Tonbridge Castle is a

13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 ( MCCI) through December 31, 1300 ( MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched from Eastern Asia to Eastern Eur ...

castle situated in

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England.

Early history

Following the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

Richard Fitz Gilbert Richard fitz Gilbert (before 1035–), 1st feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, was a Norman lord who participated in the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and was styled "de Bienfaite", " de Clare", and of "Tonbridge" from his holdings.G. E. ...

was granted land in

to guard the crossing of the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance ...

. He erected a simple Motte-and-bailey castle on the site. To dig the moat and erect the motte 50,000 tonnes of earth were moved. In 1088, the de Clare family (descendants of Fitz Gilbert) rebelled against King William II. His army besieged the castle. After holding for two days the castle fell and as punishment the king had both the castle and the town of Tonbridge burnt to the ground. Before 1100, the de Clares replaced the wooden castle with a stone shell keep. This was reinforced during the thirteenth century, and in 1295 a stone wall was built around the town. The twin-towered gatehouse was built by Richard de Clare, third Earl of Hertford or his son Gilbert. Construction of the gatehouse took 30 years, being completed in 1260. The gatehouse shares many similarities with the ones at Caerphilly Castle built by Gilbert in 1268–1271. The great seal of England was temporarily kept here during one of Edward I's visits to France. The castle was not lived in between 1521 and the late 18th century, except for a short period during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

. The mansion was added in 1793. Both castle and mansion are Grade I listed buildings.

Modern history

The site was purchased by the local council in 1900, who now use the mansion as offices, and who made the grounds a public park. The castle is also the start of a 6-mile cycle ride to Penshurst Place called

The Tudor Trail The Tudor Trail is a 6-mile multi-user linear route between 2 historic buildings in the Wealden countryside. It is also part of 'Regional Route 12' of the National Cycle Network. Route The trail starts at Tonbridge Castle, then leads through H ...

References

External links

Official Website

Discover the Garden of England
{{Tonbridge Castles in Kent Museums in Tonbridge and Malling Tourist attractions in Kent Grade I listed buildings in Kent History museums in Kent Tonbridge Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Motte-and-bailey castles William II of England

Early history

Modern history

See also

References

External links