Bridgwater Castle
Encyclopedia
Bridgwater Castle was a castle
in the town of Bridgwater
, Somerset
, England.
, like several other castle-builders of the period, an exceptionally wealthy man. He was granted the lordship
of the Manor
of Bridgwater by King John in 1201, and founded Bridgwater Friary
. Before the building of the castle, Bridgwater was much smaller, but after the granting of the charter by King John for the construction of the castle, charters for the creation of a borough
and a market rapidly followed, effectively creating the heart of a new town. Initially Bridgwater faced competition from the established nearby port of Downend, but the new settlement rapidly became dominant.
William Brewer died in 1226 and his son, also called William, died in 1232; after his death, the castle passed to the king the following year, after which it was used as a store and prison. In 1242 repairs were ordered to its motte and in 1246 to the towers. In 1248 ownership passed to Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore
the wife of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore, and the castle was involved in the Second Barons' War
.
In the Despenser War
of 1321, Edward II
undertook a campaign against the Mortimers, by then a potentially rebellious Marcher Lord family. After the short war, the crown again occupied Bridgwater until 1326 to prevent Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March using it as a base for operations if he should escape from custody or return from exile in France. Roger Mortimer did return from France with Edward's wife, Isabella
; once they had seized the throne, the castle was returned to the Mortimer family but its upkeep was neglected and part of the moat was filled in. Only St Mark's Chapel and a barn were repaired, until the 1380s and 1390s when the towers, gatehouse and barbican were reinforced. By 1450 private houses had been built within the walls and its military value was reducing.
broke out between supporters of Charles I
and Parliament
: the town and the castle were still seen as having value and a garrison was established by the Royalists under Colonel Francis Wyndham
, a personal acquaintance of the King. Wyndham's wife, Lady Crystabella Wyndham, infamously fired a musket shot at Cromwell
but missed and killed his aide de camp. Eventually, with many buildings having been destroyed in the town, the castle and its valuable contents were surrendered to the Parliamentarians
on 21 July 1645. The castle itself was deliberately destroyed
the following year, while in 1651 Colonel Wyndham made arrangements for Charles II
to flee to France
following the Battle of Worcester
. Although Robert Blake
was born in Bridgwater and became one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England
and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century, he is not thought to have been involved in the fighting in the town.
During the Monmouth Rebellion
of 1685 rebel troops were hemmed in at Bridgwater on 3 July, and were ordered to refortify the town, prior to the Battle of Sedgemoor
.
During the later part of the 17th century John Harvey built a mansion on the summit of the site. The rest of the land was acquired by James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
who developed an industrial centre in the town.
Much of the site was built on in the 1720s to create the Georgian Castle Street
. Parts of the castle wall, water gate and undercroft
still survive. The mansion was later demolished and the site laid out as King's Square.
, covering a site of 8 or 9 acres (32,000 to 36,000 m²). A tidal moat
, up to 65 feet (20 m) wide in places, flowed about along the current streets of Fore Street and Castle Moat, and between Northgate and Chandos Street. The moat was filled from Durleigh brook, a tributary of the River Parrett
.
Unusually, the main entrance opposite the Cornhill was built with a pair of adjacent gates and drawbridge
s. In addition to a keep
, located at the south-east corner of what is now King Square, documents show that the complex included a dungeon
, chapel, stables and a bell tower
. Built on the only raised ground in the town, the castle controlled the crossing of the town bridge. A 12 feet (4 m) thick portion of the castle wall and water gate, which are grade II* listed can still be seen on West Quay, and the remains of a wall of a building that was probably built within the castle can be viewed in Queen Street. The foundations of the tower forming the north-east corner of the castle are buried beneath Homecastle House.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
in the town of Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.
Early history
The castle was built in 1202 by William BrewerWilliam Brewer (justice)
William Brewer was a prominent administrator and justice in England during the reigns of Richard I, King John, and Henry III...
, like several other castle-builders of the period, an exceptionally wealthy man. He was granted the lordship
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
of the Manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Bridgwater by King John in 1201, and founded Bridgwater Friary
Bridgwater Friary
Bridgwater Friary was a Franciscan monastery established in 1245 and dissolved in 1538 in Bridgwater, Somerset, England.It was founded by William Briwere and moved from another location. Further buildings were added in 1278 and 1284. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century and consecrated in...
. Before the building of the castle, Bridgwater was much smaller, but after the granting of the charter by King John for the construction of the castle, charters for the creation of a borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
and a market rapidly followed, effectively creating the heart of a new town. Initially Bridgwater faced competition from the established nearby port of Downend, but the new settlement rapidly became dominant.
