Clare Castle
Encyclopedia
Clare Castle is a medieval castle in the small town of Clare
in Suffolk
, England
. Built shortly after the Norman conquest of England
by Richard Fitz Gilbert
, the motte and bailey castle was later improved in stone. In the 14th century the castle was the home of Elizabeth de Clare
, one of the richest women in England, who maintained a substantial household there. The castle passed into the hands of the Crown, and by the 16th century was in ruins. Damaged by the construction of the Great Eastern Railway
through the castle in 1867, the remains of the castle are now part of a local park and a scheduled monument and a grade 2* listed building.
, Richard Fitz Gilbert
was granted a barony by William the Conqueror, with two blocks of land, first in Kent
and later across Suffolk
and Essex
. Richard built two castles to defend his new lands, Tonbridge
in Kent, followed by Clare Castle in Suffolk. The exact date of the construction is unknown, but the first documentary records of the castle appear by 1090. In the 11th century, Suffolk was one of the most prosperous parts of the country.
Clare Castle was built between the River Stour
and the Chilton Stream and took the form of a motte and bailey design, with two baileys rather than the more common one. The motte is 850 feet (259 m) wide at the base and 100 feet (30 m) tall, with its flat summit 63 feet (19 m) across. The two baileys, stretching alongside from the motte along the north and east, were protected by deep ditches and steep palisade
s, with either a causeway or a drawbridge
linking the inner to the outer bailey; the inner bailey was also sheltered by the curve of the Chilton.
The castle was built on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon manor house, probably reflective of the wider Norman effort to demonstrate that their authority had replaced those of the previous lords. Castles such as this were termed a caput, and as historian Robert Liddiard describes, as well as having a defensive value it also "represented and reflected the rank and dignity of the lord". The castle was surrounded by three parks
, including the Great Park at Hundon, established by 1090. Like many other major castles, Clare was twinned with a local religious house when Richard de Clare founded Clare Priory
in 1249, close to the castle, and grew to contain 29 friar
s.
A new keep was built, probably in the 13th century. This took the form of a polygonal shell keep
, with fourteen triangular buttress
es supporting six foot (1.8 m) thick walls. The inner bailey was strengthened with new stone walls, 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) tall on top of the earlier earth banks, the walls and keep being built of flint
and rubble. The castle was manned during this period by a castle-guard
system, in which lands were given out to local lords in return for their providing knights and soldiers to serve at the castle.
, the town of Clare had a population of around 600. The de Clares continued to own estates across England, but in Suffolk their possessions were concentrated in estates clustered around Clare Castle. The castle was passed through the de Clare line until Gilbert de Clare died at the battle of Bannockburn
in 1314, when the estate passed onto his sisters. Elizabeth de Clare
, whose husband John de Burgh had died the previous year, acquired the castle; the combined estates made Elizabeth one of the wealthiest women in England. Elizabeth used the castle as her main residence between 1322 and 1360.
The castle was well developed by this time, and was reached through three gates positioned across the wider estate, called Nethergate, Redgate and Dernegate. The castle itself had four stone towers protecting the entrance to the inner bailey and the keep, called Auditorstower, Maidenstower, Constabletower and Oxfordtower. Elizabeth built a chamber for her own use at the castle between 1346-7. A substantial water-garden, forming part of the moat to the east, existed at the castle during this period; it may have included a fountain and probably had a geometric form, possibly similar to the garden at nearby St Benet's Abbey in Norfolk
. Vineyard
s and orchard
s surrounded the property. The castle's three parks continued in active use, and, as part of the local rearing programme, the local deer
were moved between them as the animals grew older.
The castle and estates supported a luxurious, wealthy lifestyle by their owners - Elizabeth had an income of approximately £3,500 a year, most of which was spent on supporting her household, centred on Clare. Over £1,750 was spent on food and drink, including luxuries such as swan
s, salmon
and German wine
s. Some goods could be bought locally, but others, such as furs, spices, cloth and wine, were imported for the castle through the international fairs held at Bury St Edmunds, Colchester
, Ipswich
, London
, King's Lynn
and Stourbridge
. The staff at Clare Castle included falconers, tailors, chaplains and goldsmiths, supported as necessary by 30 knights and squires. The castle's bakers could produce up to 2,360 loaves of bread a day, and on average around 900 gallons (4, 091 litres) of ale
were brewed every five days.
; after Edmund's death in 1425, the castle passed to Richard of York and in turn, via his son Edward IV
, to the Crown.
