Richard's Castle is a village,

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

and two

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

es on the border of the counties of

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

and

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

in England. The Herefordshire part of the parish had a population of 250 at the 2011 census, the Shropshire part, 424. The village lies on the B4361 road, south of the historic

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

. It is a dispersed settlement, with an older core near the castle, to the north-west of the larger main part of the village which is on the B4361. On the B4361 is the village hall, and The Castle Inn traditional

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

Castle

Today the fortress is reduced mainly to its earthworks and foundations. A polygonal

keep A keep 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 castles that were fortified residen ...

stood on the high motte or mound. This was reached possibly via a semi-circular

barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

. The bailey wall still stands twenty feet high in places and there are remains of several towers and an early gatehouse around the perimeter. There, earthwork remains of an outer ward enclose the church ( St Bartholomew's) and a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

defence.

History

Richard Scrob was a

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 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

knight granted lands by the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

King

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

, in Herefordshire,

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

and Shropshire as recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086. He built Richard's Castle before 1051. The castle was a

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively eas ...

style construction, one of only three or four castles of this type built before the Norman conquest. Most were built after the conquest. Richard was last mentioned in 1067. His castle passed to his son, Osbern Fitz Richard, who married Nest, the daughter of King

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of Wales under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and Ealdgytha of Mercia. Osbern died around 1137 and was succeeded by his grandson, Osbern Fitz Hugh (married to Amice Clifford, a sister of Rosamond Clifford), who died in 1187. Richard's Castle then passed to his marital brother-in-law, Hugh de Say (married to Lucy Clifford), who died in 1190, leaving the barony to his son, another Hugh Say. Thus the castle passed out of the line of descent of Richard Fitz Scrob. In 1196 this Hugh fought at the battle at

New Radnor New Radnor () is a village and community in Powys, Wales. It is south of Radnor Forest, and was historically the county town of Radnorshire. In the 2001 census, the community's population of 410 was split evenly between male and female, in 1 ...

and was probably killed there, his castles eventually passing to Robert de Mortimer of

Attleborough Attleborough is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish located on the A11 road (England), A11 between Norwich and Thetford in Norfolk, England. The parish is in the district of Breckland (district), Breckland and has an area ...

. In 1264 his son, Hugh Mortimer, was forced to surrender himself and Richard's Castle to

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester ( – 4 August 1265), also known as Simon V de Montfort, was an English nobleman of French origin and a member of the Peerage of England, English peerage, who led the baronial opposi ...

. His grandson, the last Hugh Mortimer of Richard's Castle, was poisoned to death by his wife in 1304. The castle then passed to the Talbots, through Richard Talbot's marriage to Joan Mortimer. On 3 December 1329, Joan late the wife of Richard Thalebot, had noted in the

Patent Rolls The patent rolls (Latin: ''Rotuli litterarum patentium'') are a series of administrative records compiled in the English, British and United Kingdom Chancery, running from 1201 to the present day. Description The patent rolls comprise a regis ...

that she planned to leave Richard's Castle to John de Wotton, chaplain, and William Balle of Underlith, in

fee simple In English law, a fee simple or fee simple absolute is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. A "fee" is a vested, inheritable, present possessory interest in land. A "fee simple" is real property held without limit of time (i.e., pe ...

. The Talbots were still living there in the late 14th century. Sir William de Vaux, High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, died in Richard's Castle in 1460. By the 16th century it was in ruins. Richard's Castle belonged to the manor of ''Avretone'' (Overton), which was recorded in the

of 1086 as being entirely part of the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Cutestornes, a hundred of Herefordshire. Around the time of

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

(1100–1139) the hundreds of Shropshire were greatly reformed and the hundred of

Munslow Munslow is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the B4368, northeast of the town of Craven Arms, in the River Corve, Corvedale, at around above sea level. The village formed part of and gave its name to t ...

was created; this hundred took in part of the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Richard's Castle (including Overton and Woofferton), causing the division of the parish and village between the counties that remains to the present day, as the remainder of the parish became part of the Herefordshire hundred of Wolphy. Whilst the neighbouring parish of Ludford, which had also been divided into Munslow/Shropshire and Wolphy/Herefordshire parts, was unified fully into Shropshire in 1895, no such unification of Richard's Castle occurred. A

market charter A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

had been granted by King John, but this has long fallen into disuse. Markets were held on The Green, which is still a public and open piece of land, situated near the church and castle.

