Bletchingley Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bletchingley Castle |
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| Surrey, England | |
 Bletchingley Castle
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| Coordinates | 51°14′18″N 0°06′27″W / 51.2384°N 0.1076°W |
| Type | keep (tower), ringwork and bailey |
| Height | 2m |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Various |
| Open to the public |
No (access road and path at foot to south are rights of way thus only to be used as such) |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| Materials | unknown stone |
Bletchingley Castle is an old castle that is now mostly in ruins. It has some earthworks, which are like big mounds and ditches made of earth. Part of the castle site is now covered by three buildings. This important historical site, known as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, is right next to the Greensand Way. This is a walking path in the village of Bletchingley in Surrey, England.
A tall tower stood here from about 1170 to 1264. From this tower, you could see far across the land. It was built on a narrow part of the Greensand Ridge. This ridge is a long stretch of high ground that goes from Kent to south-west Surrey.
Contents
History of Bletchingley Castle
Building the Castle
In the late 1100s, a rectangular tower was built here. It was placed on top of older earthworks. Richard Fitz Gilbert, who started the de Clare family, built this tower.
In 1170, four knights stopped at Bletchingley Castle. They were on their way to Canterbury. These knights were involved in the killing of Thomas Becket. The tower was a great lookout point. It was on the Greensand Ridge, which was a good, dry route for travel.
Siege and Destruction
In the 1260s, the castle faced a siege. This means an army surrounded it and tried to take it over. Royal forces attacked and captured the castle. After it was taken, the tower was destroyed.
The remaining stone walls show that the castle was built in the mid-1100s. This was during the time of King Stephen. Many strong castles were built during his reign.
The de Clare family, who owned the castle, lived in the village. They sided with the barons against the King in the 1200s. The castle saw military action only once, in the wars of 1263–1264.
Simon de Montfort, a leader of the barons, marched past the castle. He was with Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester. They were going to attack the King's army. The barons won a battle at Lewes. However, the Royalists had captured de Clare's Tonbridge Castle. They then attacked his forces who were retreating from London. It is believed they took and destroyed Bletchingley Castle.
Historians think the castle was not completely ruined at once. Instead, after being taken apart, it was left alone. Over time, it slowly fell into ruin. In the late 1600s, only one thick wall remained. By the early 1800s, only the foundations could still be seen.
Who Owned the Land?
The land where the castle stood became separate from the main estate. In the 1500s, a family named Cholmeley owned it. Later, it belonged to the Drake family. They changed their name to Brockman in the late 1700s.
In 1793, James Drake Brockman sold the land to John Kenrick. His brothers, Matthew and Jarvis, owned it after him. The Kenrick family still owned it in the early 1800s. Around 1860, Mr. James Norris built a house called Castle Hill there. Later, a Mr. Partridge owned it.
By 1911, the castle ruins were part of the grounds of the Castle Hill house. Mr. A. P. Brandt lived there at that time.
What's Left of the Castle?
The castle site has been very overgrown for many years. However, some parts of the walls, doorways, and arches can still be seen. These are a small part of the original castle.
One of the outer ditches has been partly filled in. The site has also been changed by building work for the 19th-century Castle Hill home. Water pipes, drains, and electricity cables were added. An access road was also built. Now, a Stable House and Garden Cottage are also on the site.
The main part of the castle, called the ringwork, and its outer area, the bailey (fortification), are still well-preserved. Large areas, especially inside the ringwork, seem untouched. It is rare to find parts of a Norman-era house still standing. This adds to the castle's interesting features.
Archaeologists believe there is a lot more to discover about the castle. They can learn about when and how people lived there. Small digs have already helped gather information.
Here is a description from the official monument record:
The monument includes a castle from the Norman period. It has an inner, almost round area called a ringwork. It also has an outer area called a bailey. The ringwork is surrounded by a huge ditch on the north and east sides. This ditch is still over 6 meters deep. On the inside edge of the ditch is an earth bank, or rampart. This bank is between 1.4 and 2.4 meters high. A path 3 meters wide crosses the ditch on the northeast side. This was the original way to get into the inner part of the castle. The bank and ditch stop on the south side because of the steep natural hill. On the west side, they have been partly flattened for a large Victorian house. The main building inside the ringwork was a house about 24 meters square. Its basement (undercroft) is still up to 2.5 meters high in some places. This is below the rubble from the house's collapse. The house had living areas on the first floor. You could get to them by stairs at the northwest and southeast corners. Part of the house has been dug up, but the northeast half has not been explored yet. The outer defenses are a bank and ditch that surround the ringwork on all sides except the south. They have been flattened on the western side. To the north and east, the bank is up to 1.6 meters high and about 7 meters wide. Between the inner and outer defenses was the bailey. This is where other buildings like stables and storage huts were located.
Towards the northwest, there is a small mound. This might be where a barbican once stood. A barbican was a fortified gatehouse that protected the entrance to the castle.
