robert D'Oyly, in 1071 ....
, to the
NormanThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
motte and baileyA motte-and-bailey is a form of castle situated on a raised earthwork and surrounded by a protective fence. Many were built in Britain, Ireland and France in the 11th and 12th centuries, favoured as a relatively cheap but effective defensive fortification that could repel most small...
design, though it has been suggested that
Miles CrispinMiles Crispin was a wealthy Norman landowner, particularly associated with Wallingford Castle in Berkshire ....
may have founded it. It was strengthened by
Brien FitzCountBrien FitzCount , was the Lord of Wallingford and Baron Abergavenny, and a staunch supporter of the Empress Matilda during the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign in England in the 1140s.- Illegitimate Birth :He was the illegitimate son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany...
before the wars between
King StephenStephen often known as Stephen of Blois was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was the last Norman King of England, from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne jure uxoris. His reign was marked by civil war with his rival the Empress Matilda and general chaos, known as The Anarchy...
and
Empress MatildaEmpress Matilda, also known as Matilda of England or Maude was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry...
, and Stephen's forces attacked it many times, before he was in turn attacked by the soon-to-be
King Henry IIHenry II, called Curtmantle ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France...
. FitzCount established a prison within the castle, called Cloere Brien.
It was described as "most securely fortified by impregnable walls".
Ealdred of AbingdonEaldred, Abbot of Abingdon.Ealdred, also called Brihtwine, was a monk and provost at Abingdon before becoming abbot in 1066; he was later implicated in the conspiracy of Bishop Æthelwine of Durham, and was deposed and died in 1071 while in the custody of Bishop Walkelin of Winchester , following...
,
Edward IEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
,
Richard, 1st Earl of CornwallRichard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , Earl of Cornwall and German King...
,
Maurice de BerkeleyMaurice Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley , sometimes termed The Magnanimous, was an English baron and rebel....
,
Waleran de BeaumontWaleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Worcester , was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester...
,
Henry of AlmainHenry of Almain , so called because of his father's German connections as King of the Romans , was the son of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall and Isabel Marshal....
,
Walter LangtonWalter Langton was a bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and treasurer of England.He was probably a native of Langton West in Leicestershire....
,
Robert de FerrersRobert III de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby was an English nobleman.He was born at Tutbury Castle in Derbyshire, England, the son of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby and the Earl's second wife Margaret de Quincy , daughter of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester and Helen of Galloway.-Early...
,
Owen TudorOwen Meredith Tudor was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from a daughter of the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "The Lord Rhys"...
,
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of ExeterHenry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter was a Lancastrian leader during the English Wars of the Roses. He was the only son of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter and his first wife Lady Anne Stafford. His maternal grandparents were Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford and Anne of Gloucester.He inherited...
,
Margaret of AnjouMargaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471 and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453....
, Charles of Orléans,
Sir Richard Browne,
John ClotworthyJohn Clotworthy, 1st Viscount Massereene was an Anglo-Irish politician.-Life:He was a son of Sir Hugh Clotworthy, sheriff of county Antrim....
and
Judge David JenkinsDavid Jenkins , was a Welsh judge and Royalist during the English Civil War.Jenkins was born at Pendeulwyn , Glamorgan, son of a well-established gentry family. He was educated at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, admitted to Gray's Inn on 5 November 1602 and called to the bar in 1609...
were all imprisoned here.
King JohnJohn , King of England, reigned from 6 April 1199 until his death. He acceded to the throne as the younger brother of King Richard I, who died without issue...
added further to the castle, and
Richard, 1st Earl of CornwallRichard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , Earl of Cornwall and German King...
spent substantial sums on it: during the 13th century it gained two further walls and ditches. William IX, Count of Poitiers died at the castle in 1156, as did
Joan of KentJoan, Countess of Kent , known to history as The Fair Maid of Kent, was the first Princess of Wales...
who died at the castle in 1387.
Catherine of ValoisCatherine of Valois was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, mother of Henry VI, King of England and King of France, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of...
, widow of
Henry VHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.-Early life:Henry was born...
