Middle Ages

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Middle Ages

The King of Limbs

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Mar 11, 2011

Tagged in: WWII , woodlands , wooded , Wiltshire , vistas , virgin , unique , travel , The King’s Way , sweet fern , SSSI , Site of Special Scientific Interest , Severn , Selwood , Saxon , Savernake Forest , Savernac , Safernoc , Royal Forest , river , Protector of Somerset , private , Prince Edward , primeval forest belt , origins , Old English , Norman , New Forest , Middle Ages , Melchet , Marquis of Ailesbury , Marlborough Castle , Marlborough , leased , King Athelstan , Jane Seymour , imprisoned , hunting , hereditary , hare , Grovely , gravel , grand avenue , gibbet , Forestry Commission , forest , entourage , England , Edward Seymour , Clevendon , Chute , Chippenham , Chase , Charter , Capability Brown , Brussels , Braydon , Arthur Mee , Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , AONB , acorn

“There is no place in England quite like it. Savernake is an epitome of every phase of beauty in our countryside”

Arthur Mee

If you travel down “The King’s Way” from Marlborough you will pass through Savernake Forest. Before WWII Savernake was ‘one of the largest areas of virgin forest land in England, having a continuous wooded area greater than the New Forest [2].

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Castles Galore

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Nov 9, 2010

Tagged in: Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre , William the Conqueror , wealth , traced , Tisbury. Unique , timber , theory , theme , surrendering , surrender document , stone , soldiers , Silbury Hill , safe passage , ruins , royal residence , research , power , Parliamentarian , origins , original , opulence , Open Day , Old Wardour Castle , Mount , mound , Motte and Bailey , might , Middle Ages , Medieval Period , medieval castles , Marlborough , Latin , Late Neolithic , Lady Arundell , History , hexagonal design , helmet , French , fortified place , fortifications , force , exhibition , English Civil War , earth , documents , display , demonstrations , defend , defence , constructed , classic , chateaux , castrum , castles , castellum , Broad sword , army , Archives , Archaeology service , 1643

The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre held its 4th annual Open Day and the theme this year was the Medieval Period. Along with Broad sword demonstrations, helmet making and documents from the Archives set out on display, the Archaeology Service produced an exhibition on the medieval castles of Wiltshire.

The word Castle is derived from the Latin word castellum and before that castrum, meaning fortified place. The earliest examples appeared in the middle ages and were constructed from earth and timber, but these were soon superseded in stone. They acted as statements of might and force, compared to those of the later medieval era when fortifications and defence were replaced by opulence and comfort - a statement of wealth and power of a very different kind.

An 18th century drawing of the Marlborough Mount

Of the various types, Marlborough Mount is a classic example of a Motte and Bailey, becoming a royal residence during the reign of William the Conqueror. Little is known about the origins of the mound, or motte, with one theory suggesting it may yet prove to be similar in date to the nearby Late Neolithic Silbury Hill. Future research may unravel its mysterious past.

Old Wardour Castle, with its impressive surviving ruins, is situated three miles from Tisbury. Unique and unusual in its hexagonal design, it was influenced by the French chateaux of the time, and its purpose was as a lavish home more than a fortification. This was brought into sharp focus with the determined efforts of Lady Arundell to defend her home during the English Civil War. In 1643, with just 25 men to protect her and her castle, she held out for three days against a Parliamentarian army of over 1000 soldiers, only surrendering once she had obtained guarantees of safe passage for her family and staff. Incidentally, that original surrender document is held here at the History Centre.

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