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Timeline of Military-Architectural Events
912
Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, built a burh first at Shrewsbury and then at Bridgnorth.The defences were needed to protect the people from the Danes.
914
Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, founded the town of Warwick at the important river crossing across the River Avon. The town was fortified againt attack from the Danes.
1067
Construction of Chepstow Castle is begun.
A castle at Wallingford was built in this year. It would have been a motte and bailey type castle.
Construction of a wooden castle was begun at Winchester.
1068
William the Conqueror ordered the building of Warwick Castle.
William and the Normans started construction of the castle at Nottingham. This would have been a wooden building. It was built on the high ground above the town using the steep slope down to the river Leen as a defence.
William the Conqueror ordered that building work on a castle at Lincoln was to be started.
The Normans built a motte and bailey castle on the north side of the River Cam.
Following the rebellion in the West William orders the construction of a castle at Exeter.
1069
Land from the nearby Cathedral was used to build a new Norman motte and bailey castle on the bank of the River Severn.
1070
William the Conqueror continued his castle building programme at both Chester and Stafford.
Using the prehistoric hill fort's defensive position to good use, the Normans built a new castle on the Old Sarum site. William the Conqueror paid off his soldiers here in this year.
William Fitz Osbern built the hall at Chepstow Castle.
1071
William orders a castle to be built at Ely.
The construction of Richmond Castle began around this time by Alan Rufus, the cousin of the Duke of Brittany.
Robert D'Oilly was given the task of building a castle at Oxford by William the Conqueror at the important Thames river crossing. A motte and bailey castle would have been the type of castle built at this time.
1072
William orders the castle as Durham to be built.
1073
At Rhuddlan, by 1073, a motte and bailey castle had been built on the site of the earlier Welsh fort. This was done by Robert of Rhuddlan, a deputy of the Earl of Chester.
1075
Construction of Windsor Castle started by William the Conqueror.
1078
Gundulf began work on the White Tower, the Tower of London.
1079
The first of two castles located in London taking the name Baynard's Castle was built shortly after the Norman Conquest by Ralph Baynard, a Norman who was granted large amounts of land by William the Conqueror. The castle was demolished by King John in 1213.
1080
To defend the estuaries of Essex against attacks from the Danes William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a new castle at Colchester.
1081
William the Conqueror may have ordered the creation of a castle at Cardiff during his tour of Southern Wales. The first castle on the site would have been a motte and bailey type and it was built on the site of existing Roman fortifications.
1090
1091
Once the threat from invasion had reduced, the castle was passed into the control of Eudo de Rie, who held the position of high steward.
1096
Building work on Alnwick Castle began.
1100
Gerard of Windsor built a motte and bailey castle on the Daugleddau creek in south Wales around this time. The land on which the castle was built was given to Gerard when he married Princess Nest. The castle is called Carew Castle.
1103
Hugh of Saint-Omer, a crusader knight built Toron Castle to the east of Tyre. This is now known as Tebnine Castle.
1106
Roger, bishop of Salisbury, was granted land in south Wales and started construction of a wooden castle called Kidwelly Castle on the banks of the river Gwendraeth.
1110
At Aberystwyth in Wales an improved castle was built by the Norman Gilbert de Clare replacing an earlier fort. This castle was also known as Aberrheidol Castle.
King Henry I had improvements made at Windsor Castle, including a chapel, so that he could use the castle as his formal residence.
1117
1120
Kenilworth Castle's history began when Henry I gave a portion of the Stoneleigh estate to Geoffrey de Clinton his chamberlain. de Clinton built a motte and bailey on the land and formed a lake to provide better defences.
Built by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury.
1126
The tower-keep at Rochester Castle was built soon after 1126 by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the permission of King Henry I.
1129
1136
The Bishop of Lincoln built a castle at Banbury.
William le Gros built a castle on the headland at Scarborough.
1138
1140
A castle at Sherriff Hutton may have belonged to Bertram de Bulmer .
A motte with a wooden tower was probably the first type of castle built by the Normans on the site. Hugh Bigod owned Framlingham at the time.
Built by the de Vere family, land owners in Essex.
The Norman Lord William D'Albini built a new stone keep at Castle Rising.
1144
Built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. The castle soon came under siege by King Stephen who after four days took the castle and destroyed it.
1145
Built by King Stephen (or the Earl of Chester). The castle had a moat and was situated on the site of current manor house.
1150
The keep at Portchester Castle was enlarged by raising its height.
1152
Prince Henry captured the town of Malmesbury and its castle.
1153
Henry attacked Nottingham where a fire resulted in damage to the town.
1155
Orders were given to destroy the central tower at Farnham Castle. The castle belonged to Henry, Bishop of Winchester who was the brother of King Stephen.
1157
King Henry II rebuilt a castle at Basingwerk on the north coast of Wales overlooking a holy well. The king spent time at the castle while visiting the well.
1164
A large Norman square keep was built as Bamburgh castle as the cost of four pounds.
1166
1167
Robert D'Oyley of Liseux built the castle at a strategic site of Wallingford where it was possible to cross the river Thames. Originally the castle would have been a motte and bailey type castle.
