Location: Nr Robertsbridge, East Sussex Map
Constructed: 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge
Tel. 01580 830196
Open: mid Feb- Oct: daily
Nov- 23 Dec: Wed- Sun
27 Dec- mid Feb:
Sat, Sun
Closed: 24- 26 Dec
Entrance Fee: Adult £6.80
Child
£3.40
Family £18
Family (1 adult) £11.20
Bodiam Castle is an ancient castle dating back to the 14th
century located near Robertsbridge, a small village in East Sussex
(England). It is known above all for its characteristic position, in
the center of a moat completely filled with water. It was built in
1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with
the permission of Richard II, probably to defend the area against
possible French invasions during the Hundred Years War. With a
quadrangular plan, the castle has no dungeon and its various rooms
are built along the external defensive walls and in the internal
courtyards. Its corners and entrance are marked by towers and
surmounted by battlements. Its structure, details and position in an
artificial aquatic landscape indicate a particular attention to the
aesthetic aspect during the design, equal to that dedicated to the
defensive purpose. It was the home of the Dalyngrigge family and the
center of the Bodiam Manor.
Possession of Bodiam Castle
passed through several generations of Dalyngrigge, until their line
died out and the castle was acquired by marriage by the Lewknor
family. During the Wars of the Roses Thomas Lewknor supported the
House of Lancaster, therefore, when Richard III of the House of York
became king in 1483, an army was sent to besiege Bodiam Castle.
There is no information on the length of the siege, however Bodiam
is thought to have been surrendered without putting up much
resistance. The castle was confiscated, but reverted to the Lewknors
when Henry VII Tudor became king in 1485. Descendants of the
Lewknors held possession of the castle until at least the 16th
century.
At the beginning of the English Civil War, in 1641,
Bodiam Castle was owned by Lord Thanet: he supported the Royalist
cause and sold the castle in order to be able to pay the fines
imposed on it by Parliament. The castle was subsequently broken up
and was left as a picturesque ruin, until its purchase by John
Fuller in 1829. Under him the castle was partially restored, before
being sold to George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, and later to lord
Curzon, both of whom undertook further restoration work. The castle
is protected as a Grade I listed monument and a Scheduled Monument.
In 1925 Lord Curzon bequeathed the castle to the National Trust,
which opened it to public visits.
A. Household apartments, B. Chapel, C. Chamber, D. Great chamber, E. Lord's hall, F. Buttery, G. Pantry, H. Kitchen, I. Retainer's hall, J. Retainer's kitchen, K. Possible Ante room (on some plans K, L1 and L2 are shown as one room, on some two and others three), L1. Possible service rooms, L2. Possible stables, M. North-east tower, N. East tower, O. South-east tower, P. Postern tower, Q. South-west tower, R. West tower, S. North-west tower (and prison), T. Gatehouse (with guard rooms to left and right), U. Inner causeway, V. Outer Barbican, W. Outer causeway
Edward Dalyngrigge, being a younger son, had inherited no property
from his father in accordance with the practice of primogeniture, so he
must have been the sole architect of his own fortune. By the time Bodiam
Castle was built, the Hundred Years War had already begun for almost
fifty years: Edward III of England (1327-1377) had made his claims to
the French throne and at that stage controlled the territories of
'Aquitaine and Calais. In his youth Dalyngrigge was one of many English
men who had gone to France to seek their fortune in the companies of
mercenaries who fought for the highest bidder: he left for France in
1367 and traveled with Lionel, Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III.
After fighting under the command of the Earl of Arundel he joined the
company of Sir Robert Knolles, a mercenary commander reputed to have
earned 100,000 gold crowns by plundering and raiding; working in these
organisations, Dalyngrigge raised the money to later build Bodiam
Castle. He returned to England in 1377 and by 1378 owned the manor of
Bodiam, acquired by marriage to an heiress of a landowning family. He
was also a knight of the county of Sussex from 1379 to 1388, and one of
the most influential people in the whole county. In those years he
applied to the king in order to obtain a license to build a castle.