The castle deteriorated during this period, and by the time that the antiquarian John Leland visited in the 16th century, it was in ruins, except for one of the towers which was being used as a local prison. The masonry of the castle had probably been stripped for use as local building materials, as this part of England was traditionally very short of suitable stone. Edward VI
gave the castle to Sir John Checke, until it reverted to Mary I
. After Mary, the castle was acquired by Sir Gervase Elwes, whose family retained it until the 19th century. At some point after 1720, the surviving east and south sides of the inner bailey walls were destroyed.
In 1867 the Cambridge and Colchester branch line of the Great Eastern Railway
was built through the castle, cutting across and largely destroying the inner bailey in order to make room for a new station. The railway line was later closed in 1967 as part of the Beeching Axe
.
The castle now consists of a motte, on which a part of the keep still stands and the outer bailey earthworks; fragments of the inner bailey stone wall can also still be seen. The disused station, goods yard and the castle grounds have been developed into a landscaped country park, interlaced with water in the old moats, called Clare Castle Country Park
, which is crossed by the Stour Valley Path. The castle is a scheduled monument and a grade 2* listed building.
Clare, Suffolk
Clare is a small town on the north bank of the River Stour in Suffolk, England.Clare is from Bury St Edmunds and from Sudbury. It lies in the 'South and Heart of Suffolk' . As a cloth town, it is one of Suffolk's 'threads'. Clare is the current holder of Village of the Year and has won the...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, 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...
. Built shortly after the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
by Richard Fitz Gilbert
Richard Fitz Gilbert
Richard fitz Gilbert , was a Norman lord who participated in the Norman conquest of England in 1066. He was also known as "de Bienfaite", "de Clare", and "de Tonbridge".-Biography:...
, the motte and bailey castle was later improved in stone. In the 14th century the castle was the home of Elizabeth de Clare
Elizabeth de Clare
Elizabeth de Clare was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk in England and Usk in Wales. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Joan of Acre, and sister of Gilbert de Clare, who later succeeded as the 7th Earl...
, one of the richest women in England, who maintained a substantial household there. The castle passed into the hands of the Crown, and by the 16th century was in ruins. Damaged by the construction of the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
through the castle in 1867, the remains of the castle are now part of a local park and a scheduled monument and a grade 2* listed building.
11th - 13th centuries
Soon after the Norman conquest of EnglandNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, Richard Fitz Gilbert
Richard Fitz Gilbert
Richard fitz Gilbert , was a Norman lord who participated in the Norman conquest of England in 1066. He was also known as "de Bienfaite", "de Clare", and "de Tonbridge".-Biography:...
was granted a barony by William the Conqueror, with two blocks of land, first in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and later across Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Richard built two castles to defend his new lands, Tonbridge
Tonbridge Castle
Tonbridge Castle is situated in the town of the same name, Kent, England.-Early history:Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-and-bailey castle on the site. To dig the moat and erect the...
in Kent, followed by Clare Castle in Suffolk. The exact date of the construction is unknown, but the first documentary records of the castle appear by 1090. In the 11th century, Suffolk was one of the most prosperous parts of the country.
Clare Castle was built between the River Stour
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
and the Chilton Stream and took the form of a motte and bailey design, with two baileys rather than the more common one. The motte is 850 feet (259 m) wide at the base and 100 feet (30 m) tall, with its flat summit 63 feet (19 m) across. The two baileys, stretching alongside from the motte along the north and east, were protected by deep ditches and steep palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
s, with either a causeway or a 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:...
linking the inner to the outer bailey; the inner bailey was also sheltered by the curve of the Chilton.
The castle was built on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon manor house, probably reflective of the wider Norman effort to demonstrate that their authority had replaced those of the previous lords. Castles such as this were termed a caput, and as historian Robert Liddiard describes, as well as having a defensive value it also "represented and reflected the rank and dignity of the lord". The castle was surrounded by three parks
Medieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
, including the Great Park at Hundon, established by 1090. Like many other major castles, Clare was twinned with a local religious house when Richard de Clare founded Clare Priory
Clare Priory
Clare Priory is a modern English house of the Augustinian order, established 1248 near Clare Castle on the banks of the River Stour in Suffolk. It was one of the first English monastic houses suppressed in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the Irish Augustinian Friars purchased...
in 1249, close to the castle, and grew to contain 29 friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
s.
