Huntington-castle-herefordshire-august-2018

Huntington Castle was situated in the village of Huntington in Herefordshire, England, 2½ miles south-west of Kington ().

Natural Site

The

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

is sited on a commanding position on the modern day England Wales border in what was the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...

in Norman and medieval times. It overlooks the valley, protected by steep ravines to the north and west, and moated by the brook.

Successor to Kington Castle

It is likely that this castle was built as the successor of nearby

Kington Castle Kington Castle stood in the medieval market town of Kington in Herefordshire, England (). It was built in the 11th century and destroyed in 1215. History The castle was located on the north-west side of the present town of Kington above the ...

which was probably destroyed in 1216.

Powerful Barons, Kings & Future Royalty

The castle had been in the hands of the de Braose family but was seized in 1228 by Henry III following the death of Reginald de Braose. However the castle must have been returned to the de Braose family because on the death of William de Braose it passed by marriage to the

de Bohun The de Bohun then Bohun family is an English language, English noble family of Normans, Norman origin that played a prominent role in English political and military history during the Late Middle Ages. The swan used by the family and their descen ...

family and saw some fighting during the Baron's War of the 1260s. It remained in this family until the death of its last male heir in 1372. The eldest daughter of the family Mary de Bohun married Henry, Earl of Derby who was elevated to the rank of Duke of Hereford by

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

, his cousin. It remained his property until his own accession to the throne as Henry IV in 1399.

Granted to Stafford by King Henry IV

The castle then passed to Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford. In 1403 he was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury and possession passed to his widow, Anne, Countess of Stafford who then refortified the castle against

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

Owain Glyndwr's Rebellion

She appointed John Sment as Constable of the castle, better placed than her to expertly man its defences. Glyndwr's forces came upon the castle flush after their total victory at the

Battle of Bryn Glas The Battle of Bryn Glas (also known as the Battle of Pilleth) was a battle between the Welsh and English on 22 June 1402, near the towns of Knighton and Presteigne in Powys, Wales. It was part of the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400-1415. It was an impor ...

, they simply drove the cattle away, took flour from the local mill and then burned the mill to the ground.

After 1415

It appears that the castle then went into decline. Peace was restored to the

during the reign of King Henry V with its focus on conflict abroad with France.

Reversion to the Crown

By 1564 it was in the possession of the Crown but then passed through a succession of hands.

The Civil War

By the time of the English Civil War in 1642 it was a total ruin as a fortress. By 1670 the stone

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

was still extant.

Currently

Now only the earthworks and some portions of stonework remain. The site is overgrown and is listed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register as poor condition.

References

SMR entry on Huntington Castle
*Remfry, P.M., ''Kington and Huntington Castles, 1066 to 1298'' () *Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, ''The David & Charles Book of Castles'', David & Charles, 1980.

External links

* {{coord, 52.17822, N, 3.09971, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SO249539), display=title Castles in Herefordshire Ruins in Herefordshire Scheduled monuments in Herefordshire