The Treaty of Bruges (1375) ensured peace for two years between
England and France, but when it expired the conflict resumed. In 1377
Edward III was succeeded by Richard II. During the war, England and
France fought for control of the English Channel, with raids on both
coasts; with renewed hostility, the English Parliament voted to invest
money in the defense and fortification of the south coast of England:
defenses were therefore erected in Kent, in anticipation of a French
invasion. In addition to external threats, England also faced internal
unrest, in the suppression of which Dalyngrigge was involved, notably
helping to put down the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. A charter of 1383
granted the manor of Bodiam permission for the holding of a weekly
market and an annual fair. In 1385 a French fleet of 1,200 cogs, barges
and galleys assembled across the Channel at Sluis in Flanders, causing
the population of southern England to panic. Later that year, Edward
Dalyngrigge obtained a license for the fortification of his manor.
«... Know that by our special grace we have given and granted license
on behalf of ourselves and our heirs, to our beloved and faithful knight
Edward Dalyngrigge, who may buttress with a wall of stone and mortar and
build and transform into a castle his manor of Bodiam, by the sea, in
the county of Sussex, for the defense of the adjoining country and
resistance against our enemies ... in faith. The King at Westminster,
October 20th.”
(Extract from the building permit which enabled Edward
Dalyngrigge to build a castle, from the Patent Rolls of 1385-1389.)
The license of Dalyngrigge, granted by Richard II, allowed him to
strengthen the existing manor, but the knight instead chose a new site
to build a new castle from scratch. The construction was completed in
one phase and most of the castle was built in the same architectural
style: from this the archaeologist David Thackray has deduced that
Bodiam Castle was built rapidly, perhaps due to the French threat, while
usually the stone castles took a long time to build and were expensive,
costing thousands of pounds. Dalyngrigge was captain of the port of
Brest, France from 1386 to 1387 and probably because of this he was
absent for the first few years of the castle's construction. The castle
replaced the old manor house as Dalyngrigge's principal residence and as
the administrative center of the manor. The date Bodiam Castle was
completed is not given, however Thackray suggests it was before 1392;
Dalyngrigge was not able to spend much time in the completed castle, as
he died in 1395.
His estates, including the castle, were
inherited by his son John Dalyngrigge. As his father he too enjoyed the
favor of the king and was described as "knight of the king"; in 1400 he
was granted an annual allowance of one hundred marks by the sovereign;
died 27 September 1408, in his will his estate passed to his widow,
Alice. John and Alice were childless so, on Alice's death in 1443, the
castle and all the estates were inherited by Richard Dalyngrigge, John's
cousin. Richard in turn died childless and, in accordance with John's
will, in 1470 it all passed to Richard's sister Philippa, who was
married to Sir Thomas Lewknor, a member of a prominent Sussex family who
owned land in the whole country.
Thomas Lewknor supported the
Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses which began in 1455. When
Richard of the Yorks ascended the throne as Richard III in 1483, Lewknor
was accused of treason and raising men-at-arms in southeast England. In
November 1483 Lewknor's uncle and Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, were
allowed to round up the men and lay siege to Bodiam Castle, in which
Lewknor had taken refuge. There is no record of whether or not the siege
continued: Thackray suggests that Lewknor surrendered without much
resistance. The property was forfeited and Nicholas Rigby was made
constable of the castle but, with the accession of Henry VII to the
English throne, the forfeiture order was lifted and the castle reverted
to Lewknor; however not all of the surrounding land was returned to the
family until 1542. Possession of Bodiam Castle passed through several
generations of the Lewknor family; although the castle's legacy can be
traced through the 16th and 17th centuries, not much is known about how
it was used during this period or whether the family spent much time
there.
