Coventry Castle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coventry Castle was in the city of Coventry, England (grid reference SP336788).^[1]

It was built in the 11th century by Ranulf Meschines, Earl of Chester, probably out of wood initially. Its first known use was during The Anarchy when Robert Marmion, a supporter of King Stephen, expelled the monks from the adjacent priory of Saint Mary and converted it into a fortress from which he waged a battle against the Earl. Marmion perished in the battle.

It was then dismantled by King Stephen around 1147 but repaired again during the reign of Henry II.

Part of the castle still exists as the part of St Mary's Guildhall called Caesar's Tower.

[edit] References

• Coventry Castle
• Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3

Coordinates: 52.40618° N 1.50752° W