Wolvesey Castle, also known as the "Old Bishop's Palace", is a ruined building in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Hampshire, England that was a bishop's palace, and was briefly fortified during the later years of

Henry of Blois Henry of Blois ( c. 1096 8 August 1171), often known as Henry of Winchester, was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126, and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death. He was a younger son of Stephen Henry, Count of Blois by Adela of Normandy, da ...

, the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

History

The first building on the site, an eyot in the River Itchen known as ''Wulveseye'' or Wulf's island, was constructed around 970 by Æthelwold of Winchester, the

from 963 to 984, as his official residence or palace. Winchester came under siege during the Rout of Winchester in 1141 by the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...

during the period of civil war known as

The Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin, the only legiti ...

, and held out for three weeks until relieved by Stephen's wife,

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

. Subsequently Henry, the brother of Stephen, King of England, enlarged and fortified the palace by building a curtain wall, giving the palace the appearance of a castle. The fortifications were slighted by Henry II after the death of Henry in 1171. In June 1216,

Oliver fitz Regis Oliver fitz Regis or Oliver Fitzroy (died 1218/1219) was an illegitimate son of John, King of England. Oliver's mother was Hawise (Hadwisa), a sister of Fulk FitzWarin. He was probably born before John became king in 1199. Oliver fought for his fa ...

defended the castle when it was besieged by Prince Louis of France during the First Barons' War.

Catherine Hanley Catherine Hanley (born 1972) is a writer and researcher specialising in the Middle Ages. Biography Hanley was born in Perth, Western Australia. She gained a degree and a PhD at the University of Sheffield and was a postdoctoral researcher there o ...

, ''Louis: The French Prince Who Invaded England'' (Yale University Press, 2016), p. 103. The palace was the location of the

wedding breakfast A wedding breakfast is a feast given to the newlyweds and guests after the wedding, making it equivalent to a wedding reception that serves a meal. The phrase is still used in British English. Nowadays the wedding breakfast is not normally a m ...

in 1554 of Queen Mary and

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...

. It was destroyed by the Roundheads during the English Civil War in 1646. The ruins are located next to the existing bishop's palace, near to Winchester Cathedral, and are currently owned and maintained by English Heritage.

Palace

The original palace on the site was built around 970 by Æthelwold of Winchester on a piece of land known as ''Wulveseye'' or Wulf's island, an eyot in the River Itchen east of the cathedral. About 1110, the second Norman bishop,

William Giffard William Giffard (died 23 January 1129),Franklin "Giffard, William" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' was the Lord Chancellor of England of William II and Henry I, from 1093 to 1101,Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 8 ...

, constructed a new hall to the south west. His successor,

, brother of King Stephen added a second hall to the west between 1135 and 1138. A new palace in the baroque style was built to the south by Thomas Finch for George Morley in 1684. However, Brownlow North demolished all but the west wing of this palace in 1786. After a variety of different uses the remaining part was refurbished for use once again as the bishop's residence in 1926 by

Theodore Woods Frank Theodore Woods (15 January 187427 February 1932) was a Church of England bishop. He was the Bishop of Peterborough from 1916 to 1923 before being translated to the See of Winchester, where he remained until his death. Family and education ...

Fortifications

The palace was the scene for the Rout of Winchester during the period of civil war known as

in 1141. The

and Bishop Henry fought for possession of Winchester. The besieged defenders of Wolvesey burnt with fireballs many of the houses of the city, and most of the old town of Winchester was destroyed. Empress Matilda's forces were held off for three weeks (August - September, 1141) until Stephen's wife,

, arrived with reinforcements from London.Charles W.C. Oman, ''Castles: An illustrated guide to 80 castles of England and Wales'', Beekman House, 1978 Printing, After the siege, Henry fortified the palace by linking the two Norman halls with a curtain wall which would have finally obliterated any remaining parts of the Anglo-Saxon palace, and gave the place the appearance of a castle. Henry II is said to have slighted the palace after the death of Bishop Henry in 1171. This did not include the destruction of the residential quarters as many later occupants of the see of Winchester dwelled there in high state. But the gate and

portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

were likely removed and some breaches made in the curtain . It was once a very important building, and was the location on 25 July 1554 of the wedding breakfast of Queen Mary and

. The palace was destroyed by Roundheads during the English Civil War in 1646. The chapel is the only considerable remnant of the south range of the palace, and is still in use, being attached to the palace. The castle was in close proximity to

Winchester city walls Winchester city walls are a series of defensive walls in central Winchester, originally built during the Roman settlement of southern Britain, in what was then the settlement of Venta Belgarum. The area surrounding Winchester had been populated ...

, parts of which still exist today

Current ownership

The extensive surviving ruins are currently owned and maintained by English Heritage. The ruins have had

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

status since 24 March 1950. A fair amount of the curtain wall remains, but nearly all the inner arrangements are gone, though it is possible to make out the hall, in which there is a good round arch and one surviving

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

window.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite book , title=Three Palaces of the Bishops of Winchester , publisher=English Heritage , year=2000 , editor=Lorimer Poultney , editor-link=Lorimer Poultney {{cite web , url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/wolvesey-castle-old-bishops-palace/ , title=Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop's Palace) , publisher=English Heritage , access-date=2013-10-16 {{NHLE, num=1095511, access-date=16 October 2013 {{NHLE, num=1095510, access-date=16 October 2013 Castles in Hampshire English Heritage sites in Hampshire Episcopal palaces of the bishops of Winchester History of Winchester Tourist attractions in Hampshire Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire Ruins in Hampshire Ruined castles in England

History

Palace

Fortifications

Current ownership

See also

References