Maxstoke Castle
Encyclopedia
Maxstoke Castle is a privately owned moated castle
dating from medieval times situated to the north of Maxstoke
, Warwickshire
.
, in 1345 to a rectangular plan, with octagonal towers at each angle , a gatehouse on the east, and a residential range on the west, the whole surrounded by a broad moat
. Additions were made by Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
who acquired it in 1437 by exchanging it for other manors in Northamptonshire
. The castle is unusual in that it has survived largely intact.
Amongst the antiquities there is a 15th century chair upon which Henry VII
was crowned after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, a table owned by Sir Everard Digby
(cousin to the Digbys of Coleshill
) around which the Gunpowder Plot
was planned in 1605, and a 'Whispering Door' (two doors with a common jamb) brought from Kenilworth Castle
.
The present family, the Fetherston-Dilkes
, first came into possession in the 17th century.
During the Civil War Maxstoke was garrisoned for Parliament.The first known Governor of Maxstoke Castle in 1642/43 was a Captain Layfield. The garrison musters reveal that between March 1644 to October 1645, the Captain of the garrison was Mr Henry Kendall Sen. lord of the manor of Austrey. His son Henry Kendall Jun. was his lieutenant. The garrison included several of their Austrey tenants: William Smart (a joiner's son), Henry Orton, Henry Spencer and John Crispe.
In the 18th century William Dilke of Maxstoke married Mary Fetherstone-Leigh of Packwood House near Knowle
. Since then the two families and houses have been closely linked.
Maxstoke Castle is opened to the public on rare occasions, in aid of local charities. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
and a Grade I listed building.
The parkland of Maxstoke has been a golf course
since 1948. At one time the land was listed as a deer park; deer
can still be seen there.
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...
dating from medieval times situated to the north of Maxstoke
Maxstoke
Maxstoke is a hamlet in the North Warwickshire district of the county of Warwickshire, England.-Maxstoke:Maxstoke is a small residential area.In the fields around the priory can be seen traces of medieval earthworks for fish farming and water control....
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
Details
It was built by Sir William de Clinton, 1st Earl of HuntingdonWilliam de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon
William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Lord High Admiral, was the younger son of Baron John Clinton of Maxstoke and Ida De Odingsells, who was a great-great-granddaughter of Henry II. The Clintons were a great Norman family who had arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066...
, in 1345 to a rectangular plan, with octagonal towers at each angle , a gatehouse on the east, and a residential range on the west, the whole surrounded by a broad 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...
. Additions were made by Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG , an English nobleman, great grandson of King Edward III on his mother's side, was best known as a military commander in the Hundred Years' War and in the Wars of the Roses....
who acquired it in 1437 by exchanging it for other manors in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. The castle is unusual in that it has survived largely intact.
Amongst the antiquities there is a 15th century chair upon which Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
was crowned after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, a table owned by Sir Everard Digby
Everard Digby
Sir Everard Digby was a member of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Although he was raised in a Protestant household, and married a Protestant, Digby and his wife were converted to Catholicism by the Jesuit priest John Gerard...
(cousin to the Digbys of Coleshill
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
) around which the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
was planned in 1605, and a 'Whispering Door' (two doors with a common jamb) brought from Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...
.
The present family, the Fetherston-Dilkes
Tim Fetherston-Dilke
Tim Fetherston-Dilke is the eldest son of Lt-Cdr J T Fetherston-Dilke CBE, former Chief Coastguard, and the nephew of Captain Charles Fetherston-Dilke, who lived in Maxstoke Castle. It is now lived in by Charles' son Michael and their family...
, first came into possession in the 17th century.
During the Civil War Maxstoke was garrisoned for Parliament.The first known Governor of Maxstoke Castle in 1642/43 was a Captain Layfield. The garrison musters reveal that between March 1644 to October 1645, the Captain of the garrison was Mr Henry Kendall Sen. lord of the manor of Austrey. His son Henry Kendall Jun. was his lieutenant. The garrison included several of their Austrey tenants: William Smart (a joiner's son), Henry Orton, Henry Spencer and John Crispe.
In the 18th century William Dilke of Maxstoke married Mary Fetherstone-Leigh of Packwood House near Knowle
Knowle
Knowle is a large village a few miles southeast of the town of Solihull, UK. Knowle lies within the historic county boundaries of Warwickshire, and since 1974 it has been part of the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull within the West Midlands...
. Since then the two families and houses have been closely linked.
Maxstoke Castle is opened to the public on rare occasions, in aid of local charities. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
and a Grade I listed building.
The parkland of Maxstoke has been a golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
since 1948. At one time the land was listed as a deer park; 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...
can still be seen there.