1168
King Henry II ordered the reconstruction of Dover Castle. The work would continue for twenty years and at the end of it, a brand new keep had been built, along with the outer walls of the inner bailey and sections of the outer wall.
1170
Middleham Castle in Yorkshire could have been built at this time.
1173
Repairs to the castle at Wallingford.
King Henry II carried out major rebuilding work at Windsor Castle, including raising the height of the keep and improved the walls around the bailey. He added towers to the walls and built himself a house, the basement of which survives.
1174
Bolebec Castle near Whitchurch was built around this time by Hugh de Bolebec.
1176
A square central keep was constructed at Peveril castle which was under the control of Henry II.
1177
Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy, the Norman knight who invaded and conquered the Irish region of Ulidia (Ulster).
1180
The massive keep at Kenilworth was under construction during this period.
Built by Hamelin Plantagenet, Henry II's brother.
1189
While Richard I was away on Crusade, William Longchamp, the Bishop of Ely and Chancellor ordered the enlargement of the bailey surrounding the keep Tower in London. A new ditch and bank were constructed with a new section of curtain wall.
1190
Built by Hubert de Burgh this castle is one of the three he owned in the Welsh Marches. White Castle, and Grosmont Castle being the other two.
1194
The castle at Nottingham was being held by supporters of John but it fell to Richard I after a siege of several days.
1201
1210
King John spent time and money on the castle at Kenilworth, building outer walls and raising the height of the lake.
1215
The fortifications at Wallingford castle were strengthened at this time.
1216
Peter de Montfort rebuilt the inner bailey of Beaudesert Castle in stone, of which nothing remains.
1218
The Knights Templar, with the help of pilgrims, built this castle in the Holy Land.
1220
Hubert de Burgh improved the defences at Grosmont Castle, including the gatehouse and towers.
King Henry III made large alterations to the Tower of London including new curtain walls, an improved water filled ditch, and a water gate, so the King could enter the castle directly from the Thames.
1221
Llyewelyn the Great started the construction of this Welsh castle.
1223
King Henry III started the construction of a new castle at Montgomery on the Welsh border with England.
1225
Returning from a spell crusading in the Holy Land, Ranulf, the fifth Earl of Cheshire started the construction of the castle at Beeston.
1228
Hubert de Burgh took ownership of the old motte and bailey fort and finished its reconstruction as a stone castle.
1231
Construction of the castle at Tattershall.
1264
The castle at Warwick was attacked by forces loyal to Simon de Montfort. The castle was badly damaged in the assault.
1275
King Edward I spent large sums of money improving the fortifications at the Tower of London. A new moat was dug and a curtain wall was built around it. The land between the Tower and the river was levelled and new apartments were built on the shore. Edward had a complex of gates added which meant it was extremely difficult to attack the castle through the main land entrance.
1277
King Edward I ordered improvements to be made to the castle at Builth.
Reconstruction of the castle at Aberystwyth was begun by the English during King Edward I's conflict with Llywelyn ap Gruffydd.
King Edward I of England granted Ruthin to Dafydd, the brother of Prince Llewelyn ap Gruffudd in return for his help against his brother who have been attacking English interests in the north of Wales. Construction of Ruthin Castle may have begun under the direction of Edward or Dafydd himself.
As part of the plans to defeat Llywelyn, King Edward I ordered the construction of Flint Castle in Clwyd. Edward had been impressed by fortified town and castle combinations he had seen on his travels in France and Flint Castle was designed in the same manor. The castle was completed in 1280.
Leaving work on Flint Castle underway King Edward I moved on up the coast to Rhuddlan where he found the remains of an old Norman Motte and Bailey castle overlooking an important crossing point of the river Clywd. A new castle was ordered and work began to create both the castle and a new town alongside.
1281
King Edward I was responsible for the construction of the Beauchamp Tower at the Tower of London on the western side of the curtain wall. It got its name later on in 1397 when Thomas Beauchamp was imprisoned there by Richard II. The three storey tower was large enough to hold not only the captive, but members of his household as well. It has been used to hold other important prisoners since.
1282
Another castle was built by King Edward I's master castle builder, James of St. George in North Wales.
1283
After capturing Dolwyddelan, Edward moved up the river Conwy to its mouth and a new castle was ordered. The castle's design and size were chosen to prove the royal power of the English King. Construction work lasted until 1297.
Edward moved around the Welsh coast to attack and capture the Welsh castle at Criccieth. He then moved on and ordered another castle to be built at Harlech. In the summer of 1283 King Edward provided money to improved the defences at Criccieth Castle.
Work began on Harlech Castle. Money for the construction being moved from Cymer Abbey a few miles to the south of the new castle's location.
1284
King Edward I ordered reconstruction work at Aberystwyth Castle after it had been burnt and damaged in an earlier Welsh attack.
1295
The construction of Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey is begun under the direction of master mason James of St. George.
1310
Edward II granted the castle and town of Knaresborough to Pier Gaveston around this time and spent money on the castle to provide his favourite with a palace to live in.
1313
Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, started the construction of a castle at Dunstanburgh on the Northumbrian coast.