William Brewer died in 1226 and his son, also called William, died in 1232; after his death, the castle passed to the king the following year, after which it was used as a store and prison. In 1242 repairs were ordered to its motte and in 1246 to the towers. In 1248 ownership passed to Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore
Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore
Maud de Braose, Baroness Wigmore was a noble heiress, and one of the most important, being a member of the powerful de Braose family which held many lordships and domains in the Welsh Marches...
the wife of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore, and the castle was involved in the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
.
In the Despenser War
Despenser War
The Despenser War was a baronial revolt between 1321-2 led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer, Baron Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford against Edward II of England and his favourite, Hugh Despenser the Younger.Some historians use the label the "Despenser War" to refer to just...
of 1321, Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
undertook a campaign against the Mortimers, by then a potentially rebellious Marcher Lord family. After the short war, the crown again occupied Bridgwater until 1326 to prevent Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March using it as a base for operations if he should escape from custody or return from exile in France. Roger Mortimer did return from France with Edward's wife, Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
; once they had seized the throne, the castle was returned to the Mortimer family but its upkeep was neglected and part of the moat was filled in. Only St Mark's Chapel and a barn were repaired, until the 1380s and 1390s when the towers, gatehouse and barbican were reinforced. By 1450 private houses had been built within the walls and its military value was reducing.
Civil war and the Monmouth Rebellion
Some of the external walls of Bridgwater Castle were demolished in the early 1630s by the then owner Henry Harvey. In 1642, however, the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
broke out between supporters of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
: the town and the castle were still seen as having value and a garrison was established by the Royalists under Colonel Francis Wyndham
Sir Francis Wyndham, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Wyndham, 1st Baronet was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England in 1640...
, a personal acquaintance of the King. Wyndham's wife, Lady Crystabella Wyndham, infamously fired a musket shot at Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
but missed and killed his aide de camp. Eventually, with many buildings having been destroyed in the town, the castle and its valuable contents were surrendered to 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...
on 21 July 1645. The castle itself was deliberately destroyed
Slighting
A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
the following year, while in 1651 Colonel Wyndham made arrangements for Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to flee to France
Escape of Charles II
The Escape of Charles II from England in 1651 is a key episode in his life. Although it took only six weeks, it had a major effect on his attitudes for the rest of his life.-The fugitive king:...
following the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
. Although Robert Blake
Robert Blake (admiral)
Robert Blake was one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century. Blake is recognised as the chief founder of England's naval supremacy, a dominance subsequently inherited by the British Royal Navy into...
was born in Bridgwater and became one of the most important military commanders of the Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
and one of the most famous English admirals of the 17th century, he is not thought to have been involved in the fighting in the town.
During the Monmouth Rebellion
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...
of 1685 rebel troops were hemmed in at Bridgwater on 3 July, and were ordered to refortify the town, prior to the Battle of Sedgemoor
Battle of Sedgemoor
The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685 and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England.It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion and followed a series of skirmishes around south west England between the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and the...
.
Rebuilding of the site
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos
James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, MP, PC was the first of fourteen children by Sir James Brydges, 3rd Baronet of Wilton Castle, Sheriff of Herefordshire, 8th Baron Chandos; and Elizabeth Barnard...
who developed an industrial centre in the town.
Much of the site was built on in the 1720s to create the Georgian Castle Street
Castle Street, Bridgwater
Castle Street in Bridgwater, Somerset, England was built in the 1720s, on a site previously occupied by Bridgwater Castle, by Benjamin Holloway or Fort and Shepherd, the Duke's London surveyors for James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. It was originally called Chandos Street...
. Parts of the castle wall, water gate and undercroft
Undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...
still survive. The mansion was later demolished and the site laid out as King's Square.
Recent history
In 2008, during sewer renovation work, a section of the curtain wall of the castle and a tunnel used to transport goods from the port were discovered.Architecture
Bridgwater Castle was a substantial structure built in Old Red SandstoneOld Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
, covering a site of 8 or 9 acres (32,000 to 36,000 m²). A tidal 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...
, up to 65 feet (20 m) wide in places, flowed about along the current streets of Fore Street and Castle Moat, and between Northgate and Chandos Street. The moat was filled from Durleigh brook, a tributary of the River Parrett
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
.
Unusually, the main entrance opposite the Cornhill was built with a pair of adjacent gates and drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
s. In addition to a keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, located at the south-east corner of what is now King Square, documents show that the complex included a dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
, chapel, stables and a bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
. Built on the only raised ground in the town, the castle controlled the crossing of the town bridge. A 12 feet (4 m) thick portion of the castle wall and water gate, which are grade II* listed can still be seen on West Quay, and the remains of a wall of a building that was probably built within the castle can be viewed in Queen Street. The foundations of the tower forming the north-east corner of the castle are buried beneath Homecastle House.
Further reading
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3