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Hemyock Castle

Coordinates: 50°54′45″N 3°13′53″W / 50.91249°N 3.23144°W / 50.91249; -3.23144
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Hemyock Castle
Hemyock, Devon, England
Gatehouse Arch, Hemyock Castle
Hemyock Castle is located in Devon
Hemyock Castle
Hemyock Castle
Coordinates50°54′45″N 3°13′53″W / 50.91249°N 3.23144°W / 50.91249; -3.23144
Site information
OwnerPrivate
Site history
MaterialsChert stone rubble
EventsEnglish Civil War

Hemyock Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle, in the village of Hemyock, Devon, England. It was built by Sir William and Lady Margaret Asthorpe after 1380 to a quadrangular design, around their much older existing manor house. As a large, lime-washed, moated, stone structure, it would have been visually impressive. By the time of the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, although probably obsolescent militarily, enough still remained for it to be used as a prison for several hundred captured Royalist soldiers and for it to withstand the first of two Royalist attacks and sieges. Later, much of its defensive walls and towers were pulled down, and the stone re-used for other buildings. In the 21st century the site has substantial fragments of the original castle and moat. The manor house, originally a Devon hall house, and its outbuildings have been adapted repeatedly over the centuries to suit evolving needs. These are private homes. The site is privately owned but there are regular public open days.

History

11th-15th centuries

The castle is located in the Culm valley in the Blackdown Hills, on the west side of the village of Hemyock.[1] The site belonged to the Hidon family in the 11th and 12th centuries, passing by marriage into the Dynham family in the 13th.[2] By the 13th century it is reported that a "court" building existed on the current site, protected by a moat fed by a stream and spring.[3] It is likely that a large "hall" with upper-floor "solars" at either end had been added on the northern side of the original defensive tower.

Sir William Asthorpe married Margaret Dynham in 1362.[3] Most of Margaret's close relatives had died, presumably due to the Black Death, leaving her the sole heir, aged 15 years. This advantageous marriage added to the wealth he had accumulated through service during the Hundred Years War with France, especially as "Keeper" (governor) of the Channel Islands. It made him a rich man and a member of the local elite, but he was an outsider in Devon society and his position was insecure.[3] On 5th November 1380, King Richard II granted Sir William Asthorpe a "licence to crenellate" the manor house "with a wall of lime and stone"; in other words to build a castle on the site.[3] The castle provided a degree of protection for Asthorpe, but it was also intended for show, to impress others with his status and authority.[4] As a trusted "king's man" during the reigns of Edward III and Richard II, it is also likely Sir William was tasked with countering the power of families such as the Earls of Devon who were viewed as a threat to King Richard II.

The castle was built in the quadrangular design fashionable at the time, to a roughly square shape with circular towers linked by stone walls.[3] The full layout of the castle is uncertain, but a gatehouse, with twin towers and a portcullis, was positioned on the east side, and at least five other towers were positioned around the walls.[4] The walls and towers were 4.5 feet (1.4 m) thick and built from chert stone rubble with occasional pieces of iron slag left over from the roman and medieval metalworking around the village; they would originally have been rendered and whitewashed with lime.[5]

From the line of the walls, there may have been another entrance on the west side, but this is uncertain.[3] A bank of earth appears to have been erected some distance away to the north of the castle, either as a form of defence, or perhaps to obscure the castle from a former road that ran past it from that direction.[6] The towers seem not to have had ground-floor entrances. Putlog holes suggest that they had upper floors. Putlog holes in the curtain walls suggest the presence of hoardings to protect defenders.[3] This large, lime-washed, stone, moated castle would have been visually impressive.

16th-21st centuries

In the early 16th century, the antiquarian John Leland reported that the castle had fallen into ruin, and only a few towers remained intact.[3] However, the brevity and vagueness of his report suggests that he did not actually visit the site or examine it in detail. By 1566, apparently the centre of the castle was being used for growing apples.[6] But by the time of the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, although probably obsolescent militarily, enough still remained for the castle to be used as a prison for several hundred captured Royalist soldiers and for it to withstand the first of two Royalist attacks and sieges. The civil war broke out in England in 1642, between the Royalist supporters of Charles I and the supporters of Parliament. Lord Poulett, a Royalist, is said to have seized the castle shortly after the outbreak of fighting.[7] During the war the castle was taken by Parliament and used as a prison.[7] In 1660, Charles II was restored to the throne. The castle was "slighted" (largely torn down), and its stone was reused for other buildings.[7] Late in the 17th century, the stream which had filled the moat was diverted. The eastern part of the moat was filled in to become a farmyard. The large linhay barns were built at this time.

The manor house was substantially altered between the 18th and 19th centuries, using some parts of the earlier building and reusing stone from the castle walls and towers.[8] Towards the end of the 18th century, the upper parts of the towers were destroyed by the tenant of the estate.[7] At the end of the 18th century, the castle was bought by the British military officer, General John Simcoe, first Lt. Governor of Upper Canada. He remodelled the manor house, probably around 1800, partly in a Gothic style.[9] General Simcoe had wanted to restore the castle, but his military duties organising the coastal defences of England's West Country against possible Napoleonic invasion, and then his sudden death, prevented this.

From the 1970s onwards, the manor house has been extensively modernised and again made habitable. From 1983 onwards, the remains of the castle have been extensively conserved. Some former outbuildings have been converted for residential use. The former "carpenter's shop" building has been converted into a museum and interpretation centre.[10] In the 21st century the castle is a Grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument.[11] Other buildings are also listed.

See also

References

  1. ^ Mackenzie 1896, p. 32; Emery 2006, p. 577
  2. ^ Mackenzie 1896, pp. 32–33
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Emery 2006, p. 577
  4. ^ a b Emery 2006, p. 577; Davis, Philip, "Hemyock Castle", Gatehouse Gazette, retrieved 24 August 2013.
  5. ^ Emery 2006, p. 577; Context One Archaeological Services (2009), "Land to the East of 'Castle Dene', Culmstock Road, Hemyock, Devon: an Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief Assessment Report" (PDF), Context One Archaeological Services, pp. 5–6, retrieved 24 August 2013.
  6. ^ a b Context One Archaeological Services (2009), "Land to the East of 'Castle Dene', Culmstock Road, Hemyock, Devon: an Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief Assessment Report" (PDF), Context One Archaeological Services, p. ii, retrieved 24 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d Mackenzie 1896, p. 33
  8. ^ Context One Archaeological Services (2009), "Land to the East of 'Castle Dene', Culmstock Road, Hemyock, Devon: an Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief Assessment Report" (PDF), Context One Archaeological Services, p. 6, retrieved 24 August 2013.
  9. ^ Mackenzie 1896, p. 33; English Heritage, "Hemyock Castle Gatehouse and Curtain Walls, Hemyock", British Listed Buildings Online, retrieved 24 August 2013.
  10. ^ Context One Archaeological Services (2009), "Land to the East of 'Castle Dene', Culmstock Road, Hemyock, Devon: an Archaeological Excavation and Watching Brief Assessment Report" (PDF), Context One Archaeological Services, p. 6, retrieved 24 August 2013.; English Heritage, "Hemyock Castle Gatehouse and Curtain Walls, Hemyock", British Listed Buildings Online, retrieved 24 August 2013.
  11. ^ English Heritage, "Hemyock Castle Gatehouse and Curtain Walls, Hemyock", British Listed Buildings Online, retrieved 24 August 2013.

Bibliography

  • Emery, Anthony (2006). Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500: Southern England. Vol. 3. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781139449199. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Mackenzie, James D. (1896). The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure. Vol. 2. New York, US: Macmillan. OCLC 504892038. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
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