1336
License to crenelate (fortify) the castle at Bampton in Devon was granted.
1338
Sir William Heron started building work on Ford Castle in Northumberland
1340
The Round Tower was rebuilt at Windsor Castle.
1344
Building work on Chillingham Castle was started by Sir Thomas De Heton.
1346
Edward gives permission to William de Clinton to build a castle.
1348
Building work on Maxstoke Castle in the Midlands was begun by William De Clinton.
At the Tower of London King Edward III had a water gate constructed at the base of the Cradle Tower. This allowed access to royal apartments directly from the river.
1356
Construction of new walls around Paris started in this year and building work would take several years.
1372
King Edward III granted the castle at Knaresborough to his son John of Gaunt. This couild have been in 1371.
1373
Work on the Somerset castle by Sir John de la Mare began.
1375
Work on Bolton Castle was begun by Lord Scrope, the Chancellor to Richard II.
1377
Sir Thomas Hungerford began the construction of a castle at Farleigh.
1380
Sir Thomas Percy built Wressle Castle.
1381
John Neville, the 6th Lord of Raby, began the building of Raby Castle.
1382
Building work on a new castle started under the direction of John Neville.
1385
Threats of invasion prompted Richard to allow the creation of fortified manor houses. Donnington is one example.
1386
The king granted Sir Edward Dalyngrigge a licence to crenellate his mansion in Sussex due to threats of invasion. But Dalyngrigge decided to build a completely new structure instead.
1390
Lumley Castle at Chester-le-Street was built by Ralph, Lord Lumley.
1393
The work on Wardour Castle (now Old Wardour Castle) was begun in this year. The architect in charge may have been William Wynford who was responsible for the changes made to Winchester Cathedral around about the same time. The castle is very unusual in that is hexagonal and aligned to the north-east.
1395
The construction of the huge circular tower called Guy's Tower at Warwick Castle was completed.
1396
King Richard II had a palace built at Portchester Castle. This included the improvement to two ranges of buildings within the inner bailey of the castle. Kitchens, a large hall and private appartments were added to the castle to provide royal accommodation for when the King stayed at the castle.
1440
Construction of the brick tower at Tattershall took place around this time.
Construction of the brick Herstmonceux castle took place around this time.
Caister Castle, in Norfolk just north of Great Yarmouth, was built around this time by Sir Jon Fastolf. Casiter is one of the first brick built castles in England.
One of the several gates built around London was the Postern Gate at the Tower of London. Around this time the gate collapsed into the moat and it was never rebuilt.
1462
Both Prudhoe Castle and Warkworth Castle were granted by King Edward IV to his brother George Duke of Clarence.
Carreg Cennen Castle was captured from the Lancastrians by the Yorkists. To prevent it from being used as a castle again 500 men were employed to take it apart. The castle has remained a ruin ever since.
1481
Work began on the castle guarding the Dartmouth harbour in Devon. A chain was employed that stretched across the entrance to prevent attacks.
1485
The stone walls and towers of the Kremlin in Russia were raised for Ivan III. Two architects from Italy were invited to Moscow to oversea the work. They were Marco and Pietro Antonio.
1509
Urquhart Castle was given as a gift to the Grant family by King James IV of Scotland with the understanding that extensive building work was to be carried out. This included the construction of a new tower and supporting buildings so that the surrounding lands could be better protected.
1540
King Henry VIII had a pair of castles built at the mouth of the River Fal near Falmouth in Cornwall. The River mouth is a natural deep water harbour and needed protecting from invasion. These were Pendennis and St. Mawes Castles.
1544
King Henry VIII built Southsea Castle at the entrance to Portsmouth harbour to protect against French invasions.
King Henry VIII built Hurst Castle, another of his chain of gun-fort castles on the south coast of England designed to defend England from a French invasion. The castle was built on a spit of land stretching out into the Solent.
1643
(Old) Wardour Castle was besieged by Sir Edward Hungerford and Edmund Ludlow for the Parliamentarians searching for Royalists. Lady Blanche Arundel within the castle lasted a week before surrendering. When Lord Arundell returned and found the castle in Parliamentarian control he laid siege to his own castle and had a mine detonated underneath it destroying the complete rear section of the building.
1644
Jul 31
In July 1644, the Parliamentarian General Middleton was given the task of taking Donnington Castle. The commander of the castle, John Boys, refused to surrender and so a siege began.
1646
After a two year siege Sir John Boys who commanded Donnington Castle for the Royalists was allowed to leave with full honours in respect for the way he had protected the castle against attack.
1672
Anything of value was taken from Warkworth Castle by John Clarke. This included building materials that Clarke used to construct his own manor, Clarke was the estate's auditor and was given the materials by the late Earl's widow.
A Medieval Mystery
There appear to be some strange connections between the fourteenth century Old Wardour Castle and ancient stone circle Stonehenge.
1: Location
Old Wardour Castle appears to be aligned to ancient sites in the Stonehenge landscape.
2: Alignment
Stonehenge is aligned to the Summer Solstice. Old Wardour has a very similar alignment.
3: Size
Could the builders of Old Wardour used mesaurements from Stonehenge to layout the geometrical keep?
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