Leicester Castle
Encyclopedia
Leicester Castle is located in the city of the same name
in the English county of Leicestershire
. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre
, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University
to the south.
The Castle complex contains:
According to Leicester Museums, the castle was probably built around 1070 (soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. http://www.leicestermuseums.ac.uk/museums/castle.html The remains now consist of a mound
, along with ruins. Originally the mound was 40 ft (12.2 m) high. Kings sometimes stayed at the castle (Edward I
in 1300, and Edward II
in 1310 and 1311), and John of Gaunt and his second wife Constance of Castile
both died here in 1399 and 1394 respectively.
Eventually, however, it was used mainly as a courthouse (sessions being held in the Great Hall), rather than a residence. [Simmons]
Apart from being used for Assize Courts (JM Barrie
visited regularly and spent many hours inside as reporter for a newspaper when the hall was used as a court house), the Great Hall was also used for sessions of the Parliament of England
most notably the Parliament of Bats
in 1426, when the conditions in London were not suitable and its connections with the Plantagenet family.
The Castle, the Turret Gateway, the Great Hall and 'John of Gaunt's Cellar' (erroneously called a dungeon) are all Scheduled Ancient Monuments http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=1168, and are variously listed buildings also. St Mary de Castro is a Grade I listed building.
A section of the castle wall, adjacent to the Turret Gateway, has gun loops (holes) that were poked through the medieval wall to use as firing ports by the city's residents when parliamentarian Leicester was besieged, captured, and ransacked, by the royalist army in the 1640s during the English civil war
. The third storey of the Turret Gateway was destroyed in an election riot in 1832 http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/ep/planning/designandconservation/scheduledmonuments/scheduledmonumentslist/leicestercastleandmagazine/turret-gateway.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in the English county of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. The complex is situated in the west of the city centre
Leicester City Centre
Leicester City Centre is an area covering the core inner city area and central business district of the city of Leicester, England. It is roughly delineated from Leicester's suburbs by the A594, Leicester's inner ring road....
, between Saint Nicholas Circle to the north and De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
to the south.
The Castle complex contains:
- Castle Gardens, a set of gardens along the bank of the canalGrand Union CanalThe Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
, (there are official British WaterwaysBritish WaterwaysBritish Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
secure overnight moorings for visiting boaters). - The church of St Mary de CastroSt Mary de Castro (Leicester)St Mary de Castro is an ancient church in Leicester, England, near to Leicester Castle. Today it acts as a parish church in the Church of England's diocese of Leicester.-Architectural history:...
, the oldest part of which dates to the 12th century, and still in use as a Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church - The Great Hall, built in about 1150 by Robert de Bossu, 2nd Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of LeicesterRobert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester was Justiciar of England 1155–1168.The surname "de Beaumont" is given him by genealogists. The only known contemporary surname applied to him is "Robert son of Count Robert"...
. It was extensively rebuilt and the roof structure replaced in about 1523. The brick frontage dates from 1695. It was used as a law court from the earliest times until 1992. - 'John of Gaunt's Cellar' (erroneously called a dungeon)
- The remains of the castle itself
- Castle Yard, the open area between the Great Hall and St Mary de Castro, which was used for public executions. A nearby plaque records that John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
addressed "a great crowd" here in 1770.
According to Leicester Museums, the castle was probably built around 1070 (soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. http://www.leicestermuseums.ac.uk/museums/castle.html The remains now consist of a mound
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
, along with ruins. Originally the mound was 40 ft (12.2 m) high. Kings sometimes stayed at the castle (Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1300, and 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...
in 1310 and 1311), and John of Gaunt and his second wife Constance of Castile
Constance of Castile (1354-1394)
Constance of Castile was claimant of the Castilian throne after the death of her father Peter the Cruel, her mother being María de Padilla, whom Peter had secretly married but was then forced to repudiate, only to keep her as a mistress...
both died here in 1399 and 1394 respectively.
Eventually, however, it was used mainly as a courthouse (sessions being held in the Great Hall), rather than a residence. [Simmons]
Apart from being used for Assize Courts (JM Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
visited regularly and spent many hours inside as reporter for a newspaper when the hall was used as a court house), the Great Hall was also used for sessions of the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
most notably the Parliament of Bats
Parliament of Bats
The Parliament of Bats was a Parliament of England that was held in 1426 in Leicester. Meetings took place in the great hall of Leicester Castle. The King at the time, Henry VI was an infant, and the session saw him knighted in St Mary de Castro Church across the road from the Castle Great Hall...
in 1426, when the conditions in London were not suitable and its connections with the Plantagenet family.
The Castle, the Turret Gateway, the Great Hall and 'John of Gaunt's Cellar' (erroneously called a dungeon) are all Scheduled Ancient Monuments http://www.leicester.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=1168, and are variously listed buildings also. St Mary de Castro is a Grade I listed building.
A section of the castle wall, adjacent to the Turret Gateway, has gun loops (holes) that were poked through the medieval wall to use as firing ports by the city's residents when parliamentarian Leicester was besieged, captured, and ransacked, by the royalist army in the 1640s during the English civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. The third storey of the Turret Gateway was destroyed in an election riot in 1832 http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/ep/planning/designandconservation/scheduledmonuments/scheduledmonumentslist/leicestercastleandmagazine/turret-gateway.