Guildford Castle
Encyclopedia
Guildford Castle is in Guildford
, Surrey
, England
. It is thought to have been built shortly after the 1066 invasion of England
by William the Conqueror.
in 1066 William led his army to Canterbury
and then sacked towns along the Pilgrims' Way
, including Guildford. Later William, or one of his barons, built Guildford Castle. There is no record of it in the Domesday Book
so construction probably started after 1086.
First to be built at the Castle would have been the motte
(a mound) around which was a ditch and a bailey
protected by a wooden palisade
. The Bailey's boundary would have run along Castle Street, South Hill, what is now Racks Close and parallel with Quarry Street (although slightly to the east). If it followed a typical Norman design the baily would have been divided with a palisade, into two parts the outer and inner bail. The inner baily would have encompassed the motte on which a wooden keep would have been built as a look-out post for the soldiers stationed there.
Late 11th or early 12th century, a wall made of Bargate stone was built around the top of the motte creating what is known as a shell keep
, and then around the 1130s a keep (tower) was added, again made of Bargate stone from nearby Godalming
bonded with hard and durable mortar. The keep may have been built over part of the shell keep an its foundations went down to the chalk bedrock. The general form was quadrangular, its exterior dimensions being 47 feet (14.3 m) by 45.5 feet (13.9 m). The walls are about 10 feet (3 m) thick at the base and taper towards the top.
The keep
had a ground and first floor with the entrance located in the first floor to aid in defence. The keep was most likely used as a private apartment for the King
. The ground floor was windowless. On the first floor there was a main chamber
, a chapel
, and wardrobe with latrine
. A second floor was added shortly afterwards containing a two-seater latrine. The addition of the second floor made the keep over 70 feet (21.3 m) high. The roof of the building was made of lead and the inner walls were covered in plaster and then whitewashed.
In the 12th century the King moved to better apartments located in the bailey. The main bailey buildings would have included a great hall, apartments for the King and Queen and their chapels. The great hall is thought to have been located at the site of the two houses at the bottom of Castle Hill and was made of stone. Henry III
made a number of improvements in the 13th century which resulted in the castle being known as a palace. The Queen's apartment was improved with large new windows and two marble columns were added. The great hall was decorated with coloured glass windows and paintings. King Henry had his room painted green with gold and silver stars and he also built a garden surrounded by marble columns. A fire damaged the hall in 1254 but the changes to the buildings continued.
Henry purchased some extra land in 1254 to extend the bailey so allow him to build a set of room for Edward
, his son and heir to the throne, which were completed in 1246. The gate at Quarry Street was completed in 1256 which suggests that Henry made changes to the castle but no evidence of the previous gate (thought to have been opposite Tunsgate) remains.
The keep is thought to have been heightened during the civil war
which took place during Stephen
's reign (1135–1154) and during the rebellion of Henry II
's son (the revolt of 1173–1174) the castle was strengthened.
On 9 July 1216 Prince Louis
took possession of the castle during the First Barons' War
against King John
, but the castle was not a scene of conflict.
During the rebellion of Simon de Montfort
in the 1260s there was no fighting either. However King Henry III
's son Prince Edward (the future Edward I
) did capture a rebel named Adam Gurdon in a battle at Alton
and brought him to Guildford Castle and it was used as a mustering point during King Edward I's foreign wars.
This castle keep continued to be used as the common gaol, for both Surrey and Sussex, until 1487 (in the third year of the reign of Henry VII
), when the inhabitants of Sussex petitioned parliament, that the prisoners be moved to Lewes
which had a more secure establishment and location. The petition was granted. In 1544 John Daborne
was made keeper of the castle garden. His family were involved with the castle for the rest of the 16th century and is thought to have been they who added the brick windows and fireplaces. In 1611 the castle estate was granted to Francis Carter by James I
. In the 1630s, once the tower's roof was removed, it was used as a cockpit
. Areas of the castle grounds were used for farming and rented out to various people. Around 1820 the Duke of Norfolk purchased it. In 1885 Lord Grantley
of Wonersh
who owned a large part of the castle sold it to the Guildford Corporation. The tower and walls were restored and opened to the public as pleasure gardens in 1888 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of the previous year.
The gardens are "extremely popular, displaying an amazing array of colourful bedding, centred on the 11th Century Castle Keep", and include a life-size statue of Alice Through the Looking Glass, which is a memorial to Lewis Carroll
who lived near by in The Chestnuts from 1868 until he died in 1898.
