Old Sarum Castle

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Old Sarum Castle
Wiltshire, England
Aerial photograph of Old Sarum site, on departure from Old Sarum airfield.jpg
Old Sarum Castle (foreground), with Old Sarum Cathedral in the background at left
Old Sarum Castle is located in Wiltshire
Old Sarum Castle
Old Sarum Castle
Coordinates51°05′35″N 1°48′00″W / 51.09309°N 1.7999955°W / 51.09309; -1.7999955Coordinates: 51°05′35″N 1°48′00″W / 51.09309°N 1.7999955°W / 51.09309; -1.7999955
Grid referencegrid reference SO716927
TypeCastle
Site information
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionRuined

Old Sarum Castle, formerly known as Seresberi Castle, is an 11th century motte-and-bailey castle built in Old Sarum, Wiltshire. It was originally built in timber and it was eventually built in stone, of which the ruins can be seen today. Only the mound and foundations of the castle survive today. The castle is owned by the English Heritage and it is open to the public,[1] along with the rest of Old Sarum.

History[]

In 1069, after recognising the defensive qualities of Seresberi, now known as Old Sarum, William the Conqueror built a motte-and-bailey castle within an older Iron Age hillfort known as Sorviodunum, constructed around 400 BC.[2] The courtyard was added around 1100 by Bishop Roger[3] and he also began work on a royal palace during the 1130s, prior to his arrest by Henry's successor Stephen.[4] and directed the royal administration and exchequer along with his extended family.[5] This palace was long thought to have been the small structure whose ruins are located in the small central bailey; it may, however, have been the large palace recently discovered in the southeast quadrant of the outer bailey.[6] This palace was 170 m × 65 m (560 ft × 210 ft), surrounded a large central courtyard, and had walls up to 3 m (10 ft) thick. A 60-metre-long (200 ft) room was probably a great hall and there seems to have been a large tower.[6] At the time of Roger's arrest by King Stephen, the bishop administered the castle on the king's behalf;[7] it was thereafter allowed to fall into disrepair but the sheriff and castellan continued to administer the area under the king's authority.[8]

1927 model of Old Sarum Castle as it looked during the 12th century (model housed in Salisbury Cathedral)

In 1171, King Henry II ordered that improvements are made to Old Sarum (which last until 1189), including a new gatehouse, drawbridge, inner bailey walls and a treasury constructed within the keep of the castle.[7] In addition to this work refurbishment of the quarters for Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine are completed for the period of her house arrest at Old Sarum, which would last also until 1189. Following continued repairs and maintenance, a new hall, kitchen and bakehouse are built for the sheriff starting from 1201 and ending before 1215.[7] After most of the population of Old Sarum had relocated to Salisbury by 1220, the castle became unused and was in ruins by 1240 but it was eventually repaired, only to be demolished by King Edward III in 1322.[1]

Edward III eventually ordered £700 to be spent on repairs and maintenance of the castle within Old Sarum around 1350, but the additional £600 required to repair the keep was never spent and the state of the castle started to deteriorate over time.[7] The castle grounds were sold by Henry VIII in 1514.[9][10]

Motte and ditch of Old Sarum Castle

The site of the castle and cathedral ruins at Old Sarum are considered a highly important British monument: it was among the 26 English locations scheduled by the 1882 Ancient Monuments Protection Act,[11] the first such British legislation. That protection has subsequently continued, expanding to include some suburban areas west and south-east of the outer bailey.[12] It was also listed as a Grade I site in 1972.[1] Old Sarum Castle, along with the cathedral ruins, is now administered by English Heritage. Its paved carpark and grass overflow carpark are located in the eastern area of the outer bailey.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c No. 1248682: "Remains of Old Sarum castle and cathedral". English Heritage (London), 2014. Accessed 3 Jan 2015.
  2. ^ English Heritage. Old Sarum, p. 22. (London), 2003.
  3. ^ Wiltshire Government. "Wiltshire Community History: Salisbury: Thumbnail History".
  4. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Roger, bishop of Salisbury" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 454.
  5. ^ Davis, R.H.C. King Stephen, p. 31. Longman (London), 1977. ISBN 0-582-48727-7.
  6. ^ a b Keys, David. "Archaeologists find vast medieval palace buried under prehistoric fortress at Old Sarum" in The Independent, 3 Dec 2014. Accessed 1 Jan 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d A Description... (1774), p. 2.
  8. ^ Storer, James. History and Antiquities of the Cathedral Churches of Great Britain, Vol. IV, p. 73. Rivingtons (London), 1819.
  9. ^ Pfaff, Richard W., "Old Sarum: the beginnings of Sarum Use", The Liturgy in Medieval England, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 350–364, ISBN 978-0-511-64234-0, retrieved 2021-02-05
  10. ^ "Old Sarum archaeologists reveal plan of medieval city" at the BBC. 3 Dec 2014. Accessed 2 Jan 2015.
  11. ^ Ancient Monuments Protection Act, 1882 [45 & 46 Vict. Ch. 73], reprinted in Robert Hunter's The Preservation of Places of Interest or Beauty, App. A: "The Ancient Monument Protection Acts", p. 37. University Press (Manchester), 1907. Hosted at Wikisource. Accessed 3 Jan 2014.
  12. ^ No. 1015675: "Old Sarum". English Heritage (London), 2014. Accessed 3 Jan 2015.
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