Moreton Corbet Castle is a ruined

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

castle and

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

, located near the village of

Moreton Corbet Moreton Corbet is a village in the civil parish of Moreton Corbet and Lee Brockhurst in Shropshire, England. The village's toponym refers to the Corbet baronets, the local landowners. It is just north of the larger village of Shawbury near Sta ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a

Grade I listed building 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 ...

and

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

property. Although out of use since the 18th century, it remains the property of the Corbet baronets. It can be visited free of charge during daylight hours.

History

Medieval stronghold

In 1086 two Anglo Saxon

thegn In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there ...

s, Hunning and Wulfgeat, were living at Moreton Corbet. By the early thirteenth century the structure had been replaced by another, built by Toret, an Englishman. His descendant Peter Toret was lord of Moreton Corbet by 1166 and it is likely that he was living in the castle. In February 1216

William Marshal William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings— Henry II, his sons the "Young King" ...

l stormed Moreton Corbet castle on behalf of King

John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...

against Bartholomew Toret. At this time the castle was known as Moreton Toret Castle. In 1235 Bartholomew died and Richard de Corbet, his son-in-law, inherited the castle and changed its name to Moreton Corbet. The keep or great tower to the west was connected to the gatehouse by a curtain wall, which then curved south and looped to encircle the site, creating a bailey or courtyard. The roof of the gatehouse has not survived, but the corbel work that supported the roof and tower

battlement A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

s of the castle is still extant. At the western end of the extant curtain wall is a rectangular keep of two stories and a basement, dating from between the eleventh and early thirteenth centuries.. It was entered through an elevated doorway, and the fireplaces on the lower residential floor are still visible.

Elizabethan house

In the 16th century, Sir Andrew Corbet filled the courtyard to the east of the keep with a new house, stretching in a straight line to the south and west of the medieval structure. The perimeter wall to the west and south of the tower is now almost completely removed, leaving a gap between the castle and the later house. Corbet adapted the medieval gatehouse with a gothic arch. In 1579, a year after Corbet had died, A carving of his monogram and the year were added, surmounting another rectangular stone bearing the family crest of an elephant and castle in relief. Corbet had a large domestic range built against the curtain wall, with kitchens below and accommodation above. East and south of the gatehouse, the domestic ranges opened into a great hall. A large fireplace is apparent on the first floor, with a smaller one on the lower floor. Doorways were made through the curtain wall to the latrines. The keep was converted into a storehouse. South of the castle, Corbet's son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

had a wide but shallow house built in a more modern style, described by the noted antiquarian

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

(1551–1623) as "a most gorgeous and stately house after the Italian model." It seems to have been influenced by the

classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...

of Italian buildings that he saw on his diplomatic travels, including Palladio's

Basilica Palladiana The Basilica Palladiana is a Renaissance building in the central Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, north-eastern Italy. The most notable feature of the edifice is the loggia, which shows one of the first examples of what have come to be known as ...

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan. Vicenza is a thr ...

. The building was faced with stone, but internally the walls were of brick. Although Italian in inspiration and elaborately decorated, much of the carving was of a rustic finish. After Robert Corbet died of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

in 1583, his brothers

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

and Vincent Corbet carried on with the building of the new manor, leaving what was left of the original fortification.

Civil War

During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, Moreton Castle was used as part of Royalist Shrewsbury's defence. The castle was under

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

on more than one occasion, and badly damaged in the fighting. The surviving ruins of the walls are pock-marked from musket shot.

Gallery

Moreton Corbet Castle Elephant2.JPG, Insignia of Sir Andrew Corbet above gatehouse door Moreton Corbet Castle keep 01.JPG, Remains of the great tower or keep Moreton Corbet Castle great hall.JPG, Great hall, showing fireplaces and doors to latrines Moreton Corbet Castle Elizabethan house interior 01.JPG, East end interior of Elizabethan house Moreton Corbet Castle Chimera.JPG,

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilici ...

on west corner of Elizabethan frontage Moreton Corbet Castle Wyvern.JPG,

Wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, Un ...

on east corner of Elizabethan frontage

References

External links

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Bibliography of sources relating to Moreton Corbet Castle

Geograph® Britain and Ireland > Photos of Moreton Corbet castle and surrounding area
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreton Corbet Castle Castles in Shropshire English Heritage sites in Shropshire Country houses in Shropshire Ruins in Shropshire Grade I listed buildings in Shropshire Ruined castles in England Grade I listed ruins Grade I listed castles