, was given the castle and here her relationship with
Owen TudorOwen Meredith Tudor was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from a daughter of the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "The Lord Rhys"...
developed. The castle contained St Nicholas's College, established by
Miles CrispinMiles Crispin was a wealthy Norman landowner, particularly associated with Wallingford Castle in Berkshire ....
. The college trained choirboys, including the poet
Thomas TusserThomas Tusser was an English poet and farmer, best known for his instructional poem Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry, published in 1557, and for the oft-repeated proverb, "A fool and his money are soon parted."-Early Life:...
.
The castle fell into decline in the 16th century, but in the 17th century, it was strengthened again for supporters of
Charles ICharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
during the war with
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
. It was the last English stronghold to surrender during the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, following the surrender of
Thomas BlaggeColonel Thomas Blagge was an English soldier, a supporter of Charles I in the English Civil War.-Life:He came from Horningsheath, Suffolk, and was Groom of the Chamber to Charles I. From 1642 he was Governor of Wallingford Castle, and commanded a foot regiment of 1000 men...
(1646) after a siege conducted by Thomas Fairfax and Cromwell later ordered it to be destroyed (1652). The site was a meeting-place for
nonconformistsNonconformism refers to the Protestant Christians of England and Wales who refused to "conform", or follow the governance and usages of the Church of England.- Origins and use :...
later in that century.
A large
gothicThe Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began in the 1740s in England. Its popularity grew rapidly in the early nineteenth century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval forms in contrast to the classical styles prevalent at the...
house was built on the site in 1837 but demolished in 1972. The castle grounds (including the remains of St Nicholas College, two sections of castle wall and the motte hill) are now open to the public, and more information can be found at
Wallingford MuseumWallingford Museum is a small museum with collections of local interest, housed in a 17th century town house in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire ....
.
The lords of Wallingford Castle have included the following:
- Miles Crispin
Miles Crispin was a wealthy Norman landowner, particularly associated with Wallingford Castle in Berkshire ....
;
- Maud Crispin;
- Brien FitzCount
Brien FitzCount , was the Lord of Wallingford and Baron Abergavenny, and a staunch supporter of the Empress Matilda during the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign in England in the 1140s.- Illegitimate Birth :He was the illegitimate son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany...
;
- Nigel D'Oyly
Nigel D'Oyly was an 11th-12th century nobleman of England and, in 1120, the Lord of Oxford Castle, and briefly the Lord of Wallingford Castle.He was son of Walter D'Oyly and younger brother of Robert D'Oyly, follower of William the Conqueror and founder of Oxford Castle.At some point between 1086...
;
- Walter de Coutances
Walter de Coutances was a medieval bishop of Lincoln and archbishop of Rouen. He also served in the government of Henry II and Richard I. His highest government office was de facto Chief Justiciar of England.-Life:He was born in Cornwall. He commenced his career in the chancery of King Henry II...
;
- Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages...
;
- Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent
Hubert de Burgh was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III.-Birth and family:...
;
- Richard Fitz Roy
Richard FitzRoy , was feudal Baron of Chilham, Kent, and the illegitimate son of King John of England. His mother, John's cousin, was Adela, a daughter of Hamelin de Warenne and Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey....
;
- Ranulph de Blondeville, 4th Earl of Chester
Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester , known in some references as the 4th Earl was one of the "old school" of Anglo-Norman barons whose loyalty to the Angevin dynasty was consistent but contingent on the receipt of lucrative favours...
;
- Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall
Richard of Cornwall was Count of Poitou , Earl of Cornwall and German King...
;
- Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester , was a French-English nobleman, notable as the principal leader of the baronial opposition to King Henry III of England. After the rebellion of 1263 and 1264, de Montfort became de facto ruler of England and called the first directly elected parliament in...
;
- Edmund, 2nd Earl of Cornwall
Edmund of Almain , was the second Earl of Cornwall of the 7th creation.-Early life:Edmund was born at Berkhamsted Castle on 26 December 1249, the second and only surviving son of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall and his wife Sanchia of Provence, daughter of Ramon Berenguer, Count of Provence, and...
;
- Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was the favourite, and possibly lover, of King Edward II of England.A Gascon by birth, Piers was the son of Sir Arnaud de Gabaston, a soldier in service to King Edward I of England, and of Claramonde de Marsan...