After Sir Roger Lewknor's death in 1543, his estates were
divided among his descendants and the castle was separated from the
manor; John Levett of Salehurst bought the former in 1588. In 1623 most
of the Bodiam grounds were bought by Sir Nicholas Tufton, later Earl of
Thanet; his son John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet inherited the estates on
his father's death in 1631 and combined ownership of the castle and
manor when he bought Bodiam Castle in 1639. Tufton championed the
Royalist cause during the English Civil War, led a attack on Lewes and
was involved in the Royalist defeat at Haywards Heath. Parliament
confiscated some of his lands in 1643 and others in 1644, and fined him
£9,000 (equivalent to £1.4m in 2008): in order to pay the fine, Tufton
sold Bodiam Castle for £6,000. pounds (900,000 in 2008) in March 1644 to
Nathaniel Powell, a roundhead.
After the Civil War, Powell was knighted by Charles II of England,
and while it is not recorded when the castle was partially demolished,
it is likely to have been after Powell's purchase. During and after the
civil war many castles were dismantled to prevent their re-use; however,
not all of them were completely torn down and the perimeter walls were
spared. At Bodiam it was deemed sufficient to dismantle the barbican,
bridges and buildings within the castle. When Nathaniel Powell died, in
1674 or 1675, Bodiam Castle passed to his son, also called Nathaniel;
after the second Nathaniel, the castle passed to Elizabeth Clitherow,
his daughter-in-law.
In 1722 Sir Thomas Webster bought the castle
and for over a century it and its lands remained in the hands of the
Webster family. It was at this time that the site became popular as
something of an early tourist attraction, due to its strong appeal to
the medieval period. The earliest images of Bodiam Castle date from the
mid-18th century, when it was depicted as an ivy-covered ruin. Medieval
ruins and buildings such as Bodiam Castle served as inspiration for the
revival of Gothic architecture and the renovation of old structures.
The third Sir Godfrey Webster began looking for buyers for the
castle in 1815 and managed to sell it in 1829, together with 24 acres
(10 hectares or 97 124 m²) of surrounding land, to John "Mad Jack"
Fuller, for £3,000 ( equivalent to £230,000 in 2008). Fuller repaired
one of the towers, added new gates to the site and removed the cottage
which had been built within the castle in the 18th century; moreover, it
is thought that he bought the castle to prevent the Webster family from
dismantling it and reusing the materials. George Cubitt, later Baron
Ashcombe, bought the castle and its 24 acres from Fuller's nephew in
1849, for over £5,000 (2008:450,000). Cubitt continued the renovation
begun by Fuller, commissioned the first detailed survey of the castle in
1864, and undertook repairs to the tower in the southwest corner, which
had almost entirely collapsed; the fashion being then widespread for
ivy-covered ruins the vegetation was not removed, notwithstanding its
adverse effect on the masonry, and even the trees which had sprung up in
the courtyard were left.
Lord Curzon took an interest in Bodiam
Castle and decided that "so rare a treasure should neither be lost in
our country nor desecrated by irreverent hands". Curzon looked into the
possibility of buying the castle but Cubitt had no intention of selling
it; however, after Cubitt's death, Curzon managed to come to an
agreement with his son, buying Bodiam Castle and its lands in 1916.
Curzon began a large program of works in 1919 and using the intervention
of the architect William Weir restored different parts of the castle.
The ditch, with an average depth of 1.50 meters and a maximum of 2.10
meters in the southeast corner, was drained and 90 centimeters of mud
and silt were removed; during the excavations the original foundations
of the castle bridges were discovered. Nearby hedges and fences were
removed to provide a better view of the castle, the interior was also
excavated, and a shaft was found in the basement of the south-west
tower. Wild vegetation was removed, stones repaired and the original
floor restored throughout the castle. A cottage was built to be used as
a museum in which to show the finds from the excavations and a house for
the caretaker was also built. Curzon, on his death in 1925, bequeathed
Bodiam Castle to the National Trust.
The National Trust continued
the restoration work and added new roofs for the towers and gatehouse.
