- Wilton Castle
Wilton Castle is a
12th-century Normancastle fortification located in southeasternHerefordshire ,England on theRiver Wye adjacent to the town ofRoss-on-Wye . The castle is named for themanor associated with it.This forgotten castle of Herefordshire [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/167009] , still standing mostly to
battlement height, remains a monument to its former lords. The Longchamps of Wilton in their time provided Bailiffs ofNormandy ,Chancellor s ofEngland ,sheriff s ofHereford and theWelsh Marches and enemies of King John.They were succeeded by the families of
De Cantilupe (seeThomas de Cantilupe and links) andDe Grey who between them built up a powerbase inWales and the Marches.Matilda de Grey , nee de Cantilupe, stood up in court in1292 and lied through her teeth to KingEdward I of England that the castle had been built by her Longchamp ancestors in the days ofEdward the Confessor (1042-66). In fact, the castle could not have been built before1154 and certainly the 'barony' never held theMarcher Lord rights Lady Matilda claimed for it.The castle was primarily associated with a branch of the Norman-descended family of Grey, the Barons Grey of Wilton, a prominent dynasty of Norman
Marcher Lords in theWelsh Marches .The castle was finally destroyed in the
English Civil War , a period that saw skirmishes and sieges locally atGoodrich Castle andRaglan Castle .References
* Remfry, P.M., "Wilton Castle, 1066 to 1646" (ISBN 1-899376-35-6)
* "A History of the Manor of Wilton and the Parish of Bridstow, Herefordshire", by R.A. Hart, published by the Ross-on-Wye and District Civic Society (1994)External links
* [http://www.wyenot.com/news/2005-03-01-1.htm Wilton Castle]
* [http://www.wyevalleyhistory.net/Settlements%20-%20Wilton.htm Wilton Manor]
* [http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/hereford.html Anglo-Norman castles]
* [http://www.castlewales.com/wilton.html Photographs of Wilton Castle]
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