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.

At Camp By Warwick Castle

At Camp By Warwick Castle

The reign of Edward III saw the great Chivalric Age and Warwick was the scene of many tournaments, feasts, banquets and processions. History also saw the start of the Hundred Years War between England and France. Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, commanded troops at the battle of Crecy and Poitiers. The glorious Age of Chivalry was also marred by the Black Death and the Peasants Revolt (the first of all revolutions). Richard de Beauchamp, the 13th Earl of Warwick, served in France as Captain of Calais and supervised the trial of Joan of Arc.

Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, was a Yorkist, and when he helped Edward IV the son of the Duke of York, to become king he became very powerful. He then argued with the King and was branded a traitor. Warwick then changes allegiances and turns Lancastrian when he defeats Edward IV and restores Henry VI to power! He is given the name 'Warwick the Kingmaker'. Warwick the Kingmaker loses his life at the Battle of Barnet when Edward IV defeats and kills him. The following Earls of Warwick are branded as traitors and executed, temporarily ending the title of the Earl of Warwick...

Richard III took ownership of Warwick Castle until he fell in the Battle of Bosworth Field to Henry Tudor. The Tudor Kings also keep Warwick Castle to themselves ensuring the power and influence of the nobility is contained!

The History of Warwick castle enters another period of murder, executions, treachery and intrigue starting with the short reign of King Henry VIII's son Edward V. John Dudley is created the Earl of Warwick, Chancellor of England and Duke of Northumberland which makes him the most powerful noble in England. The young King was sick and Dudley realises that if the King dies, and either of his sisters take the crown, that Dudley will lose his power and probably his head. John Dudley plots with the Earl of Suffolk and arranges the marriage of his son, Guildford Dudley, to the Suffolk's daughter, Lady Jane Grey. The young king dies and Lady Jane Grey, John Dudley's daughter-in-law is pronounced Queen of England. She only reigns for nine days and the rightful Queen Mary takes the crown. The powerful John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, was beheaded for treason. The earldom of Warwick is granted to the Rich family but Warwick Castle is passed to Sir Fulke Greville. A poet and courtier Sir Fulke Greville was murdered and his ghost is said to haunt Warwick Castle.

Warwick Castle on the Avon

Warwick Castle on the Avon

 Avon is an anglicisation of the Welsh word 'afon' for river. So "River Avon" literally means "River River"!

As there are other River Avons in England, the river that passes through Warwickshire is known as the Avon, Warwickshire Avon or Shakespeare's Avon.
  
The source of the Avon is near the village of Welford in Northamptonshire, it then flows 85 miles in a south-westerly direction until it joins the River Severn at Tewkesbury. It has a catchment area of 1,032 square miles. The river passes through many towns and villages which have developed along its banks, these include Welford, Rugby, Wolston, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon, Welford-on-Avon, Bidford-on-Avon, Evesham, Pershore, and finally Tewkesbury. Along its course the river forms part of the border between Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, and it has been dammed to create the Stanford Reservoir. Its tributaries include the Rivers Leam, Stour, Sowe, Dene, Arrow, Swift, Alne, Isbourne, Sherbourne and Swilgate as well as many minor streams and brooks.
  
Enjoying the river - throughout Warwickshire there are many places where you can enjoy the beauty of the River Avon, be this by rowing boat, canal boat or simply a walk along its banks.

View From The Castle

View From The Castle

Under a stormy sky the Avon River is seen meandering away from Warwick Castle through the stunning Warwickshire countryside on it's way to Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon. 

The River Avon or Avon is a river in or adjoining the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the Midlands of England. It is also known as the Warwickshire Avon or Shakespeare's Avon, since the Bard was called "Sweet Swan of Avon" by Ben Jonson. The river has been divided since 1719 into the Lower Avon, below Evesham, and the Upper Avon, from Evesham to above Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Gatehouse at Warwick Castle

The Gatehouse at Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.

From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power. The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville – also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV.

Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. Originally a wooden motte-and-bailey, it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture.

In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. The castle's defences were enhanced in the 1640s to prepare the castle for action in the English Civil War. Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, was a Parliamentarian, and Royalist forces laid siege to the castle. Warwick Castle withstood the siege and was later used to hold prisoners taken by the Parliamentarians.

The Chapel At Warwick Castle

The Chapel At Warwick Castle

The chapel of Warwick Castle, built around 1600, has been restored and opened for Divine worship. It was built in the reign of Henry VI., and is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Beneath the chapel are the rooms built for the residence of the priests. The giant statue of Earl Guy is still in the chapel, but is much mutilated; the right arm is gone, and the hand of the left arm that holds a shield. The statue is eight feet high. Warwick Castle played an important role in the English Civil War, which had religious origins. Oliver Cromwell may well have sought guidance at this altar. 

