BERKHAMSTED CASTLE

Hertfordshire

Berkhamsted Castle, Hertfordshire

It was at Berkhamsted that William I accepted the surrender of the British, although the Castle wasn't built until after the Conquest.  The land was granted to Robert, Count of Morain and Earl of Cornwall who was William's half-brother.  His son, however, backed the wrong side and the Castle was confiscated for the Crown, amongst its tenants was Thomas Beckett.

During the 1216 rebellion against King John Berkhamsted Castle fell to Prince Louis of France after just two weeks.  Some of the masonry dates back to at least Beckett's time, but the Castle was used as a residence up to and including Elizabethan times whereafter it fell into disuse.

Part of the bailey was destroyed when the railway line was cut through the town, but the Station affords some excellent "semi-aerial" views of the Castle, which is today owned by English Heritage.

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© Text copyright - Raving Loony Productions, Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
© Photos and Artwork - Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
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2001

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