Croft Castle
Encyclopedia
Croft Castle http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/26481 is a manor house
and associated buildings near the village of Yarpole
in Herefordshire
, England some 7 km (4 mi) to the north-west of Leominster
.
.
The Croft family were closely linked to their neighbours the Mortimers of Wigmore
and later Ludlow
. The Battle of Mortimer's Cross
took place on Croft lands nearby in 1461.
The present building originated as a castle in the 14th century and has been much altered since.
It was the home of a John Croft who married one of Owain Glyndŵr
's daughters. In the 15th century the Croft family adopted the Welsh
Wyvern
crest, a wounded black dragon, seen as a subtle allusion to their Glyndwr heritage.
Croft Castle was restored after slighting
in the Civil War
.
with a small castellated round tower at each corner http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/306033 and a small square tower flanking the north side http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/306016. The castle is under the care of the National Trust
and members of the Croft family still live within it.
The main building shares some similarities to Treago Castle
, also in Herefordshire.
and 13th century St. Michaels church adjacent http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/306025, lie in 1500 acres (6 km²) of glorious Herefordshire countryside.
Inside the church is the fine altar tomb of Sir Richard Croft (1430-1509), high official to four monarchs and his wife born Eleanor Cornewall, before her remarriage the widow of Sir Hugh Mortimer of Kyre Wyard
and Martley
Worcestershire, killed in action at the Battle of Wakefield
.
trees http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/454275, oak
s and beech trees and is one of the most important sites in North West Europe for veteran trees and dead wood invertebrates.
Owned and managed now by the National Trust it is open to the public from March to December and has many events, waymarked walks, including the Mortimer Trail
, and talks.
The parkland also includes an Iron Age
hillfort at Croft Ambrey
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/71587.
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...
and associated buildings near the village of Yarpole
Yarpole
Yarpole is a small village in rural north Herefordshire, England located between Leominster and Ludlow, Shropshire.St Leonard's church chancel was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1864....
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county 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 Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England some 7 km (4 mi) to the north-west of Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
.
11th century origin
A building has been on the site from the 11th century and it has from this time been the home of the Croft family and Croft BaronetsCroft Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Croft, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
.
The Croft family were closely linked to their neighbours the Mortimers of Wigmore
Wigmore Castle
Wigmore Castle is a ruined castle which is barely visible from the village of Wigmore in the northwest region of Herefordshire, England.- History :...
and later Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
. The Battle of Mortimer's Cross
Battle of Mortimer's Cross
The Battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought on 2 February 1461 near Wigmore, Herefordshire . It was part of the Wars of the Roses....
took place on Croft lands nearby in 1461.
The present building originated as a castle in the 14th century and has been much altered since.
It was the home of a John Croft who married one of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
's daughters. In the 15th century the Croft family adopted the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Wyvern
Wyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
crest, a wounded black dragon, seen as a subtle allusion to their Glyndwr heritage.
Croft Castle was restored after slighting
Slighting
A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Some members of this Croft family
- Sir Richard Croft (1429/30-1509), royal official for Kings Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, and Henry VII
- Thomas Croft (c.1435-1488), shipowner and patron of Atlantic exploration
- Sir James Croft (c.1518-1590), lord deputy of Ireland and leading conspirator in Wyatt's RebellionWyatt's rebellionWyatt's Rebellion was a popular uprising in England in 1554, named after Thomas Wyatt the younger, one of its leaders. The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English...
- Herbert Croft (1603-1691), bishop of Hereford, chaplain to King Charles I and dean of the chapels Royal to Charles II
- William CroftWilliam CroftWilliam Croft was an English composer and organist.Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal, under the instruction of John Blow, and remained there until 1698. Two years after this departure, he became organist of St. Anne's Church, Soho...
(c.1678-1727), organist and composer - Sir Herbert Croft (1751-1816), writer and lexicographer
- Sir Richard Croft (1762-1818), physician and man-midwife
- Sir Henry Page Croft (1881-1947), 1st Baron Croft, soldier and politician, Under-Secretary of State for War 1940-1945
- Sir James Herbert Croft (1907-1941), died on active service with No 1 Commando
- Andrew CroftAndrew CroftColonel Noel Andrew Cotton Croft DSO OBE , was a member of the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, with operations in Norway and Corsica, as well as Military attaché to Sweden, an explorer, holding the longest self-sustaining journey in the Guinness Book of Records for more than...
(1906-1998), explorer and member of Special Operations ExecutiveSpecial Operations ExecutiveThe Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
Manor house
It now consists of a stone quadrangular manor houseManor 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...
with a small castellated round tower at each corner http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/306033 and a small square tower flanking the north side http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/306016. The castle is under the care of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and members of the Croft family still live within it.
The main building shares some similarities to Treago Castle
Treago Castle
Treago Castle is a fortified manor house in the Parish of St Weonards, Herefordshire, England . Built c.1500, it was recorded as a Grade I listed building on 30 April 1986—based on its extant medieval architecture, quadrangle courtyard layout and defensive wall corner towers...
, also in Herefordshire.
The church
The castleCastle
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...
and 13th century St. Michaels church adjacent http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/306025, lie in 1500 acres (6 km²) of glorious Herefordshire countryside.
Inside the church is the fine altar tomb of Sir Richard Croft (1430-1509), high official to four monarchs and his wife born Eleanor Cornewall, before her remarriage the widow of Sir Hugh Mortimer of Kyre Wyard
Stoke Bliss
Stoke Bliss is a village, and together with the villages of Kyre and Bockleton, a civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England.-External links:* *...
and Martley
Martley
Martley is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills district of the English county of Worcestershire. It is approximately nine miles north-west of Worcester. The population of the village is approximately 1200 people...
Worcestershire, killed in action at the Battle of Wakefield
Battle of Wakefield
The Battle of Wakefield took place at Sandal Magna near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire in Northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses...
.
Parklands
The estate is noted for its veteran trees, particularly its avenues of Spanish ChestnutChestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
trees http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/454275, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s and beech trees and is one of the most important sites in North West Europe for veteran trees and dead wood invertebrates.
Owned and managed now by the National Trust it is open to the public from March to December and has many events, waymarked walks, including the Mortimer Trail
Mortimer Trail
Mortimer Trail is a waymarked long distance footpath and recreational walk in the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire in England.- The route :...
, and talks.
The parkland also includes an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hillfort at Croft Ambrey
Croft Ambrey
Croft Ambrey is a British Iron Age hill fort in northern Herefordshire close to the present day county border with South Shropshire.- Location :...
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/71587.
External links
- Croft Castle and Parkland - Official site at National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- Croft Castle on Herefordshire Council website
- Croft Castle on Castle UK website
- Croft Castle on Castlewales
- BBC Hereford & Worcester feature including 360 panoramic of Croft Castle