Toni Lumley – Rainbow Rhythms

CASTLE TIMELINE

• 1066 onward – William de Warenne built a wooden castle on the Conisbrough grounds.

• 1170– Hamelin Plantagenet (Henry II’s half brother ) builds the stone castle.

• 1180 - The cylindrical keep built, Hamelin seems to have ordered its construction to his own design, there beingno other example of this type of keep anywhere in the country.

• 1202 - It is generally assumed that the construction of the stone curtain walls of Conisbrough followed not longafter the keep.

• 1347 – The castle became part of the estates of the royal Dukes of York

• 1446 – Almost unoccupied, after the death of Maud, stepmother of Richard Duke of York, and over next centuryand falls into disrepair.

• 1538 – Described as a ruin by commissioners to Henry VIII. and played no part in the Civil War in the nextcentury.

CASTLE OWNERS

• 1066 – William de Warenne (1st Earl of Surrey) built the first castle after the Norman conquest.

• 1163 – The Warrenne heiress (Isabel) married Hamelin Plantagenet (second marrage). Hamelin dies in 1202.

• 1347 – The last Earl (John, son of Hamelin) died in 1304, with no heir the castle reverted to the Crown andEdward III cohered the Estate for his youngest son Edmund Langley.

• 1461 – The castle had passed via decedents to Richard Duke of York and then to his son who became Edward IV.

• 1540 – Henry VIII passes the castle to the Carey family (cousins of future queen Elizabeth). It passes by marriageto the Coke family.

• 1737 – Duke of Leeds

• 1859 – Baron Conyers

• 1920 - Conisbrough local council buys the castle.

• 1940 onwards - English Heritage take over its care.

Years of focus

• The third earl who died in 1147 left no male heir, having only one daughter, Isabel. Shemarried William de Blois, who became the fourth Earl Warenne. He died in 1159, andin 1163 Henry II arranged another marriage for Isabel, the fifth earl was HamelinPlantagenet, Henry’s illegitimate half-brother.

• Hamelin spent more time at his Yorkshire castle than any of the previous earls; he heldthe earldom for close on forty years, from 1163 until his death in 1202.

• It was this period that saw the construction of the great stone keep of the castle.

• The cylindrical keep probably dates from around 1180, Hamelin seems to have orderedits construction to his own design, there being no other example of this type of keepanywhere in the country.

• It is generally now assumed that the construction of the stone curtain walls ofConisbrough followed not long after the keep, but the layout and the planning of thestone buildings within the bailey may not have been begun until the thirteenth centuryand may be the work of Hamelin’s son William, earl from 1202 until 1239.

• After the death of William in 1239, the castle passed to John, his son by his secondmarriage to Maud. She took custody of the castle during the minority of her son, whoheld the manor from 1239 until 1304.

• John married Alice, the sister of Henry III.

• From the Hundred Rolls (records of the local court assizes) of the period of the seventhearl’s tenure, there come tales of men and women imprisoned at Conisbrough, and ofthe colourful if rather unlawful dealings of the seneschal and constables of the castle,one of whom, Richard de Heydon, was charged with ‘devilish and innumerableoppressions’.

BREAKDOWN

Isabel & Hamelin (4 children);1) William (1166–1240)

2) Ela (1170 born)3) Isabel

4) Matilda

Son William & Wife Maud

Son John & Wife Alice

No Heir (reverted to the Crown)

http://www.rotherhamweb.co.uk/h/conisbrough1.htm

97 feet high, supported by 6 buttresses.

Built from the highest quality stone (magnesium limestone) – cylindrical keeps rather than rectangular were popular of the century however only Conisbrough Castle also featured a ring of wedge shapes buttresses whose tops may have been used by archers.

Despite the popularity of the cylindrical design, Conisbrough Castle is the only one still standing today.

The Keep is the oldest building at the Castle. It dates back to 1180 and was built under the instructions of Hamelin Plantagene.

It stands 27 metres (90 feet) high with walls of 4.6 metres thick and has 5 levels including the roof.

The Keep was the last bastion of defence at the Castle; if the Castle came under attack and the walls were breached then the defenders would retreat to the Keep, pull in the wooden bridge at the top of the stairs and bolt the door making it almost impossible for the attackers to gain entry.

The Keep contains a number of interesting features including the largest hooded fire-place of its date, a very impressive private chapel and a fine processional staircase.

At the top of the Keep are two water storage tanks, a bread-oven, two observation turrets and a shelter.

What is it About

Arrow slits Thin, vertical, holes where an archer can launch arrows, lockers nearby to store spare arrows and bolts.

Battlement Wall-like barrier at the edge of the roof (in our case The Keep). Built for arrow firing. Arrow slits are often placed beneath the Crenel’s

The Bailey The home of the rest of the Lord’s household & gave them protection. Barracks, stables, workshops and storage was found here.

Ringwork Motte-and-bailey castles minus the motte(usually circular/oval shaped)

What is it About

Gatehouse Weakest part of port. The gateway was hard to find on castles so added on either side. Passage to gatehouse was lengthened to increase the amount of time an assailant had to spend under fire.

Portcullis Latticed grille made of metal. Raised and lowered using chains and ropes attached o a winch. Possibly two gates to trap enemies in-between. Burning wood or fire-heated sand would be thrown from the roof.

Workshops Craftsmen, artisans, carpenters, farrier and blacksmiths would have these in the bailey.

Yett Gate of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes. Also used over openings and pane-less windows.

What is it About

Ballista /Springlad

Ancient missile weapons. Launched large projectiles at distant targets.

Oubliette Type of dungeon/prison which is accessible only from a hatch in a high ceiling, would leave prisoners in the to forget about them.

Dungeons Underground complexes of cells and torture chambers. A lot of rooms underground were used for storing cold food and ice.

Information:

• http://www.rotherhamweb.co.uk/h/conisbrough1.htm

• http://www.castleweb.co.uk/?p=48

• http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/conisbrough-castle-teachers-kit/conisbrough-castle-tk/

Images:

• http://www.urbexforums.com/showthread.php/2676-Conisbrough-Castle-11-01-2009-ARCHIVED

Other helpful resources:

• http://mh3dartwork.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/conisbrough-castle-concept.html

• http://www.flash-fx.net/3D/misc.php