Geography

Richards Castle - All Saints Church - geograph

The village lies on the western edge of the Teme valley, with the castle and older part of the village higher in elevation ( above sea level) than the present-day core of the village situated on the B4361 road (at an elevation of ). Much of the village lies in Herefordshire, however there are two

es named after Richard's Castle, one on the Herefordshire side of the county border called Richard's Castle (Hereford), and the other called Richard's Castle (Shropshire) (or "Richard's Castle (Salop)" historically). Both have their own parish council, which work together on some issues for the combined Richard's Castle community. The parish councils have the same parish clerk. The castle ruins, St Bartholomew's Church, the Castle Inn pub,the former

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

chapel and the Court House Dovecote lie in the Herefordshire half, whilst the Shropshire side includes All Saints' Church, the Village Hall and the former primary school. The Shropshire civil parish includes the villages of Overton and

Woofferton Woofferton is a village to the south of Ludlow, in Shropshire, England. It is one of Shropshire's most southerly villages and lies on the border with Herefordshire. It is part of the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of Richard's Castle ...

, the hamlets of Batchcott and Mitnell, as well as Wheatcommon, Moor Park and ''McCartneys'' auction centre. The Herefordshire civil parish includes Haye Park, which forms an almost detached part. Hanway Common is divided between the two parishes, with the county boundary running through it. The

Woofferton transmitting station The Woofferton transmitting station is owned and operated by Encompass Digital Media, as one of the BBC's assets which were handed over as part of the privatization of World Service distribution and transmission in 1997. It is the last remaini ...

, a notable feature of the area's landscape, spreads across the county boundary and is located in both of the Richard's Castle civil parishes. The Welsh Marches Line runs through the currently closed

Woofferton railway station Woofferton was a railway station and junction near Woofferton, Shropshire, England. It was where the Tenbury Railway joined the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway (S&HR). History The station opened on 6 December 1853, as part of the southern e ...

with

Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Governme ...

services calling at

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

and

only.

Religion

The original

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, sited within Herefordshire, was St Bartholomew's Church situated close to and east of the castle. The church was founded by either Richard Fitz Scrobe or his son. The chancel was probably built in 1362. The north transept was probably consecrated in 1351 by Bishop John de Trillek. This was the Chantry Chapel of the local

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. The south aisle was built between 1310 and 1320. There is a detached bell tower (one of six in the county) that dates from the second half of the 13th century. The church is between it and the castle. There are no openings in the bell tower between it and the castle. (See the Hereford Cathedral Library). The church is now redundant. The current parish church is All Saints, designed by the notable architect

Richard Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

, and opened in 1892. It is situated north of the village, within Shropshire, in the Batchcott area, by the side of the B4361 road and is a

Grade I Listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

building. The triptych (1892–3) is a masterpiece by Charles Edgar Buckeridge. Writer Richard Gifford (1723–1807) was a curate in the parish in the 18th century. There was also a

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Christian denomination within the holiness movement. Originating in early 19th-century England as a revivalist movement within Methodism, it was heavily influenced by American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–18 ...

chapel, which is now a dwelling.

Education

Moor Park School Moor Park school is a coeducational preparatory day and boarding school in the village of Richard's Castle, near Ludlow, England. It educates about 300 children and is located within the Diocese of Shrewsbury. History The school was founded ...

is a preparatory school in the Shropshire parish, between the villages of Richard's Castle and Overton. Richard's Castle once had a primary school, which was adjacent to the present-day village hall.

Sport

Soap Box Derby

A motorless car race takes place at Hanway Common in mid-July. The annual event was first held in 2004.Shropshire Star
''Wacky races as home-made carts take to the tarmac near Ludlow'' (12 July 2014)

Notes

References

* Andrews, Cate (1992) ''The Rectors of Richards Castle 2021 Richard claims rights January 18, 2021 1549–1892'', Richards Castle Local History Group,

External links

CastleWales pageHerefordshire Council info
{{authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Villages in Shropshire Villages in Herefordshire Castles in Herefordshire Civil parishes in Shropshire Civil parishes in Herefordshire Castles in England built before 1066