Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a seat of royal power in the medieval period.
Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a seat of royal power in the medieval period. Much of the castle has since been lost, but two notable structures survive: the Great Hall, regarded as one of the finest surviving medieval halls in England and now housing a museum of Winchester's history, and the Westgate, which once served as the castle's principal defensive gateway.1
The Great Hall contains the so-called Round Table, a large wooden tabletop traditionally associated with the Arthurian legend in later popular tradition. The Westgate, preserved as a fortified gateway, provides evidence of the castle's defensive role and continued adaptation over the centuries.1
History
Early history
Around AD 70 the Romans constructed a massive earth rampart 800 ft (240 m) long and 200 ft (61 m) wide. On top of this they built a fort to protect the city of Venta Belgarum. This site was chosen by William the Conqueror as the site of one of the first Norman castles in England.2
The castle was built in 1067 and for over one hundred years it was the seat of Government of the Norman Kings.3 In 1141, during The Anarchy, forces of the Empress Matilda were besieged by the forces of King Stephen at the castle, in the Rout of Winchester.4 built a stone keep to house the royal treasury and the .
This page is based on “Winchester Castle” from English Wikipedia, (r1376295316) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
Between 1222 and 1235, Henry III, who was born at Winchester Castle, added the Great Hall, built to a "double cube" design, measuring 110 ft (33.53 m) by 55 ft (16.76 m) by 55 ft (16.76 m). The Great Hall was built of flint with stone dressings; originally it had lower walls and a roof with dormer windows. In their place were added the tall two-light windows with early plate tracery.3 The Great Hall is a Grade I listed building.5 The remains of a 13th-century round tower complete with sally ports is still visible.67
In 1287, Asher, who was Licoricia of Winchester's son, wrote a Hebrew inscription on the ruins of the Jews' Tower which forms part of the castle. This dates back to his imprisonment as part of the whole community on 2 May 1287, in advance of a huge tax on the Jews by Edward I, before their expulsion in 1290.8
Extensions to the castle were added by Edward II.3
An Arthurian Round Table was hung in the Great Hall. The table was originally constructed in the 13th century, and repainted in its present form for Henry VIII; around the edge of the table were painted the names of King Arthur's knights. The portrait of King Arthur is recognisably a depiction of the young Henry VIII.2 A series of pictorial epigrams illuminated in medieval monastic style known as the Winchester Panels were also hung in the Great Hall. They are thought to depict the 25 knights of the Round Table and illustrate the challenges facing a maturing character as it progresses round the great "Wheel of Life".9
In 1580 the nun Elizabeth Sander was imprisoned here with other Catholics. She escaped but returned to show that Catholics were law abiding.12 After Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, the castle ceased to be a royal residence and was handed over to Winchester's city authorities.2
Castle Hill, located nearby, is the location of the Council Chamber for Hampshire County Council and, since 2014, of the Winchester Register Office.17 The Great Hall was also the home of the Winchester Assizes and, in 1954, another notorious trial took place there, when Edward Montagu, Michael Pitt-Rivers and Peter Wildeblood went on trial and were convicted of charges of having committed specific acts of homosexual indecency.18 The Great Hall was also the venue of the trial and conviction of six members of the Provisional IRA, in 1973, for the Old Bailey bombing.19 The Great Hall ceased to be the venue for criminal trials after the Winchester Law Courts were erected, just to the east of the Great Hall, in 1974.20
In 1963 the Winchester Excavation Committee began a rescue excavation at part of the site of the castle ahead of the planned construction of court buildings and associated carparks.21
Behind the Great Hall a medieval-style garden, called Queen Eleanor's Garden, was created in 1986.3
Winchester Castle is located in close proximity as well to the Westgate, part of the remaining city wall.22
As of March 2024, the Great Hall was operated by Hampshire Cultural Trust, under the marketing name The Great Hall with Westgate Museum.1
Sources
Biddle, Martin (1964). "Excavations at Winchester 1962–63: Second Interim Report". The Antiquaries Journal. 44 (2): 188–219. doi:10.1017/S0003581500018114.
Biddle, Martin (1969). "Excavations at Winchester 1968: Seventh Interim Report". The Antiquaries Journal. 49 (2): 295–328. doi:10.1017/S0003581500053804.
McKisack, May (1959). The Fourteenth Century: 1307–1399. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198217129.
Kenyon, J.P. (1966). The Stuarts. Fontana.
Rowse, A.L. (1962). Ralegh and the Throckmortons. Macmillan and Co.
