Hereford Castle facts for kids
Hereford Castle was an important castle in the city of Hereford, England. It was built before 1052, making it one of England's oldest castles. The castle was likely destroyed when the Welsh attacked Hereford in 1055. However, it was rebuilt soon after. During a civil war in King Stephen's time, the castle was attacked three times. Each time, the soldiers defending it gave up, and the castle changed owners.
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History of Hereford Castle
Building the First Castle
In the 11th century, the area around Herefordshire was often attacked by people from Wales. Instead of fixing the town's walls, Earl Ralph decided to build a castle inside Hereford's defences. Ralph became the Earl of Hereford around 1046. We don't know the exact date the castle was built, but it was there by 1052.
This first castle was probably in the same spot as the later one, on the east side of town. The northern and western parts of the town were busy with buildings. The River Wye was to the south.
Attacks and Rebuilding
In 1055, the town and castle of Hereford were attacked by the Welsh. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an old historical record, wrote about what happened:
They gathered a large army with Irish and Welsh fighters. Earl Ralph brought a big army to Hereford. But before any spears were thrown, the English soldiers ran away because they were on horses. The enemy then killed many people, about 400 or 500 men. They lost no one. They then went to the town and burned it completely. They also robbed the large church that Bishop Athelstan had built. They took all its treasures and killed people, taking some away.
Harold Godwinson fixed Hereford's town defences in 1056. But the old records don't say what happened to the castle. After the Normans took over England in 1066, William FitzOsbern became the Earl of Hereford. He might have rebuilt the castle. It was certainly in use by 1067. That year, Eadric the Wild bothered the soldiers guarding it.
In 1071, William FitzOsbern died. His son Roger took over the castle. Roger tried to remove King William from power, but he failed. Because of this, he lost control of the castle.
Castle in Civil Wars
In April 1138, Geoffrey Talbot took Hereford Castle from those who supported King Stephen. Later that year, King Stephen attacked the castle until the defenders gave up. In 1140, during a civil war known as The Anarchy, Geoffrey Talbot and Miles of Gloucester captured the castle. They took it from the soldiers who supported King Stephen. During this attack, the graveyard of St Guthlac's Church was damaged.
Geoffrey Talbot and Miles of Gloucester used special machines to attack the castle from two sides. The soldiers inside eventually surrendered. In 1154, King Henry II gave the castle mound (called a motte) to Roger of Gloucester. But a rebellion followed, and King Henry took the castle back. For the rest of its history, Hereford Castle belonged to the King.
In 1216, King John made Walter de Lacy the sheriff of Herefordshire. He also gave him care of the Royal castle at Hereford. The next year, work was done to make the castle stronger against attacks from Wales.
During the Second Barons' War (1264-1267), the castle became the main base for a group of powerful nobles led by Simon de Montfort. Later, during the Owain Glyndŵr rebellion (1400-1411), King Henry IV stayed at Hereford Castle. From there, he planned attacks and campaigns into Wales.
Later Years and Ruins
During the English Civil War, Herefordshire was a strong area for the King's supporters (called Royalists). But the castle didn't seem to play a big part in the fighting. It was eventually sold to Sir Richard Harley and his friends. After that, the castle started to fall apart. Most of what was left of the castle was probably destroyed in the 1650s. Its stones were used to build other structures in the city.
According to John Leland, a historian from the early 1500s, Hereford Castle was once "almost as big as Windsor Castle" and "one of the finest and strongest in all England."
In 1752, the castle ruins were rented out. The area was turned into what is now called Castle Green. In 1833, Castle Green (which was once the castle's outer courtyard, called the bailey) was rented to the local council for 200 years. The council is still in charge of keeping the area as a recreation spot today.
A monument to Lord Nelson stands in the middle of Castle Green. It was put there in 1809.