Excavation was resumed in 1970 and the ditch was emptied once more. The
Royal Commission on Historic Monuments of England carried out an
investigation into the earthworks in the vicinity of Bodiam Castle in
1990. In the nineties the manor was at the center of a debate regarding
the studies concerning the balance between militaristic and social
interpretations of these sites: the arguments focused on elements such
as the apparent strength of the defenses (such as the imposing moat) and
the aesthetic elements . It has been suggested that the moat could have
been drained in a day since the surrounding earthwork was relatively
modest, and for this reason would not have been a serious obstacle to
any besiegers; furthermore, the large windows to the castle's exterior
were weaknesses from a defensive point of view. The castle is a
Scheduled Monument, meaning it is a listed building and archaeological
site of 'national significance', protected from unauthorized
modification. It is also a Grade I listed building, recognized as a
structure of international significance. Since being owned by the
National Trust, the castle has been open to the public and according to
figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, over
170 000 people visited it in 2010. According to historian Charles
Coulson, Bodiam " represents the popular ideal of a medieval castle."
Location and landscape
The castle's location was apparently chosen
to protect the English south coast from French attack, however a
landscape survey by the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments concluded
that, if this were true, then Bodiam Castle would be unusually sited, as
it is located away from the medieval coastline.
The area around
the castle was embellished during the works to increase its aesthetic
appeal. Archaeologists Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham described
Bodiam as one of the best examples of landscaping to highlight a castle.
The water elements were originally very extensive, however only the moat
has survived, together with the earthworks left over from its
construction. The moat, roughly rectangular in shape, is supplied by
several natural springs, some of which are located within it, which made
drainage difficult during the excavations in the 1930s. A moat can
prevent attackers from gaining access to the base of a castle wall, but
in the case of Bodiam it also has the effect of making the castle appear
larger and more impressive, isolating it in its landscape: the moat is
therefore treated as a more ornamental than defensive. Entry into the
castle via the moat and attached ponds was indirect, giving visitors
time to view the castle in its full glory. Military historian Cathcart
King describes the access as formidable and considers it on a par with
Edward I's 13th-century castles in Wales, such as Caerphilly Castle.
The castle is located roughly in the center of the moat. The postern
would have been connected to the south bank of the moat by a drawbridge
and a long wooden bridge. The main entrance on the north side of the
castle was later connected to the north bank by another wooden bridge,
however the original route would have included two bridges: one from the
main entrance to an island in the moat and another connecting the island
on the western shore. For the most part the latter bridge was static,
except for the portion closest to the west bank which would have been a
drawbridge. The island in the moat is called the Octagon; excavations in
the Octagon have uncovered a cloakroom (toilet), suggesting that there
may have been a guardhouse on the island, although it is unclear to what
extent this was fortified. The Octagon was connected to a barbican by a
bridge, probably a drawbridge. The castle's twenty-eight toilets
connected directly to the moat which, according to archaeologist Matthew
Johnson, would have effectively been an "open sewer."
Bodiam is a quadrangular castle, roughly square in shape; this type
of castle, with a central courtyard and buildings arranged along the
curtain wall, was typical of 14th-century castle architecture. Bodiam
has been described by military historian Cathcart King as the most
complete surviving example of a quadrangular-based castle. There are
round towers at each of the four corners, with central square towers
along the south, east and west walls, while the main entrance is a
twin-towered gatehouse in the north face of the castle. There is a
second entrance to the south, with a passage through the square tower
located in the center of the southern walls. The towers are three
stories high, taller than the continuous walls and castle buildings
structured on two floors.
The barbican, originally two stories
but of which only part of the western wall survives, was located between
the Octagon and the main entrance in the northern walls. The surviving
architecture includes a groove for a portcullis for the north door of
the barbican, although there are no hinges for the doors. The base of a
cloakroom shows that the second floor would have provided space for a
living quarters, probably a guard room. Late 18th-century drawings show
the ground floor of the barbican still standing, including details such
as the vaulting within the corridor.