"The Castle". City of Winchester. Retrieved 2 September 2017. ↩
Abrams, Rebecca (2022). Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England (1st ed.). Winchester: The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal. pp. 89–91. ISBN 978-1-3999-1638-7. ↩
Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a seat of royal power in the medieval period. Much of the castle has since been lost, but two notable structures survive: the Great Hall, regarded as one of the finest surviving medieval halls in England and now housing a museum of Winchester's history, and the Westgate, which once served as the castle's principal defensive gateway.1
The Great Hall contains the so-called Round Table, a large wooden tabletop traditionally associated with the Arthurian legend in later popular tradition. The Westgate, preserved as a fortified gateway, provides evidence of the castle's defensive role and continued adaptation over the centuries.1
History
Early history
Around AD 70 the Romans constructed a massive earth rampart 800 ft (240 m) long and 200 ft (61 m) wide. On top of this they built a fort to protect the city of Venta Belgarum. This site was chosen by William the Conqueror as the site of one of the first Norman castles in England.2
The castle was built in 1067 and for over one hundred years it was the seat of Government of the Norman Kings.3 In 1141, during The Anarchy, forces of the Empress Matilda were besieged by the forces of King Stephen at the castle, in the . built a stone keep to house the royal treasury and the .
Between 1222 and 1235, Henry III, who was born at Winchester Castle, added the Great Hall, built to a "double cube" design, measuring 110 ft (33.53 m) by 55 ft (16.76 m) by 55 ft (16.76 m). The Great Hall was built of flint with stone dressings; originally it had lower walls and a roof with dormer windows. In their place were added the tall two-light windows with early plate tracery.3 The Great Hall is a Grade I listed building.5 The remains of a 13th-century round tower complete with sally ports is still visible.67
In 1287, Asher, who was Licoricia of Winchester's son, wrote a Hebrew inscription on the ruins of the Jews' Tower which forms part of the castle. This dates back to his imprisonment as part of the whole community on 2 May 1287, in advance of a huge tax on the Jews by Edward I, before their expulsion in 1290.8
Extensions to the castle were added by Edward II.3
An Arthurian Round Table was hung in the Great Hall. The table was originally constructed in the 13th century, and repainted in its present form for Henry VIII; around the edge of the table were painted the names of King Arthur's knights. The portrait of King Arthur is recognisably a depiction of the young Henry VIII.2 A series of pictorial epigrams illuminated in medieval monastic style known as the Winchester Panels were also hung in the Great Hall. They are thought to depict the 25 knights of the Round Table and illustrate the challenges facing a maturing character as it progresses round the great "Wheel of Life".9
In 1580 the nun Elizabeth Sander was imprisoned here with other Catholics. She escaped but returned to show that Catholics were law abiding.12 After Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, the castle ceased to be a royal residence and was handed over to Winchester's city authorities.2
Castle Hill, located nearby, is the location of the Council Chamber for Hampshire County Council and, since 2014, of the Winchester Register Office.17 The Great Hall was also the home of the Winchester Assizes and, in 1954, another notorious trial took place there, when Edward Montagu, Michael Pitt-Rivers and Peter Wildeblood went on trial and were convicted of charges of having committed specific acts of homosexual indecency.18 The Great Hall was also the venue of the trial and conviction of six members of the Provisional IRA, in 1973, for the Old Bailey bombing.19 The Great Hall ceased to be the venue for criminal trials after the Winchester Law Courts were erected, just to the east of the Great Hall, in 1974.20
In 1963 the Winchester Excavation Committee began a rescue excavation at part of the site of the castle ahead of the planned construction of court buildings and associated carparks.21
Behind the Great Hall a medieval-style garden, called Queen Eleanor's Garden, was created in 1986.3
Winchester Castle is located in close proximity as well to the Westgate, part of the remaining city wall.22
As of March 2024, the Great Hall was operated by Hampshire Cultural Trust, under the marketing name The Great Hall with Westgate Museum.1
Sources
Biddle, Martin (1964). "Excavations at Winchester 1962–63: Second Interim Report". The Antiquaries Journal. 44 (2): 188–219. doi:10.1017/S0003581500018114.
Biddle, Martin (1969). "Excavations at Winchester 1968: Seventh Interim Report". The Antiquaries Journal. 49 (2): 295–328. doi:10.1017/S0003581500053804.
McKisack, May (1959). The Fourteenth Century: 1307–1399. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198217129.
Kenyon, J.P. (1966). The Stuarts. Fontana.
Rowse, A.L. (1962). Ralegh and the Throckmortons. Macmillan and Co.
"The Castle". City of Winchester. Retrieved 2 September 2017. ↩
Abrams, Rebecca (2022). Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England (1st ed.). Winchester: The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal. pp. 89–91. ISBN 978-1-3999-1638-7. ↩