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The remains of Sherborne 'Old ' Castle, built by
Roger de Caen between 1122 and 1139
stand at the eastern extremity of
Sherborne
in north-western Dorset.
Sir Walter Raleigh
recieved the castle from Queen Elizabeth I as a reward for his achievements.
The 12th century castle was not to
Raleigh's liking and he built a lodge, part of
Sherborne 'New ' Castle,
in the grounds in 1594. The 'Old ' castle, now in a ruinous condition, was dismantled on the orders of the
parliamentary forces in 1645 after a siege by Fairfax. It is now owned by English Heritage, having been presented to
the nation in 1956.
Roger de Caen, who built the castle as a fortified palace between
1122 and 1139, was an important man in the reign of
King Henry I. An
Abbot of Sherborne, he was also
Bishop of Salisbury, Chancellor and subsequently
Justiciar to the King. Alas,
Henry's only son and male heir died with
the loss of the White Ship and on his death the crown passed to his daughter
Matilda. Her cousin
Stephen also
claimed the crown and the country was thrown into a protracted civil war. Thus it was that
Stephen seized
Sherborne Castle in 1135 and it remained in royal hands until the reign of
King Edward III,
when Bishop Robert Wyville paid to to bring the castle back into the control of the church. During its time as
a royal castle, it seems that although it was maintained and repaired, the defences were slightly altered but,
substantially, the castle remained unchanged.
Queen Elizabeth I transferred the lease to
Sir Walter Raleigh in 1592 in appreciation of his
achievements. He altered the castle over two years but then decided to abandon the medieval castle and build
Sherborne Lodge across the lake to the south instead.
Raleigh's Lodge now forms part of
Sherborne 'New ' Castle.
During the Civil War, the castle (in the
possession of Lord Digby, a principal adviser to King Charles I) was twice
held for the King, in 1642 and 1645. The second occasion saw it holding out against a seige by the forces of
General Fairfax for 16 days. Like many castles during the conflict, by october it had been
'slighted '; the defences destroyed defences to prevent
its being any further use against the forces of Parliament.
See also:
Dorset in the English Civil War
The castle remained within the Digby family until 1956 when it was presented to the nation - although they,
like Raleigh, resided in the
'new ' castle or
Sherborne Lodge.
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The castle enjoyed a large enclosure and most of the curtain wall has disappeared with the the south west gatehouse is the best preserved section. Unlike some castles where the keep is integral to the curtain walls, the large keep (now ruinous) in the centre of the enclosure here could not play any part in its defence.
Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to update Roger de Caen's medieval castle by putting in new windows and other imporvements but he gave up the attempt after a few years and started afresh by building and moving into the lodge in the castle grounds.
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| | | | OTHER PLACES | | Sherborne New Castle
Dorset, England
The
new castle built by Sir Walter Raleigh when he found the Old Castle not
to his liking | 0.5 km S | | Sherborne Abbey
Dorset, England
The abbey church was a cathedral church for many centuries after King
Ine of Wessex established a see here and made his kinsman St Aldhelm the first
bishop | 1.3 km SW | | Sandford Orcas Manor House
Sandford Orcas, Vale Of Blackmore, Dorset,
England
The ancient manor house, open to the public
during the summer months, is reputed to be haunted | 4.8 km NW | | Cornford Bridge
nr. Holwell, Dorset, England
A scheduled National Monument, the bridge consists of three Gothic
arches | 6.4 km SE | | Boyles School
High Street, Yestminster, Vale Of Blackmore, Dorset, England
The 17th century scientist Robert Boyle who lived
nearby at Stalbridge endowed the school to teach twenty poor boys of Chetnowle,
Leigh and Yetminster | 8.4 km SW | | Revels Bird Centre
Dorset,
England | 11.2 km SE | | | | | Hotels | | Eastbury Hotel
Long St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BY | | 1 km SE | | Cross Keys Hotel
88 Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3BJ | | 1.3 km SE | | Antelope Hotel
Greenhill, Dorset DT9 4EP | | 1.3 km SE | | The Half Moon Inn
Half Moon St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN | | 1.3 km SE | | Britannia Inn
Westbury, Dorset DT9 3EH | | 1.4 km SE | 
The Grange Hotel Oborne, Dorset DT9 4LA | | 1.5 km NW | | Sherborne Hotel
Horsecastles Lane, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 6BB | | 2.4 km SE | | | | | Public Houses | | Swan Inn
Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3AX | | 1.2 km SE | | The George Hotel
Higher Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3JD | | 1.3 km SE | | The White Hart
2 Cheap St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3PX | | 1.3 km SE | | Plume of Feathers
Half Moon St, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3LN | | 1.3 km SE | | Digby Tap
Cooks Lane, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 3NS | | 1.3 km SE | | The Mermaid
Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4JD | | 1.4 km NE |
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Recommend a Book for this Page
A Short History of Sherborne from 705AD
by WB Wildman, MA, 3rd ed (1911) F. Bennett, Bookseller, Sherborne
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