The gatehouse in the north
wall of the castle is three stories high and can be reached by a fixed
bridge, whereas originally it was to be joined to the barbican by a
drawbridge. The upper part of the gatehouse is equipped with
machicolations and the access is dominated by loopholes positioned in
the towers of the gatehouse; the gatehouse is the only part of the
castle with loopholes, while the continuous walls and towers are dotted
with windows with more domestic than military purposes. On the ground
floor there are rooms reserved for the guards and below these there is a
basement; the passage should originally have been equipped with three
wooden shutters. The ceiling of the passage through the gatehouse is
vaulted and is filled with killer holes. The holes were probably used to
drop objects on those attacking the castle, with a similar function to
loopholes, or to pour water to put out fires.
Just above the door
are three coats of arms carved in bas-relief: from left to right, there
are the coats of arms of the Wardeaux, Dalyngrigge and Radynden
families. Edward Dalyngrigge's wife belonged to the Wardeaux family
while the Radyndens were relatives of the Dalyngrigge. Above the coats
of arms is a sculpture representing the head of a unicorn above a
helmet, a symbol of nobility. Three coats of arms also decorate the rear
gate: the central coat of arms is of Sir Robert Knolles, in whose
service Edward Dalyngrigge had fought in the Hundred Years War, but
those on the sides are empty.
Although the exterior of Bodiam Castle has mostly survived the
interior has not had the same fate, however the remains are sufficient
to be able to trace the floor plan of the castle. The domestic buildings
within the castle are aligned with the curtain walls and the structure
was divided into separate areas for the lord and his family,
high-ranking guests, garrisons and servants. The southern area of the
castle was provided with a large hall, kitchens and annexed rooms. The
great hall, east of the central postern, was 7.30 by 12.20 meters wide
and must have been as high as the walls; to the west of the great hall
were the pantry and wine cellar, connected to the great hall by a
screened passageway. Three arches allowed access to the various rooms:
the pantry, the cellar and the kitchen, the latter located at the
western end of the southern area. This arrangement was typical of large
medieval houses; the great hall was at the center of sociality in the
castle and was the place where the lord entertained his guests. The
cellar and the pantry occupied the lower floor and above there was a
room whose purpose is unknown. The cellar was equipped with a cellar and
was used to store beer and wine, while the kitchen supplies were located
in the pantry. To prevent the heat from the kitchen fires from becoming
unbearable, the kitchen was as high as the walls, to give it a large
enough space to better absorb the heat. In the southwest tower there was
a well, from which water for domestic use would have been drawn.
Along the eastern wall are a chapel, a hall and an antechamber; to
accommodate the chapel, the walls near the north-east corner project
2.70 meters further into the moat than the rest of the wall along the
east side. Immediately to the south of the chapel was the main lodgings
of the lord and his family. The buildings were two stories high and
incorporated a cellar, however it is still difficult to determine the
exact layout of the rooms.
Along the western walls there was an
extra hall and a kitchen, but it is not certain what they were used for,
although it is probable that they were intended for domestic servants.
The so-called "servants' hall" lacks windows on its western side and
should have been relatively dark in comparison with the great hall;
furthermore, while this had a large fireplace, the "servants' room" did
not have one. The hall adjoined the servants' kitchen, to which it was
directly connected, with no hidden passages to join them. Above the
"servants' room", which was limited to the ground floor, there was a
room without a fireplace whose purpose remains unknown.
To the
east of the main gatehouse was a two-story building with a basement,
which may have been used as a storeroom, while the upper two floors were
used for living quarters. The purpose of the buildings along the western
end of the northern area is uncertain: due to the sparse arrangement,
with little availability of light, it has been suggested that these
buildings may have been used as stables, however there are usually no
sewers connected to these structures. The tower in the northwest corner
of the castle had a cloakroom and fireplace on each of the three floors
above the ground floor and also had a basement.
Bodiam Castle was used as a filming location for the films Monty
Python and the Holy Grail, in which it was called Swarp Castle in the
"Tale of Sir Lancelot" sequence, and The King's Archer.
In 1915, the
short silent film Bodiam Castle was released.
The video clip of the
single The Celts by the Irish singer Enya was shot in the castle.
In
1818 the poem Bodiam Castle was published. A poem, in six cantos,
dedicated to the castle.