Welcome to Castle Magick

Welcome to Castle Magick

© COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All rights to my work are reserved to Chris Lord and these images may NOT be reproduced, 
copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my written permission

The Bridge To the Castle

The Bridge To the Castle

Pevensey Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman fort at Pevensey in the English county of East Sussex. The site is a Scheduled Monument in the care of English Heritage and is open to visitors. Here it is late afternoon as we look across the moat toward the castles main entrance.

War Helm

War Helm

The great helm or heaume, also called pot helm, bucket helm and barrel helm, of the High Middle Ages arose in the late twelfth century in the context of the crusades and remained in use until the fourteenth century. They were used by knights and heavy infantry in most European armies between about 1220 to 1540 AD, however they were used widely throughout Christian armies in the Third Crusade

The Man In The Iron Mask

The Man In The Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask (French: L'Homme au Masque de Fer) is a name given to a prisoner arrested as Eustache Dauger in 1669 or 1670, and held in a number of jails, including the Bastille and the Fortress of Pignerol (today Pinerolo). He was held in the custody of the same jailer, Bénigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars, for a period of 34 years. He died on 19 November 1703 under the name of Marchioly, during the reign of Louis XIV of France (1643–1715). The possible identity of this man has been thoroughly discussed and has been the subject of many books, because no one ever saw his face, which was hidden by a mask of black velvet cloth. In the second edition of his Questions sur l'Encyclopédie (French for "Questions on the Encyclopedia"), published in 1771, the writer and philosopher Voltaire claimed that the prisoner wore an iron mask and was the older, illegitimate brother of Louis XIV. In the late 1840s, the writer Alexandre Dumas elaborated on the theme in the final installment of his Three Musketeers saga: here the prisoner is forced to wear an iron mask and is Louis XIV's twin brother.

Fortress

Fortress

Many military installations are known as forts, although they are not always fortified. Larger forts may class as fortresses; smaller ones formerly often bore the name of fortalices. The word fortification can also refer to the practice of improving an area's defence with defensive works. City walls are fortifications but not necessarily called fortresses.
The art of setting out a military camp or constructing a fortification traditionally classifies as castramentation, since the time of the Roman legions. The art/science of laying siege to a fortification and of destroying it has the popular name of siegecraft or 'siege warfare' and the formal name of poliorcetics. In some texts this latter term also applies to the art of building a fortification.
Fortification is usually divided into two branches, namely permanent fortification and field fortification. Permanent fortifications are erected at leisure, with all the resources that a state can supply of constructive and mechanical skill, and are built of enduring materials. Field fortifications are extemporized by troops in the field, perhaps assisted by such local labour and tools as may be procurable and with materials that do not require much preparation, such as earth, brushwood and light timber, or sandbags.
There is also an intermediate branch known as semi-permanent fortification. This is employed when in the course of a campaign it becomes desirable to protect some locality with the best imitation of permanent defences that can be made in a short time, ample resources and skilled civilian labour being available.
Castles are fortifications which are regarded as being distinct from the generic fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territory.

Return To Castle Warwick

Return to Castle Warwick

Attacked in 1264, besieged in 1642 and damaged by fire in 1871, the castle has nevertheless gloriously survived the ever-changing fortunes of history. The origins of Warwick Castle can be traced back to the Saxon fortification which Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, used to defend against the invading Danes. The first castle to appear on the site was a wooden motte and bailey constructed in 1068 at the command of William the Conqueror. By 1220, the Castle had undergone a major transformation, as stone replaced wood as the principal building material. A ‘shell keep’, a circular tower with thick, crenellated walls and fighting platforms for its soldiers, topped the mound which was defended by a 7.6m stone curtain wall which surrounded it. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, a massive rebuilding programme transformed Warwick Castle yet again. Two colossal towers that still dominate the east of the castle; imposing itself on the river was Caesar’s tower with its stepped base; and to the right was twelve-sided Guy’s Tower. On 2nd March 1450, Henry VI conferred on Richard Neville, the husband of Anne de Beauchamp, the title Earl of Warwick. History was to know him better as Warwick the Kingmaker. The Wars of the Roses, which began in the early 1450’s and ended with the battle of Bosworth in 1485, were a prolonged struggle for supremacy between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Neville’s family connections made him a Yorkist. He held a command at the Battle of St Albans in 1455, which ended in defeat for the Lancastrians and with the capture of the hapless Henry. By 1461 the Yorkists had won the 1st war of succession and Edward, son of the Duke of York ascended the English throne. As a reward for his help, Warwick rose to a position of great power.

Dark Towers

Dark Towers

The towers of the inner ward were used for other purposes than just defense, unlike the towers of the outer ward and the town wall. There were sometimes only four inner ward towers, and they were also much larger. There were four main floors in each tower with a fifth floor (the lookout tower) at the top. The first three floors were enclosed inside the tower. The ground floor was usually used as storage room and was called the basement. The second and third floors could be used as living space, or an office for the different servants in the castle, such as a steward. There was usually a fireplace in one or both of these floors. Smoke traveled up through a hole in the wall to the top of the tower. The fourth floor was really just an open platform on the roof. It was capped on all sides with merlons. The fifth floor was the top of the lookout tower. It was also capped with merlons. All the floors could be reached by a spiral staircases built into the wall. The floors themselves were usually made of wood. Like the floors in most houses, they were covered with reeds and sweet smelling herbs. The first two floors had no windows except for arrow holes usually. The third floor and occasionally the second floor had windows. There was no glass because that was very expensive. In the opening, a iron grate was laid to keep out attackers if they managed to climb up the tower to that height. Shudders were used to keep out wind.

