Warblington Castle

Warblington Castle
Hampshire, England
Part of the remains of Warblington Castle
Warblington Castle is located in Hampshire
Warblington Castle
Warblington Castle
Coordinates50°50′40″N 0°57′57″W / 50.8444°N 0.9659°W / 50.8444; -0.9659
Grid referencegrid reference SU729055
TypeFortified manor house
Site information
ConditionRuined

Warblington Castle or Warblington manor was a moated manor near Langstone in Havant parish, Hampshire. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War, leaving only a single gate tower, part of a wall, and a gateway. The property, now in the village of Warblington, is privately owned and does not allow for public access.[1]

Castle remains in 2021

Early history

Located near Langstone in Hampshire,[2] a Saxon settlement was established in the 7th century. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086,[3] indicating a population of about 120.[4]

The owner of the property at the time was Roger earl of Shrewsbury; after his death in 1094, it was inherited by his second son, Hugh. The owner in 1186 was William de Courci.[5]

Some sources claim that the manor received a licence to crenellate in 1340[6] but this is disputed.[7] The manor passed through several hands before coming into the possession of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick in the 15th century.[8] Subsequently, the villagers were removed with the land becoming a private deer park for Neville.[4]

With the execution of Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick by Henry VII the manor passed to the crown.[8] In 1513 Henry VIII gave the manor to Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury who had a new moated manor built [8] between 1515 and 1525 [6]

After Margaret Pole was attainted for treason temporary grants of the manor were made to William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton and Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton.[2] Henry VIII then granted the manor to Sir Richard Cotton.[9] In October 1551, Mary of Guise the widow of James V of Scotland stayed a night in the castle as the guest of Sir Richard Cotton.[10][11] Edward VI visited the "fair house of Sir Richard Cotton" in August 1552.[12]

Elizabeth I may have visited for two days in 1586.[2] George Cotton of Warblington was a Catholic recusant, visited by priests including Thomas Lister alias Butler in 1603, and in 1613 a reliquary of a martyr Mark Barkworth was found in John Cotton's study.[13] The Cotton family continued to hold the house until the English civil war.[9]

In January 1643 Parliamentarians under Colonel Norton garrisoned the house with a force of between 40 and 80 men.[9] It was besieged and taken by Lord Hopton although Colonel Norton managed to escape.[9][14]

The Cotton family were Royalists which resulted in the manor being largely demolished by Parliamentarian forces.[9] One turret of the gatehouse was left as an aid to navigation for ships in Langstone channel.[8] The turret is octagonal in form and four stories in height.[2] It is largely built from brick with stone dressing and battlements.[15] After The Restoration, the property was returned to the Cotton family who built a farmhouse near the ruin.[1] The latter is now Grade II listed.[16]

Today, the turret, the arch of the gate and the drawbridge support in the moat still survive.[6] The land remains private property.[17] The remains of the castle is a grade II* listed building and a scheduled Monument.[7] The Listing specifics define it as a "gateway tower, including the moulded stone arch of the gate, some of the south wall of the tower, a complete south-east octagonal stair turret, of 5 storeys, and part of the east wall (facing the courtyard)".[18]

The castle is located within the Warblington Conservation Area which also contains the adjoining Old Farm House,[19] an old cemetery, the Grade I listed St Thomas à Becket Church, Warblington[20] and the Old Rectory.[3]

As of May 2020, the owners of the castle were retired Olympic rowers Tom and Diana Bishop who live in the seven bedroom Old Farm House on the property.[21] At that time, the property also included four acres of gardens, an orchard and a swimming pool.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Warblington Castle". Lost Historic Sites. Hampshire Gardens Trust. March 2001. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d William Page, ed. (1908). "Warblington". A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b Warblington Conservation Area
  4. ^ a b Moore, Amanda (15 August 2012). "Warblington Castle". Hampshire History. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. ^ WARBLINGTON Manors
  6. ^ a b c Barron, William (1985). The Castles of Hampshire & Isle of Wight. Paul Cave Publications. p. 50. ISBN 0-86146-048-0.
  7. ^ a b Phillip Davis. "Warblington Castle, Havant". Gatehouse Website. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d Lloyd, David W (1974). Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs. City of Portsmouth. p. 23.
  9. ^ a b c d e Godwin, G.N (1973) [First published 1904]. The Civil War in Hampshire (1642-45) and the Story of Basing House. Laurence Oxley. pp. 157–158. ISBN 0-9501347-2-4.
  10. ^ Calendar State Papers Foreign Edward (London, 1861), p. 190, (TNA SP68/9/85).
  11. ^ Elizabeth Bonner, "The Politique of Henri II: De Facto French Rule in Scotland, 1550-1554", Journal of the Sydney Society for Scottish History, 7 (1999), p. 72
  12. ^ James Orchard Halliwell, Letters of the Kings of England, vol. 2 (London, 1846), p. 57.
  13. ^ Michael Hodgetts & Paul Hodgetts, Secret Hiding Places: Priest Holes: An Incredible True Story of Faith and Ingenuity (Pear Branch Press, 2024), p. 116.
  14. ^ Godwin, G.N (1973) [First published 1904]. The Civil War in Hampshire (1642-45) and the Story of Basing House. Laurence Oxley. p. 397. ISBN 0-9501347-2-4.
  15. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; LLoyd, David (1967). The Buildings of England Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Penguin Books. p. 641. ISBN 0140710329.
  16. ^ WARBLINGTON CASTLE FAMHOUSE
  17. ^ "Havant". Havant Borough Council. 10 December 2010. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  18. ^ Warblington Castle
  19. ^ a b Avis-Riordan, Katie (23 May 2018). "You can now buy this incredible castle and tower once owned by the Earl of Warwick". House Beautiful. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  20. ^ CHURCH OF ST THOMAS-A-BECKET
  21. ^ A 17th century home full of history, complete with medieval tower and outdoor pool