Berkeley Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Berkeley Castle (historically sometimes spelled Berkley Castle) is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, UK (grid reference ST685989).
It was constructed from 1117 A.D., on the orders of Henry II, with the aim of defending the Severn estuary and the Welsh border. It continues to belong to the Berkeley family, descendants of Robert Fitzharding, who completed the keep in 1153.
King Edward II of England was held in the castle for 18 months, before being murdered there, in 1327. The cell where he is supposed to have been imprisoned can still be seen. The castle has remained within the same family since its construction, with many areas now open to the public. It is the oldest continuously-occupied castle in England.
In the 14th Century, a new Great Hall was built where the last Jester in England died after falling from the Minstral's Gallery. Adjoining the Great Hall is one of two of the original chapels, that includes painted wooden vaulted ceilings and one of the first examples of a biblical passage (from the Book of Revelation), written in the language of those who read it - Norman French, it is the earliest attempt to translate the Bible into a common language. This room also contains an illustrated vellum book of plainsong that was used in Catholic rites, before the family converted to Protestantism in the 16th Century. In the 20th century, the 8th Earl Randall installed much of the gardens, remodelled parts of the castle and added a new porch in the same gothic style as the rest of the castle. One change included an Art Nouveau take on a Medieval bedroom.
The castle is surrounded by beautiful Elizabethan terraced gardens, including Elizabeth I's bowling green and a pine that is reputed to have been grown from a cutting taken from a tree at the Battle of Culloden in 1745.
During the English Civil War, the castle still held sufficient significance for it to be captured in 1645 by Colonel Thomas Rainsborough, for the Parliamentarian side after a vicious siege which saw cannon being fired at point blank range from the adjacent church roof. As was usual, the walls were left breached after this siege but the Berkeley family were allowed to retain ownership on condition that they never repaired the breach in the Keep, still enforced today by the original Act of Parliament drawn up at the time; according to Pevsner, the breach is partially filled by a subsequent 'modern' rebuild..
In 2005, the remains of an Iron Age settlement were found at Berkeley Castle, adding 1,000 years of history to the area. [1]
Two ships of the Royal Navy have been named Berkeley Castle after the castle.
The Berkeley family divide their time between the castle and their other estate Spetchley Park , just outside Worcester, which has been in the family's ownership since 1606.
[edit] External links