One of the towers in the inner ward was usually reserved as a chapel. It was different from the other towers in that it had one room that was two stories high. There was still a basement and two floors exposed to the element above the two storied room. In the two storied room was the chapel. It often had stained glass windows, albeit not overly large ones. The purpose of the tower was still defense. These windows also had metal panes to protect from intruders. The altar was next to the windows. On the second floor level was a place for the lord and his family to sit. Other church goers would stand on the wooden floor above the basement. Mass was said by the castle chaplain.

Towers could also be used as prisons. Below the basement, a hole could be dug or cut into rock. It was reached through a trap door from above. These holes in the ground were very dark and were used to keep prisoners for ransom, usually. Criminals were usually not held in a castle. These holes were called dungeons, or oubliettes.

A tower might be used for many other things too. They were often used for servant's quarters. In many larger castles, the steward had his own tower where his bedroom and office was located. Other town and castle officials often lived in towers. A tower could be used as a guesthouse, also.

The Castle at Arundel

The Ghosts of Arundel

There is reference to seven ghosts at Arundel: Earl Rodger de Montgomery, a broken hearted young woman, the Blue Man, a Cavalier, the kitchen boy, a small white bird, and a ghost seen in the servant quarters.

It has been nearly 1,000 years since Rodger de Montgomery, kinsman to William the Conqueror, built Arundel. It is believed that it is his ghost that haunts the castle's keep; the first Earl of Arundel has never left, perhaps keeping a watchful eye over his beloved castle.

Built on the top of a ridge high above the river Arun, the castle dominates the town below. Legend tells of a young woman becoming so stricken with grief she could not bear it any longer and climbed to the top of one of the towers and jumped to her death, following the painful end of a tragic love affair. This heartbroken young woman still wanders the top of the tower searching for her love; she can be seen on moonlit nights dressed in white. I have found conflicting stories about her. Some state she jumped from a tower in the castle, others state she had jumped from Hiorne Tower.  Hiorne Tower was built for the Duke of Norfolk in the late 18th century, located in Arundel Park behind the castle. The architect was Frances Hiorne.

The Blue Man has been seen since 1630. He has been seen many times floating around the library as he browses through the books.

There is mention of a Cavalier, but it is unclear just who this ghost is. One wonders if the Cavalier could be the Blue Man who is also referred to as being from the time of King Charles II's reign (c.1660-1685). The kitchen boy is defiantly not the Cavalier or the ghost seen in the servant's quarters

The story of the serving lad is quite sad and disturbing. He lived at the castle over 200 years ago, and, as the story goes, he was treated very badly, so badly that one day he was beaten to death. He haunts the kitchen and can been seen still scrubbing pots and pans.

Another ghost is of a small white bird. Legend tells that its appearance is a warning that someone closely connected to the castle is going to die. There is a reference to white American Owls: "Before restoration of the keep, which was left in ruin for its picturesque beauty, the Dukes used to keep a colony of owls. A tradition exists at the castle where, when a family member is about to die, a white owl is seen fluttering at one of the windows."

The last ghost was seen by a footman in training in 1958. One of his duties was to turn off the drawbridge lights at 11 p.m. Walking down the ground floor corridor towards the main switch box at the end of the servant's quarters "I was halfway along...when I was physically aware of something in front of me, about 15 feet away, going in the same direction. As I got nearer I could see the head and shoulders of a man wearing a light grey tunic with loose sleeves. He had long hair and was, I think about 24 years old, but how could one tell? I was behind him. The image was like that of an old photo, with the outline blurred. Because of poor light I could see nothing below waist level. As I walked on the strong impression seemed to fade and he had gone. He was there only for about half a minute I should think. I'm afraid I ran back along the corridor and I think I failed to switch off all the lights." The young man had never been interested in ghost stories and had never heard any of the castle's ghost stories, he stated "this was no kitchen scullion".

The Blue Knight

 The Blue Knight

A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a monarch or other political leader for service to the monarch or country, especially in a military capacity. Historically, in Europe, knighthood has been conferred upon mounted warriors.[1] During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior. Since the Early Modern period, the title of knight is purely honorific, usually bestowed by a monarch, as in the British honours system, often for non-military service to the country.

Historically, the ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature, especially the Matter of Britain and Matter of France, the former based on Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae ("History of the Kings of Britain"), written in the 1130s. Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur ("The Death of Arthur"), written in 1485, was important in defining the ideal of chivalry which is essential to the modern concept of the knight as an elite warrior sworn to uphold the values of faith, loyalty, courage, and honour. During the Renaissance, the genre of chivalric romance became popular in literature, growing ever more idealistic and eventually giving rise to a new form of realism in literature popularised by Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote. This novel explored the ideals of knighthood and their incongruity with the reality of Cervantes' world. In the late medieval period, new methods of warfare began to render classical knights in armour obsolete, but the titles remained in many nations.

Some orders of knighthood, such as the Knights Templar, have become the subject of legend; others have disappeared into obscurity. Today, a number of orders of knighthood continue to exist in several countries, such as the English Order of the Garter, the Swedish Royal Order of the Seraphim, and the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. Each of these orders has its own criteria for eligibility, but knighthood is generally granted by a head of state to selected persons to recognise some meritorious achievement.

Knighthood in the Middle Ages was closely linked with horsemanship (and especially the joust) from its origins in the 12th century until its final flowering as a fashion among the high nobility in the Duchy of Burgundy in the 15th century.