A new keep was built, probably in the 13th century. This took the form of a polygonal shell keep
Shell keep
A shell keep is a style of medieval fortification, best described as a stone structure circling the top of a motte.In English castle morphology, shell keeps are perceived as the successors to motte-and-bailey castles, with the wooden fence around the top of the motte replaced by a stone wall...
, with fourteen triangular buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es supporting six foot (1.8 m) thick walls. The inner bailey was strengthened with new stone walls, 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) tall on top of the earlier earth banks, the walls and keep being built of flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
and rubble. The castle was manned during this period by a castle-guard
Castle-guard
Castle-guard was an arrangement under the feudal system, by which the duty of finding knights to guard royal castles was imposed on certain manors, knight's fees or baronies. The greater barons provided for the guard of their castles by exacting a similar duty from their sub-enfeoffedknights...
system, in which lands were given out to local lords in return for their providing knights and soldiers to serve at the castle.
14th century
By the early 14th century, before the outbreak of the Black DeathBlack Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, the town of Clare had a population of around 600. The de Clares continued to own estates across England, but in Suffolk their possessions were concentrated in estates clustered around Clare Castle. The castle was passed through the de Clare line until Gilbert de Clare died at the battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314, when the estate passed onto his sisters. Elizabeth de Clare
Elizabeth de Clare
Elizabeth de Clare was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk in England and Usk in Wales. She was the youngest of the three daughters of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Joan of Acre, and sister of Gilbert de Clare, who later succeeded as the 7th Earl...
, whose husband John de Burgh had died the previous year, acquired the castle; the combined estates made Elizabeth one of the wealthiest women in England. Elizabeth used the castle as her main residence between 1322 and 1360.
The castle was well developed by this time, and was reached through three gates positioned across the wider estate, called Nethergate, Redgate and Dernegate. The castle itself had four stone towers protecting the entrance to the inner bailey and the keep, called Auditorstower, Maidenstower, Constabletower and Oxfordtower. Elizabeth built a chamber for her own use at the castle between 1346-7. A substantial water-garden, forming part of the moat to the east, existed at the castle during this period; it may have included a fountain and probably had a geometric form, possibly similar to the garden at nearby St Benet's Abbey in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s and orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s surrounded the property. The castle's three parks continued in active use, and, as part of the local rearing programme, the local deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
were moved between them as the animals grew older.
The castle and estates supported a luxurious, wealthy lifestyle by their owners - Elizabeth had an income of approximately £3,500 a year, most of which was spent on supporting her household, centred on Clare. Over £1,750 was spent on food and drink, including luxuries such as swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s, salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and German wine
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
s. Some goods could be bought locally, but others, such as furs, spices, cloth and wine, were imported for the castle through the international fairs held at Bury St Edmunds, Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
and Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
. The staff at Clare Castle included falconers, tailors, chaplains and goldsmiths, supported as necessary by 30 knights and squires. The castle's bakers could produce up to 2,360 loaves of bread a day, and on average around 900 gallons (4, 091 litres) of ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
were brewed every five days.
15th - 21st centuries
After Elizabeth de Clare's death, Clare Castle passed by marriage into the Mortimers of Wigmore. When Sir Edmund Mortimer acquired the castle in 1405, contemporaries reported it "in good repair and stocked". The subsequent years saw the Mortimers heavily involved in the Wars of the RosesWars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
; after Edmund's death in 1425, the castle passed to Richard of York and in turn, via his son Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, to the Crown.
The castle deteriorated during this period, and by the time that the antiquarian John Leland visited in the 16th century, it was in ruins, except for one of the towers which was being used as a local prison. The masonry of the castle had probably been stripped for use as local building materials, as this part of England was traditionally very short of suitable stone. Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
gave the castle to Sir John Checke, until it reverted to Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. After Mary, the castle was acquired by Sir Gervase Elwes, whose family retained it until the 19th century. At some point after 1720, the surviving east and south sides of the inner bailey walls were destroyed.
In 1867 the Cambridge and Colchester branch line of the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
was built through the castle, cutting across and largely destroying the inner bailey in order to make room for a new station. The railway line was later closed in 1967 as part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
The castle now consists of a motte, on which a part of the keep still stands and the outer bailey earthworks; fragments of the inner bailey stone wall can also still be seen. The disused station, goods yard and the castle grounds have been developed into a landscaped country park, interlaced with water in the old moats, called Clare Castle Country Park
Clare Castle Country Park
Clare Castle Country Park in Suffolk, England, was created around the ruins of Clare Castle.- External links :*...
, which is crossed by the Stour Valley Path. The castle is a scheduled monument and a grade 2* listed building.