- Reigate Castle
Reigate castle (coord|51|13|48|N|0|11|16|W|) is a ruined castle in the market town of
Reigate in the county ofSurrey ,England .Establishment
King William I granted the land around Reigate to one of his supporters, William de Warenne, who was created
Earl of Surrey in 1088. It is believed that his son,William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey , ordered that Reigate Castle be built, although the de Warennes had their southern base inLewes ,Sussex , as well as castles inYorkshire andNormandy [http://www.conisbroughcastle.org.uk/History/dewarennescastles.htm William de Warenne's castles] ] . Around 1150 the de Warennes ordered that a town be constructed below the castle. This town forms the basis of modern-day Reigate. The origin of the name Reigate is uncertain, but appears to derive from Roe-deer Gate, as the town was situated near to the entrance to the de Warenne's deer park. [http://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/public/Learning/History/reigate.asp Reigate and Banstead Borough Council: A Brief History of Reigate] ]In 1216 the castle was briefly taken by Louis the French "
Dauphin ". In 1347 the castle became the property of Fitzalan,Earl of Arundel . From 1397 it was owned by a number of Lords of the Manor of Reigate, including the influential Howard family. It was occupied until the 16th century, but fell into disrepair afterwards. It was demolished in 1648 after occupation as a garrison during the Civil War by followers of a Royalist uprising. [http://www.touruk.co.uk/surrey/Reigate.htm Reigate tourist information] ]In 1777 a mock medieval gateway was built over the ruins of the original castle. An inscription is written on the side of the gateway, in Latin on one side and English on the other:
None of the original castle buildings have survived, with the exception of the Barons' Cave. [http://www.wcms.org.uk/pages/club/barons_cave.shtml Wealden Cave & Mine Society] ]
Little more is known of the Castle which has never been excavated on any great scale. Local legend says prior to the signing of the
Magna Carta , the rebellious barons met to hammer out the details of the document in the extensive [ [http://oldreigate.com/?goto=reigatecaves Old Reigate: A Pictorial History] ] caves beneath the castle. The story however has no truth to it.Modern day
The Reigate Castle Tunnel runs under the grounds of Reigate Castle and was constructed in 1823. It is believed to be Europe's first
road tunnel .The castle grounds remain as public gardens.
Caves
Tours of the Baron's Caves take place on a handful of weekends over the summer months between May and September. [http://www.wcms.org.uk/pages/club/reigate_caves.shtml#dates Wealden Cave & Mine Society cave tours] ]
References
External links
* [http://www.oldreigate.com/?goto=castlegrounds Photo gallery from oldreigate.com]
* [http://www.ecastles.co.uk/reigate.html Photo gallery from ecsatles.co.uk]
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