Warwick Through the Fog

Warwick Through the Fog

Since the most obvious point to attack was the entrance, steps were taken to make the Gatehouse as strong as possible. Its first defense, the moat (usually a dry one, as at Warwick), had to be crossed by a drawbridge that could be raised by various means, including chains worked by a windlass inside the Gatehouse. The heavy entrance-door, opening outwards and studded with iron bolts, was backed by a portcullis, a great iron frame which could be let down through a slot in the vaulting of the entrance passage. Thus, if the wooden doors were smashed in or burned, the portcullis behind would hold and the defenders could shoot out between its bars.

Should the portcullis fail to be lowered because the mechanism had jammed or through some trick or treachery, the attackers would still find themselves in a roofed passageway in which they could be fired upon from arrowslits on either side and assaulted from above through openings in the ceiling known as murder holes. The passage would be closed at the far end by a second door and portcullis.

All these defenses, except the drawbridge, can be clearly seen at Warwick Castle, which also has, as an additional defense, its splendid barbican. This is a fortified outwork, built on the other side of the moat, so that it had to be attacked and taken before any assault could be launched upon the Gatehouse proper. Visitors who pass through the barbican's outer gateway will readily see that if the attackers did penetrate that far, the still had to advance along a narrow passage towards the Gatehouse, from whose towers and the adjoining walls they would be subject to a murderous fire.

One of the commonest ways of trying to capture a castle was to completely surround it in hope of starving the garrison into surrender. But, since this was necessarily a long drawn-out business, efforts would be made to take the place by storm. As a first step, part of the moat had to be filled with earth or rubble, the soldiers working behind movable shields called mantlets. Next, a battering ram or a sharp pointed bore would be brought up to hammer away at the base of the walls, the soldiers again being protected by a roofed shelter known as a cat. Scaling ladders might be tried, as well as tall siege-towers from the top of which a bridge would be thrown across the battlements. Various siege-engines, such as the ballista and the mangonel, hurled heavy bolts and stones at the defenders but more to be feared was the mine, a tunnel dug beneath the walls and supported by wooden props, until, when all was ready, they were set on fire, so that the tunnel collapsed, bringing down a section of the wall to make a gap through which the attackers could pour into the courtyard.

The Watch Tower

The Watch Tower

Warwick Castle ranks amongst the most famous and daunting castles in the whole world. Its turbulent history even adds to the castle’s mysteriously magnificent aura. This massive stone fortress was constructed as a Wooden Motte and Bailey Castle by William the Conqueror. It was able to survive siege warfare to the Age of Medieval Knights and Chivalry and the English Civil War. One of the castle’s main features is its access to the River Avon. During the enlargement of the Warwick Castle, equipment and building materials were transported by boats to the castle site.

The two main round towers of The Warwick Castle were built at the front of the Castle. The Chapel, as well as a large hall, were also built against the south wall. Various additions were then made as time passed by – The Guys Tower and Caesar’s Tower were added at the end of the 14th century.

A Tower at Warwick

A Tower at Warwick

After the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror established a motte-and-bailey castle at Warwick in 1068 to maintain control of the Midlands as he advanced northwards. A motte-and-bailey castle consists of a mound – on which usually stands a keep or tower – and a bailey, which is an enclosed courtyard. William appointed Henry de Beaumont, the son of a powerful Norman family, as constable of the castle. In 1088, Henry de Beaumont was made the first Earl of Warwick. He founded the Church of All Saints within the castle walls by 1119; the Bishop of Worcester, believing that a castle was an inappropriate location for a church, removed it in 1127–28. In 1153, the wife of Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick, was tricked into believing that her husband was dead, and surrendered control of the castle to the invading army of Henry of Anjou, later King Henry II. According to the Gesta Regis Stephani, a 12th-century historical text, Roger de Beaumont died on hearing the news that his wife had handed over the castle. Henry later returned the castle to the Earls of Warwick as they had been supporters of his mother, Empress Matilda, in The Anarchy of 1135–54.

Conspiracy in the Cellars

Conspiracy in the Cellars 

"Reflecting the growing importance of the de Beauchamps, his son Guy (1298-1315) was one of a group of earls known as the Ordainers. With their own interests firmly at heart, they aimed to impose, through a list of ordinances or constitutional demands, some form of control over the way King Edward II, both raised his revenue and governed the kingdom. For some Ordainers, complaints about royal power (especially royal spending) centered on the role of Piers Gaveston in the court, he was Gascon Knight and the King's lover." In 1312, given a false promise of safety, Gaveston surrendered. Seizing the prisoner, Guy de Beauchamp brought him to Warwick Castle where he was tried for treason in the Great Hall. Gaveston was found guilty of his crimes and was sentenced to death. He was taken to Blacklow Hill, located just outside of Warwick, where he was beheaded.
The bloody history of Warwick Castle is steeped in treachery, murder, mystery and intrigue. Famous historical figures and events feature in the history of Warwick Castle including William the Conqueror, the Wars of the Roses, John Dudley, Lady Jane Grey, the Civil War and the Age of Chivalry with Knights and tournaments. The History of Warwick Castle events also features a number of sieges when the castle was bombarded with missiles from massive siege engines such as the Mangonel and the mighty Trebuchet