History castles

• Kenilworth Castle was built in the 1120s by Geoffrey de Clinton who was chamberlain and treasurer to King Henry I (r.1100-1135)

  
• Henry granted Geoffrey land following doubts about the loyalty of Roger, the Earl of Warwick. By promoting Geoffrey in Warwickshire he hoped to counter Roger's influence in the region
• In 1121 Geoffrey held the royal post of sheriff and by 1124 he was established as a great magnate in the county
• Around this time he also founded Kenilworth Priory, downstream from the castle
• Geoffrey's castle


  • Located on a low sandstone hill above the point where two rivers joined
  • For the first few years, it would have only been an earth mound (motte) topped with timber buildings
  • The king would have given him permission to build the stone tower which is believed to date from 1124

  
• The tower


  • At the heart of the castle's defences as well as serving as its main residence
  • Walls were 4.3m thick
  • Accessed on the first floor via a staircase leading from a turret called a "forebuilding"
  • Had a well in the south-east corner, latrines and access to all levels via spiral stairs in the north-east turret
  • A great hall occupied the upper floor

  
• Geoffrey also built a causeway across the valley which created a dam that held back a mere (a large pond) to the west of the castle
• The mere was useful for military purposes but the pools also supplied fish and wildfowl like ducks. It also powered two water mills
• In 1130, Geoffrey's relationship with King Henry began to sour. His enemies engineered his arrest for treason although he managed to escape this charge through bribery
• When Geoffrey I died in 1133 his son and successor Geoffrey was a minor and Roger, the Earl of Warwick was beginning to exert more influence in the county
• Geoffrey II never had the resources to do any major work at Kenilworth. His independence was further weakened from 1135 with the accession of King Stephen (r.1135-1154) and the beginnings of civil war in England
• Geoffrey II died about 1175 at which point the castle was deemed to be of such strategic importance, it was taken into royal control
• Over the next 70 years, the castle's fortifications developed to the extent and form seen today. Because it was owned by the Crown we have relatively good records about developments at the castle because they were usually recorded in official documents

  
• The majority of the defences at Kenilworth were commissioned by Henry II (r. 1154-1189), between about 1184 and 1189

  
• The stone walls of the inner bailey date from no later than Henry's reign, as does a simple stone gatehouse that was later incorporated into Mortimer's Tower by Henry's son, John

  
• Henry's son, John (r.1199-1216) also invested heavily in the defences at Kenilworth. Between 1210 and 1215 he spent about £1,100 on the castle during a campaign to strengthen the major royal castles
• Mortimer's Tower


  • The main entrance to the castle in medieval times
  • Originally at least one storey higher than it is today
  • Had battlements and the towers linked by an entrance passage
  • Had grooves for a portcullis, which would have been operated by a winch in the room above
  • Had a door on each side leading to two porter's lodges which were fitted with fireplaces
• Lunn's Tower


  • The ground floor was powerfully equipped with five fish-tailed arrow loops, two of which survive and have been restored
  • Above this were two upper floors (used as residential chambers) and a wall-walk, accessed by an external stair turret
• King John's additions to the castle can also be seen in the great tower where he added most of the top stage, identifiable by more fish-tailed arrow loops
• John created a chamber with fine views at the top of the south-west turret and extended the forebuilding to the north to provide exterior access to the outer bailey
• To enlarge the mere, John had the height of the dam raised, creating a body of water 800m long and about 150m wide
• In 1244, Henry III granted custody of Kenilworth Castle to Simon de Montfort
• Simon strengthened the castle further. He may have completed the scheme of defence first conceived by King John, by creating the Brays, the large defended enclosure outwork protecting the outer end of the dam
• In 1258 Simon led a group of reforming barons against Henry III. This decision eventually led to his defeat and death at the hands of royal forces at the Battle of Evesham on 4th August 1265
• Following this battle, some of his followers made a stand at Kenilworth. Simon's eldest son, Simon the younger, promised to surrender the castle to the king but his supporters refused
• Henry III opted for an all-out siege which began on 21st June 1266. The royal forces set up stone-throwing machines to the north, facing the great tower, and to the south across the mere
• Despite Henry granting the rebels the right to regain forfeited lands providing they paid heavy fines, they still wouldn't surrender. Eventually starvation and disease ultimately brought this about on 14th December 1266
• After the surrender of the Kenilworth rebels, Henry III granted the castle to his younger son Edmund "Crouchback" who was created Earl of Lancaster in 1267
• Edmund's son, Thomas, received a grant of his father's lands from King Edward I in 1298. He built a new hall in 1313-1314
• Thomas also added over 500 acres to the chase and it is possible that it was he who commissioned the Water Tower to provide additional accommodation for his officials and servants
• Between 1314 and 1322 Thomas commissioned the building of a new chapel, staffed by a 'college' of priests, dedicated to St Mary in the castle's outer bailey
• When Thomas rebelled unsuccessfully against Edward II (r.1307-1327), the castle was taken into royal custody Thomas was executed after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322
• However the estates of Lancaster, including Kenilworth, were formally restored within five years to Thomas' younger brother Henry who had captured the castle for the king
• Building of a new chapel by Thomas

  1. Commissioned between 1314 and 1322

  2. Dedicated to St Mary

  3. In the castle's outer bailey

  4. One of the largest private chapels of its time

  5. Planned for 13 secular priests but not established
• When Thomas rebelled against Edward II, the castle was taken into royal custody and Thomas was executed after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322
• The estates of Lancaster, including Kenilworth, were formally restored within five years to Thomas' younger brother Henry who had captured Edward II in south Wales and forced him to abdicate at Kenilworth in 1326
• Building programme by John of Gaunt

  1. Constructed a new great hall

  2. Remodelled apartments, services and kitchens

  3. Designed to symbolise his regal status and provide a symbol of his wealth and hospitality
• The new hall at Kenilworth was designed to be similar to his father the king's new hall at Windsor Castle
• Great hall


  • Approached up twenty steps to an entrance arch which was beautifully carved
  • Windows were very high and very delicate, like great cathedrals
  • Lower sections were originally barred and shuttered while the upper sections would have had fixed glass
  • Inside featured panelled surrounds and stone seats
  • Benches would have been put against the side walls to create a step up to the seats, from which spectators could watch entertainments in the hall after a banquet
  • Tapestries were hung above the fireplaces
• Kitchen


  • Twice the size of a normal aristocratic kitchen, measuring 19m by 8.5m
  • Had the capacity to cater for several hundred people at a time
  • Three enormous fireplaces
  • Smaller recesses for storing wood and utensils
  • Cobbled floor with a drain in the centre for kitchen waste
  • Fourth fireplace equipped with a bread-oven and furnace