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Raglan Castle
The story
History of Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle () is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales.
United Kingdom
- Country
- United Kingdom
- UNESCO
- —
- Coordinates
- 51.770, -2.850
In depth
The fuller history
Following the Norman invasion of Wales, the area around the village of Raglan was granted to William FitzOsbern, the Earl of Hereford. Some historians, such as John Kenyon, suspect that an early motte and bailey castle may have been built on the Raglan site during this period: the location had strategic importance and archaeologists have discovered the remains of a possible bailey ditch on the site.
red and blue triangles represent the location of Parliamentarian and Royalist earthwork bastions; A and B indicate the locations of the Parliamentary and Royalist artillery batteries.]]
Edward Somerset made minor improvements to the interior of the castle at the start of the 17th century, but focused primarily on the exterior, expanding and developing the gardens and building the moat walk around the Great Tower. The resulting gardens were considered the equal of any others in the kingdom at the time.
Key dates
- 800In expectation of a siege, the castle garrison was increased to around 800 soldiers; the avenue of trees outside the castle gates were cut down, and neighbouring buildings destroyed to prevent their being used by…
- 1492By 1492, the castle passed to Elizabeth Somerset, William Herbert's daughter, who married Sir Charles Somerset, passing the castle into a new family line.
- 1642In August 1642 the First English Civil War began between Royalist supporters of Charles I and Parliament.
- 1660After the Stuart Restoration in 1660, the Somersets declined to restore it and it became first a source of local building materials, then a romantic ruin.
- 1938In 1938 Henry Somerset, the 10th Duke, entrusted guardianship of Raglan Castle to the Commissioner of Works, and the castle became a permanent tourist attraction.
- 2010The Grand Staircase divides the apartments; restored between 2010 and 2011, the staircase would originally have had a substantial porch, similar to the one that survives in the Pitched Stone Court, and would have been a…
Historical summary drawn from Wikipedia. Read the full article.
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