Montfichet's Tower facts for kids

Montfichet's Tower was an old Norman castle in London. It stood on Ludgate Hill, near where St Paul's Cathedral and City Thameslink railway station are today. People first wrote about it in the 1130s, but it was probably built in the late 1000s. The castle's defenses were made stronger during a rebellion against King Henry II in 1173–1174.

King John had the castle torn down in 1213. Later, in 1275, the land was sold. It was used to build a large church and home for Dominican monks, known as Blackfriars Priory.

Why Was This Castle Built?

Today, the River Fleet is mostly hidden underground. But a long time ago, it was a big river, second only to the River Thames. It marked the western edge of the old Roman city of London. This area was very important for defense, so it likely had forts from early times.

The Normans, who conquered England in 1066, built two castles inside the old Roman walls. These castles helped protect London. Baynard's Castle was built near the River Thames. Montfichet's Tower was further north on Ludgate Hill. It watched over an important road that led west out of the city. This road later became Fleet Street.

Building Montfichet's Tower

We don't know a lot about how Montfichet's Tower was built. The first time it's mentioned in writing is around 1136. It talks about the lord of Montfichet's Tower and his rights to the river. The castle was probably built in the late 1000s. Its name comes from the Montfichet family, who were from a place called Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex. They owned the tower in the 1100s.

A historian from the 1500s, John Stow, said a Baron of Mountfichet built it. This baron came to England during the Norman Conquest. The Montfichet family also built Stansted Mountfitchet Castle in Essex. This can sometimes cause confusion because of the similar names and spellings.

The last time Montfichet's Tower was important for military reasons was during a rebellion against King Henry II. A writer named Jordan Fantosme wrote about it. He said that Gilbert de Munfichet made his castle in London stronger. Gilbert teamed up with his cousin, Walter Fitz Robert, who owned Baynard's Castle.

King John and the Castle's End

Robert Fitzwalter of Baynard's Castle was a leader of the barons who rebelled against King John. This rebellion led to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. In 1212, Fitzwalter planned against King John. But King John found out and sent Fitzwalter away from England. Fitzwalter went to France.

On January 14, 1213, King John destroyed Baynard's Castle. Historian John Stow also wrote that Robert Montfichet was sent away in 1213, and at least one of the Montfichet castles was torn down.

Fitzwalter was later forgiven by King John in May 1213. His lands were given back to him in July 1213. Stow said Fitzwalter was allowed to fix Baynard's Castle. It's not clear how much either castle was rebuilt after 1213. By 1278, Montfichet's Tower was definitely in ruins. This was written in a document about building the new Dominican church.

Blackfriars Priory Takes Over

In 1275, Robert Fitzwalter's grandson, also named Robert, was allowed to sell Baynard's Castle. He sold it to Robert Kilwardby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This land was used to build the large Dominican Priory at Blackfriars, which started being built in 1276. Montfichet's Tower was part of this sale.

Building the priory meant the old Roman walls had to be moved in 1282. The military job of the castles was taken over by a new "tower" built in the river. This new tower was started by King Edward I and finished during the time of King Edward II (1307–1327). It was torn down in 1502.

The Bishop of London got the first pick of stones from the old castles. These stones were used to rebuild Old St Paul's Cathedral. The rest of the stones were used to build the new priory church.

What Archaeology Tells Us

A document from 1278 helps us know where Montfichet's Tower was. It says the tower was between Ludgate and the river, inside the city walls. Baynard's Castle was to the south, next to St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe.

In the 1980s, experts thought the tower was located between Ludgate Hill and Carter Lane. They also thought it was between St Paul's deanery and the city wall. When the area was redeveloped, the Museum of London had a chance to dig there. They did excavations between 1986 and 1990.

They found two ditches running east to west on the north side of Carter Lane. These were thought to be the southern defenses of the tower. One older ditch was about 10 meters (33 feet) long and 2 meters (6.6 feet) deep. A newer, V-shaped ditch was about 41 meters (135 feet) long and 5 meters (16 feet) deep. Another ditch was found on Ludgate Hill, about 30 meters (98 feet) north of the southern ditches. It was about 6.8 meters (22 feet) wide and 3 meters (9.8 feet) deep.

They also found pits and a well between the ditches. These were likely part of the castle's outer area, called the bailey. However, they found no signs of a main tower (keep) or other stone buildings. Some experts believe a mound (motte) and keep might have been to the east of the Ludgate Hill entrance of Ludgate Square. Today, there's an office building called Montfichet House at 29 Ludgate Hill. In 2009, tunnels were found under this building.

Images for kids

• View of the site in 2009; the castle was behind the white building on the horizon.