Brampton Bryan Castle
Encyclopedia
Brampton Bryan Castle is in the small village of Brampton Bryan
in north-western Herefordshire
, England
, 50m south of the River Teme
. The castle guarded an important route from Ludlow
along the Teme Valley to Knighton and on into Central Wales.
contained within the southern curtain wall
, to which a large outer gatehouse was added. The whole was constructed on a motte and surrounded by a moat
, with the approach to the castle being from the south across a bridge to the gatehouse.
The north range contained the hall and service bay, both at first floor level, with the kitchen to the east. Private accommodation was found in the other ranges, with further chambers above the gate passage of the inner gatehouse and on the first floor of the outer gatehouse.
The castle is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) although the actual date of its foundation remains uncertain. The earliest reference to a building on the site is in 1295. During the previous year the owner Bryan de Brampton had died and Robert Harley inherited the castle through marriage to his daughter Margaret. For almost 700 years since the castle has remained in the Harley family. It was severely damaged in 1642 during the Civil War.
. At this time Herefordshire was largely a Royalist
county but the puritan Harley family supported the Parliamentarians
. The Harley family's support for parliament can be seen in a number of Lady Brilliana Harley's letters to her son, Sir Edward Harley
- writing in December 1642, Lady Harley writes; "They [my neighbours] are in mighty violence against me."
Sir Robert Harley left the defence of the castle in the hands of his wife, Lady Brilliana Harley
. The castle was not attacked until 26 July 1643 when Sir William Vavasour, the newly-appointed Royalist governor of Hereford, surrounded Brampton Bryan with a mixed force of cavalry
and infantrymen of about 700 soldiers.
Brilliana and three of her children together with 100 of her tenants (many of them armed) held the castle. Cattle, sheep and horses were plundered, all the buildings in the village were burnt to the ground and the castle was attacked with cannon and shot. Inside the castle casualties were low and only one death and a few injuries are recorded. The attackers fared less well and nearly a tenth of the company were either killed or injured. After seven weeks the siege was lifted and in October Vavasour left to join a Royalist attack on Gloucester
.
For some months afterwards an uneasy truce prevailed (although this did not stop Brilliana dispatching 40 troops to raid a Royalist camp at Knighton), however Brilliana's health worsened and she died 29 October 1643.
Following her death the command of the garrison was put in the hands of the family doctor Nathaniel Wright and the Royalist forces began a second siege of the castle in the spring of 1644. This second siege lasted only three weeks and the Royalists reinforced by additional weaponry inflicted much more substantial damage upon the castle with mines and powerful artillery. The siege ended when Dr Wright surrendered to the attacking forces led by Sir Michael Woodhouse, Sir William Vavasour and Sir William Croft. The building was sacked and burnt and the prisoners, including the three young Harley children, were taken to Shrewsbury
.
The siege was featured in the Channel Four documentary Blood on Our Hands.
Brampton Bryan
Brampton Bryan is a small village and civil parish situated in north Herefordshire, England close to the Shropshire and Welsh borders.Brampton Bryan lies mid-way between Leintwardine and Knighton on the A4113 road. The village has had a complex history and its buildings reflect this...
in north-western Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, 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...
, 50m south of the River Teme
River Teme
The River Teme rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown in Powys, and flows through Knighton where it crosses the border into England down to Ludlow in Shropshire, then to the north of Tenbury Wells on the Shropshire/Worcestershire border there, on its way to join the River Severn south of Worcester...
. The castle guarded an important route from Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
along the Teme Valley to Knighton and on into Central Wales.
Medieval period
The current buildings include the ruined earthwork and buried remains of the quadrangular castle. The medieval layout consisted of four ranges built around a courtyard, with a gatehouseGatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
contained within the southern curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
, to which a large outer gatehouse was added. The whole was constructed on a motte and surrounded by a 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...
, with the approach to the castle being from the south across a bridge to the gatehouse.
The north range contained the hall and service bay, both at first floor level, with the kitchen to the east. Private accommodation was found in the other ranges, with further chambers above the gate passage of the inner gatehouse and on the first floor of the outer gatehouse.
The castle is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086) although the actual date of its foundation remains uncertain. The earliest reference to a building on the site is in 1295. During the previous year the owner Bryan de Brampton had died and Robert Harley inherited the castle through marriage to his daughter Margaret. For almost 700 years since the castle has remained in the Harley family. It was severely damaged in 1642 during the Civil War.
Civil War
The castle was almost entirely destroyed during the Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. At this time Herefordshire was largely a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
county but the puritan Harley family supported the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
. The Harley family's support for parliament can be seen in a number of Lady Brilliana Harley's letters to her son, Sir Edward Harley
Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)
Sir Edward Harley KB was an English Parliamentarian.He was born in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Robert Harley, KB and his third wife Brilliana, the daughter of Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway...
- writing in December 1642, Lady Harley writes; "They [my neighbours] are in mighty violence against me."
Sir Robert Harley left the defence of the castle in the hands of his wife, Lady Brilliana Harley
Brilliana Harley
Brilliana, Lady Harley , née Brilliana Conway, was a celebrated English letter-writer.-Marriage:Conway was born at Brill, near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, while her father Sir Edward Conway was Governor there...
. The castle was not attacked until 26 July 1643 when Sir William Vavasour, the newly-appointed Royalist governor of Hereford, surrounded Brampton Bryan with a mixed force of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and infantrymen of about 700 soldiers.
Brilliana and three of her children together with 100 of her tenants (many of them armed) held the castle. Cattle, sheep and horses were plundered, all the buildings in the village were burnt to the ground and the castle was attacked with cannon and shot. Inside the castle casualties were low and only one death and a few injuries are recorded. The attackers fared less well and nearly a tenth of the company were either killed or injured. After seven weeks the siege was lifted and in October Vavasour left to join a Royalist attack on Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
.
For some months afterwards an uneasy truce prevailed (although this did not stop Brilliana dispatching 40 troops to raid a Royalist camp at Knighton), however Brilliana's health worsened and she died 29 October 1643.
Following her death the command of the garrison was put in the hands of the family doctor Nathaniel Wright and the Royalist forces began a second siege of the castle in the spring of 1644. This second siege lasted only three weeks and the Royalists reinforced by additional weaponry inflicted much more substantial damage upon the castle with mines and powerful artillery. The siege ended when Dr Wright surrendered to the attacking forces led by Sir Michael Woodhouse, Sir William Vavasour and Sir William Croft. The building was sacked and burnt and the prisoners, including the three young Harley children, were taken to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
.
The siege was featured in the Channel Four documentary Blood on Our Hands.