Starting in 2003 there was a year long conservation project. The keep was partially renovated, and the first floor was floored and roofed. During this project which ended in 2004 original features such as crenulation
s were found to still exist. The keep now contains a visitor centre, open between April and September, that includes written panels describing the history of the castle and a model of the place as it appeared in about 1300. The roof of the tower is reachable by a staircase which allows views of the grounds and parts of Guildford.
The Castles old gatehouse now houses part of Guildford Museum
, a Local History and Archaeology Museum with a specialist Needlework Collection.
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, 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...
. It is thought to have been built shortly after the 1066 invasion of 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...
by William the Conqueror.
Construction and development
After the Battle of HastingsBattle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
in 1066 William led his army to Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and then sacked towns along the Pilgrims' Way
Pilgrims' Way
The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent...
, including Guildford. Later William, or one of his barons, built Guildford Castle. There is no record of it in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
so construction probably started after 1086.
First to be built at the Castle would have been the motte
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
(a mound) around which was a ditch and a bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
protected by a wooden palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
. The Bailey's boundary would have run along Castle Street, South Hill, what is now Racks Close and parallel with Quarry Street (although slightly to the east). If it followed a typical Norman design the baily would have been divided with a palisade, into two parts the outer and inner bail. The inner baily would have encompassed the motte on which a wooden keep would have been built as a look-out post for the soldiers stationed there.
Late 11th or early 12th century, a wall made of Bargate stone was built around the top of the motte creating what is known as a shell keep
Shell keep
A shell keep is a style of medieval fortification, best described as a stone structure circling the top of a motte.In English castle morphology, shell keeps are perceived as the successors to motte-and-bailey castles, with the wooden fence around the top of the motte replaced by a stone wall...
, and then around the 1130s a keep (tower) was added, again made of Bargate stone from nearby Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
bonded with hard and durable mortar. The keep may have been built over part of the shell keep an its foundations went down to the chalk bedrock. The general form was quadrangular, its exterior dimensions being 47 feet (14.3 m) by 45.5 feet (13.9 m). The walls are about 10 feet (3 m) thick at the base and taper towards the top.
The keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
had a ground and first floor with the entrance located in the first floor to aid in defence. The keep was most likely used as a private apartment for the King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
. The ground floor was windowless. On the first floor there was a main chamber
Great chamber
The great chamber was the second most important room in a medieval or Tudor English castle, palace, mansion or manor house after the great hall. Medieval great halls were the ceremonial centre of household and were not private at all; the gentlemen attendants and the servants would come and go all...
, a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
, and wardrobe with latrine
Latrine
A latrine is a communal facility containing one or more commonly many toilets which may be simple pit toilets or in the case of the United States Armed Forces any toilet including modern flush toilets...
. A second floor was added shortly afterwards containing a two-seater latrine. The addition of the second floor made the keep over 70 feet (21.3 m) high. The roof of the building was made of lead and the inner walls were covered in plaster and then whitewashed.
In the 12th century the King moved to better apartments located in the bailey. The main bailey buildings would have included a great hall, apartments for the King and Queen and their chapels. The great hall is thought to have been located at the site of the two houses at the bottom of Castle Hill and was made of stone. 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...
made a number of improvements in the 13th century which resulted in the castle being known as a palace. The Queen's apartment was improved with large new windows and two marble columns were added. The great hall was decorated with coloured glass windows and paintings. King Henry had his room painted green with gold and silver stars and he also built a garden surrounded by marble columns. A fire damaged the hall in 1254 but the changes to the buildings continued.
Henry purchased some extra land in 1254 to extend the bailey so allow him to build a set of room for Edward
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, 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...
, his son and heir to the throne, which were completed in 1246. The gate at Quarry Street was completed in 1256 which suggests that Henry made changes to the castle but no evidence of the previous gate (thought to have been opposite Tunsgate) remains.
Military use
The castle was mainly used as a royal residence but it was also a fortress and did play a part in warfare and although the Castle was never attacked it was strengthened at various points in its history.The keep is thought to have been heightened during the civil war
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
which took place during Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
's reign (1135–1154) and during the rebellion of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II 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. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
's son (the revolt of 1173–1174) the castle was strengthened.
On 9 July 1216 Prince Louis
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
took possession of the castle during the First Barons' War
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
against King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, but the castle was not a scene of conflict.