;
- Hugh the younger Despenser
Hugh Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser Hugh Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser Hugh Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser (1286 – 24 November 1326, sometimes referred to as "the younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester, by Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de...
;
- Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was the Queen consort of Edward II of England and mother of Edward III...
;
- Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March;
- John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall
John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall was the son of Edward II of England and Isabella of France.He was born in 1316 at Eltham Palace, Kent and was created Earl of Cornwall on 6 October 1328. He was due to marry Maria, daughter of Ferdinand IV of Castile, but he died, aged 20, at Perth, before the...
;
- Sir John Stonor
Sir John Stonor KS was a British justice and the first notable member of the influential Stonor family. He was the son of Richard Stonor, an Oxfordshire freeholder, with the family name coming from the village of Stonor...
;
- Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, Prince of Wales, was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, and father to King Richard II of England. He was called Edward of Woodstock in his early life, after his birthplace, and has more recently been popularly known as The Black Prince...
;
- Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh
Bartholomew de Burghersh, 2nd Baron Burghersh was an English nobleman and soldier.Bartholomew first bore arms in the War of the Breton Succession, in the expedition of 1345. He fought as a knight banneret in the division of the Prince of Wales at the Battle of Crécy and was present at the Siege...
- Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere, 10th Earl of Oxford was the second son of John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford and Maud de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere....
;
- John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset
John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and his mistress Katherine Swynford, later his wife...
;
- William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire
William le Scrope, 1st Earl of Wiltshire was a close supporter of King Richard II of England.-Life:He was a soldier-adventurer in Lithuania, Italy and France, where he served with John of Gaunt. Gaunt made him seneschal of Aquitaine in 1383. He then joined the household of Richard II, as chamberlain...
;
- Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . Like other kings of England, at that time, he also claimed the title of King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry Bolingbroke...
;
- Thomas Chaucer
Thomas Chaucer , was the Speaker of the English House of Commons and son of Geoffrey Chaucer and Philippa Roet.Thomas seems to have done well from his father's standing as both a poet and also an administrator...
;
- William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Marquess of Suffolk, 4th Earl of Suffolk , nicknamed Jack Napes, was an important English soldier and commander in the Hundred Years' War, and later Lord Chamberlain of England. He also appears prominently in William Shakespeare's Henry VI, part 1 and...
;
- Alice de la Pole
Alice de la Pole was born Alice Chaucer, daughter to Thomas Chaucer and Matilda Burghersh. Her grandfather was the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. When she was 11 she married Sir John Philip, who died within a year. Later, after 1421, Alice married Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury...
;
- John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk
Sir John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, 2nd Marquess of Suffolk, 5th Earl of Suffolk, KG , known as "the Trimming Duke"...
;
- Richard Grey
Richard Grey was an English knight and the stepson of King Edward IV of England.Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville, later Queen Consort of King Edward IV...
;
- Francis Lovell, Viscount Lovell;
- Arthur, Prince of Wales
Arthur, Prince of Wales was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England. As he predeceased his father, Arthur never became king...
;
- Sir Henry Norreys;
- Francis Knollys (the elder)
Sir Francis Knollys was an English courtier in the service and favour of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I of England, and was a Member of Parliament for a number of constituencies.-Early appointments:...
;
- William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury
William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury KG PC was an English Earl at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and King James.He was the son of Sir Francis Knollys of Greys Court in Oxfordshire and Reading in Berkshire, and his wife, Catherine Carey...
;
- Thomas Blagge
Colonel Thomas Blagge was an English soldier, a supporter of Charles I in the English Civil War.-Life:He came from Horningsheath, Suffolk, and was Groom of the Chamber to Charles I. From 1642 he was Governor of Wallingford Castle, and commanded a foot regiment of 1000 men...
;
- Edmund Dunch, Baron Burnell of East Wittenham
Edmund Dunch was MP for Berkshire in 1624 and for Wallingford, then Berkshire in 1628-1629 and 1640-1658. He was son of Sir William Dunch and cousin of John Hampden and Oliver Cromwell. He married Bridget Hungerford, who inherited £60,000 after her father ’s death...
;
- Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire was the second son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and Catherine Knyvet.He was born in Saffron Walden, Essex...
.
External links