Beeston Castle

Beeston Castle is a castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England. The castle, which perches on a rocky crag 150m above the Cheshire plain, was built in 1225 Ranulf de Blundeville, the sixth Earl of Chester, (1170-1232), on his return from the Crusades. It is now ruined and owned by English Heritage.

Prehistory

Beeston crag is one of a chain of rocky hills stretching across the Cheshire plain. Remains have been found of a Bronze age community living there about 800 BC, and an Iron age hill fort on the site in around 400 BC.

Earl Ranulf

Ranulf de Blundeville was the only son of Hugh, fifth Earl of Chester, and became sixth earl on the death of his father in 1181, inheriting a rich earldon spreading from Cheshire to Lincolnshire. Ranulf was at war with his Welsh neighbours until 1218 when he made peace with the Llewellyn ap Iorweth (Llewely the Great), and in the same year set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the journey he was pursuaded to join the Fifth Crusade. He returned to England in 1220 and in 1225 began to build the castle at Beeston, putting in to practice new ideas in castle design he had learned in the Middle East.

Design of the castle

The castle was located and designed both as an impregnable stronghold and a symbol of power. The defences consisted of two parts. Firstly, a small inner bailey on the summit of the hill with a sheer drop on three sides side and a defensive ditch on the other. Secondly, on the lower slopes an outer bailey was created with a massive gatehouse and again a ditch. In medieval documents the castle is given the apt description Castellum de Rupe, the Castle on the Rock. Unlike many medieval castles, Beeston does not have a single massive tower or keep as its last line of defence. Instead the natural features of the land together with massive walls, strong gate houses, and carefully positioned towers made the bailies themselves the strong hold. The design is thought to be due to Ranulf himself, but he did not live to see his castle completed.

Royal castle

Although most of the defences were in place, there were no living quarters at Ranulf's death in 1232 and this remained so on the death of his successor John in 1237. Earl John died without a male heir and King Henry III took control of the Earldom of Cheshire and Beeston himself. Wars with Wales continued after the brief peace brokered by Ranulf, and Beeston played an important part in these conflicts. However, no attempt was made to equip the castle as a permanent residence with halls and chambers. Garrisons were probably housed in wooden structures in the outer bailey.

In 1254 Henry gave Beeston together with other lands in Cheshire to his son Prince Edward. He also gave the title Earl of Chester to the prince, a title that has always since been conferred on the heir to the throne of England. Edward was crowned king of England in 1272 and completed the conquest of Wales. Beeston was nevertheless kept in good repair and improved during his reign, and throughout the 14th century. By the 16th century the castle was considered of no further use by the English Crown and passed too Sir Hugh Beeston of Beeston Hall. The defences were neglected and parts collapsed.

Civil war

With the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, many neglected castles were pressed in to service. Beeston was seized on 20 February 1643 by parliamentary forces commanded by Sir William Bereton. The walls were repaired and the well was cleaned out. In 1643 part of the royal army of Ireland landed in Chester. On 13 December 1643 Captain Thomas Sandford and eight soldiers from that army crept into Beeston at night and persuaded the larger parliamentary force commanded by Captain Thomas Steele to surrender. Steele was tried and shot for his failure.

The Royalists survived a siege by parliamentary forces from November 1644 until November 1645 when they surrendered due to lack of food.

Present day

The castle is owned by English Heritage, and although ruined enough of the walls and towers are still in place to provide a clear picture of how it would have looked in its prime. It is open to visitors and has a small museum and visitor's centre.

Bibliography

• K Osborne, Beesdon Castle, English heritage, 1995, ISBN 1850745412

External links

• Beeston Castle at English Heritage (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.139)

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