During the rebellion of Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
in the 1260s there was no fighting either. However King 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...
's son Prince Edward (the future Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, 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...
) did capture a rebel named Adam Gurdon in a battle at Alton
Alton
-People:*Alton Adams , first African-American bandmaster in the U.S. Navy*Alton Alexis , former National Football League wide receiver*Alton Brown , American cinematographer, author, actor, and television personality...
and brought him to Guildford Castle and it was used as a mustering point during King Edward I's foreign wars.
Constables and sheriffs
In 1218 (the 10th year of the reign of Henry III), William de Coniers was constable of the castle; in the 39th of the same reign (1247), that office was held by Elias de Maunsel; and in Henry's 51st year (1259), the custody of the castle was in trusted to William de Aguillon, the then sheriff of Surrey; probably, in order that it might be used for a prison. In 1307 (the 35th year of the reign of Edward I) Edward de Say, the keeper of the King's prisoners had orders to repair the prison. In 1322 (the 15th year of the reign of Edward II), Oliver de Burdegala was governor. and in 1367 (the 41st year of the reign of Edward III), it was given to Andrew Sackville, sheriff of Surrey and Sussex both for a prison and as a dwelling. In 1377 (In the 1st year of the reign of Richard II) Sir Simon Burleigh (who had been tutor to Richard), was constable.From the fourteenth to the twentieth century
Guildford along with some other royal inland castles were no longer needed for defence and were neglected. From the 1360s a royal moated hunting lodge (situated on the other side the river from the castle was improved and enlarged), so royalty chose to stay there when visiting the area rather than staying in the castle. The royal apartments at the castle were neglected and by 1379 only the King's great chamber remained the rest of the royal apartments having decayed beyond repair.This castle keep continued to be used as the common gaol, for both Surrey and Sussex, until 1487 (in the third year of the reign of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
), when the inhabitants of Sussex petitioned parliament, that the prisoners be moved to Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
which had a more secure establishment and location. The petition was granted. In 1544 John Daborne
John Daborne
John Daborne was a merchant and alderman of Guildford Surrey. He was Mayor of Guildford in 1523, 1531 and 1538/39.-Keeper of Guildford Castle:...
was made keeper of the castle garden. His family were involved with the castle for the rest of the 16th century and is thought to have been they who added the brick windows and fireplaces. In 1611 the castle estate was granted to Francis Carter by James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. In the 1630s, once the tower's roof was removed, it was used as a cockpit
Cockpit
A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...
. Areas of the castle grounds were used for farming and rented out to various people. Around 1820 the Duke of Norfolk purchased it. In 1885 Lord Grantley
John Norton, 5th Baron Grantley
John Richard Brinsley Norton, 5th Baron Grantley, FSA, FRNS was a British peer and numismatist.Norton was born in Florence, Italy, the son of Thomas Norton, 4th Baron Grantley and his wife, Maria, née Federigo, and a grandson of Caroline Norton, the writer, and was educated at Harrow School and...
of Wonersh
Wonersh
Wonersh is a small Surrey village in England. Wonersh is about 3 miles SSE of Guildford on the B2128 road from Guildford, Shalford to Cranleigh...
who owned a large part of the castle sold it to the Guildford Corporation. The tower and walls were restored and opened to the public as pleasure gardens in 1888 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of the previous year.
Twenty-first century
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
who lived near by in The Chestnuts from 1868 until he died in 1898.
Starting in 2003 there was a year long conservation project. The keep was partially renovated, and the first floor was floored and roofed. During this project which ended in 2004 original features such as crenulation
Crenulation
Crenulation or Crenulation cleavage is a texture formed in metamorphic rocks such as phyllite, schist and some gneiss by two or more stress directions resulting in superimposed foliations.-Formation:...
s were found to still exist. The keep now contains a visitor centre, open between April and September, that includes written panels describing the history of the castle and a model of the place as it appeared in about 1300. The roof of the tower is reachable by a staircase which allows views of the grounds and parts of Guildford.
The Castles old gatehouse now houses part of Guildford Museum
Guildford Museum
Guildford Museum is a museum is in the town of Guildford, Surrey, England. The museum can be found on Quarry Street, a road running just off the High Street. Part of the Museum is housed in the gatehouse of Guildford Castle. It is run by Guildford Borough Council, and offers free entry between 11am...
, a Local History and Archaeology Museum with a specialist Needlework Collection.