Odiham Castle

Odiham Castle
Part of Hampshire
Odiham, England
The inner octagonal shell keep of Odiham Castle.
Type	Shell keep with outer bailey
Built	1207 - 1214
Built by	King John
Construction materials	Flint Lime Mortar Timber
Height	Up to 9 metres (30 ft)
In use	Until mid 16th century
Current condition	Ruin
Current owner	Hampshire County Council
Open to the public	Yes
Battles/wars	First Barons' War
Events	Hosted Parliament in the 13th Century Prison of Scottish King David II

Odiham Castle (also known locally as King John's Castle) is a ruined castle situated near Odiham in Hampshire, United Kingdom. It is one of only three fortresses built by King John during his reign.

The site was possibly chosen by King John because he had visited the area in 1204 and it lay halfway between Windsor and Winchester.

Construction

Odiham Castle was built on 20 acres (81,000 m²) of land acquired from local lord, Robert the Parker; utilising a modified bend of the River Whitewater.

The castle, which took seven years to complete, had a two-storey stone keep and a square moat. There were also raised banking and palisades. Notably the stronghold also had a domus regis or 'king's house'.

Scrolls held in the public records office reveal that total expenditure between 1207 and 1214, when work ceased, amounted to £1,000 (equivalent of £11.4m in 2009).

History

In 1215 it was from either Odiham or Windsor that King John rode out to Runnymede where met he met the barons and signed the Magna Carta. A year later Odiham Castle was captured by the French after a two-week siege during the First Barons' War in 1216.

Odiham Castle might have become one of the most important strongholds in England. In 1238 Simon de Montfort married King John's daughter Eleanor just two years after she had been granted Odiham by her brother, King Henry III. However de Monfort rebelled against Henry and died at the Battle of Evesham in 1265 and Eleanor was exiled. Odiham Castle was again retained by the Crown.

The castle was also involved in the rebellion led by the powerful Despenser family against Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella of France, the wife of Edward II.

During the fourteenth century Odiham hosted Parliament. Scottish King David II, after his capture at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346, was also imprisoned here for 11 years. However he was held under light guard and was allowed to keep a household.

By the 15th century Odiham was now used only as a hunting-lodge. In 1605 the former royal castle was described as a ruin.

Present day

Odiham Castle is open to the public. The only visible remains are part of the octagonal keep and outlying earthworks. In September 2007 Hampshire County Council undertook a restoration of the shell keep under guidance from English Heritage.

Gallery

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Restoration

Restoration work began in September 2007 to consolidate the ruins and carry out extensive work on improving the site.^[1]

Further reading

• MacGregor, Patricia (1983), Odiham Castle, 1200–1500: Castle and Community, Sutton, ISBN 0862990300 

References

1. ^ Hampshire County Council (2006). "Odiham Castle". Countryside Service. http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hampshire-countryside/odiham-castle.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-07. 

External links

• Hampshire Count Council

Coordinates: 51°15′41.11″N 0°57′42.20″W / 51.2614194°N 0.961722°W / 51.2614194; -0.961722