Somerton Castle
Encyclopedia
Somerton Castle is located approximately one mile west of the hamlet of Boothby Graffoe
in Lincolnshire
, England
.
Inherited from his mother, the castle was rebuilt in the latter part of the 13th century by Antony Bek, then Bishop of Durham, who was granted a licence to crenellate in 1281. In 1309 Bek gave the castle as a gift to King Edward II
.
The property and estate were later bought by the notable Lincolnshire and Sussex landowners, Marfleet Battle in 1812, from Sir Montague Cholmondeley
, Baronet
. The property and estate later passed on to several of the family's descendants.
King John II of France
was imprisoned at Somerton Castle between 1359 and 1360, having been take prisoner after the Battle of Poitiers
.
Some prominent and visible earthworks still enclose the site, including parts of the moat
. What remains of the castle walls are incorporated into the present farmhouse.
The castle
has been recognised as an important building and has been classified as a Grade I listed building.
Boothby Graffoe
Boothby Graffoe is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies approximately 7 miles south of Lincoln, on A607 . It's population is approximately 400....
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, 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...
.
Inherited from his mother, the castle was rebuilt in the latter part of the 13th century by Antony Bek, then Bishop of Durham, who was granted a licence to crenellate in 1281. In 1309 Bek gave the castle as a gift to King Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
.
The property and estate were later bought by the notable Lincolnshire and Sussex landowners, Marfleet Battle in 1812, from Sir Montague Cholmondeley
Cholmondeley
Cholmondeley can refer to:Places*Cholmondeley, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire*Cholmondeley CastlePeople*Alice Cholmondeley, a pseudonym used by Elizabeth von Arnim for her book Christine*David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley Cholmondeley can refer to:Places*Cholmondeley, Cheshire, a...
, Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
. The property and estate later passed on to several of the family's descendants.
King John II of France
John II of France
John II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
was imprisoned at Somerton Castle between 1359 and 1360, having been take prisoner after the Battle of Poitiers
Battle of Poitiers (1356)
The Battle of Poitiers was fought between the Kingdoms of England and France on 19 September 1356 near Poitiers, resulting in the second of the three great English victories of the Hundred Years' War: Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt....
.
Some prominent and visible earthworks still enclose the site, including parts of the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. What remains of the castle walls are incorporated into the present farmhouse.
The castle
Castle
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...
has been recognised as an important building and has been classified as a Grade I listed building.