St Briavels Castle (most likely named after Saint

Brioc Brioc ( Breton: ''Brieg''; ; ; ; died c. 502) was a 5th-century Welsh holy man who became the first abbot of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany. He is one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. Life Very little is known about Brioc's early life, as ...

) is a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

St Briavels St Briavels (pronounced ''Brevels'', once known as 'Ledenia Parva' (Little Lydney)), is a medium-sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and south of Colefo ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

county of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

. The castle is noted for its huge

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...

that guards the entrance. St Briavels Castle was originally built between 1075 and 1129 as a royal administrative centre for the

Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...

. During the 13th century the castle became first a favourite hunting lodge of King John, and then the primary centre in England for the manufacture of arrows for use with the

longbow A longbow is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. Longbows for hunting and warfare have been made from many different woods in many cultures; in Europe they date from the Paleolithic era and, since the Bronze Age, were mad ...

, the predominant missile weapon of the English in the later medieval period, and quarrels, large numbers of which were required for

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar f ...

s in medieval warfare. The castle was transferred many times between royal favourites in the 14th and 15th centuries and slowly declined in appearance and importance. St Briavels Castle became used primarily as a court and as a notorious debtors' prison, conditions being documented by the prison reformer

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

in 1775. Following local riots and a parliamentary investigation in the 1830s,

reforms Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

in the 19th century brought an end to the castle's use as a prison. Extensive renovation at the turn of the 20th century allowed St Briavels Castle to be taken over as a

Youth Hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

in 1948. It remains in this role today, owned by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

and open to the public. The castle is classed as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and as a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

Architecture

St Briavels Castle is located on a spur dominating a position above the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

, on the western edge of the

.Remfry, p. 1. The castle is predominantly built of local

old red sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...

and

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

.Curnow and Johnson, p. 91. The castle site is surrounded by an in-filled

; now a garden, the moat was originally wet and fed by a spring underneath the moat itself. St Briavel Castle diagram

The castle

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

, which collapsed and was demolished in the 18th century, was originally a square Norman design, 15.6 m by 13.9 m (51 ft by 45 ft) in size, built on a

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...

of clay and stone.Verey, p. 333; Curnow and Johnson, p. 92. Intact, it would have been approximately 20 m (66 ft) tall, and would have resembled the keeps at

Goodrich Castle Goodrich Castle is a Norman medieval castle ruin north of the village of Goodrich in Herefordshire, England, controlling a key location between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. It was praised by William Wordsworth as the "noblest ruin in Herefordsh ...

and White Castle, both of a similar period and design in the region. The keep was protected by the stone curtain wall that still survives today, forming the castle bailey.Curnow and Johnson, p. 94. Its irregular polygonal plan suggests that it was built on the site of an earlier earthwork. It originally had a small round tower protecting the south-east corner and probably a

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

way in the south wall alongside the keep. Other demolished buildings included a

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...

and assorted buildings along the north-east of the bailey. A set of medieval domestic buildings still stand along the north-west side of the bailey, however, including a

hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

and

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

, originally providing accommodation for the castle constable and the King.Curnow and Johnson, p. 95. These buildings were restored in the 19th century to their current condition. Some features, including the hall range, fireplace and capitals appear to date from the 13th century. The hall and solar form a two-storey building 23 m by 10 m (75 ft by 33 ft) wide, alongside the 14th century chapel, which still incorporates later 17th century adjustments and windows. At one end of the domestic range is the famous "Forester's Horn" chimney, crested with the forest warden's horn, a symbol of Forest Law and the castle's authority. The buildings include a sunken pit prison;

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

dated 1671 show that it was still in use for that purpose at that time. St Briavels Castle - geograph

The

of St Briavels Castle is described in Pevsner's ''

Buildings of England The ''Pevsner Architectural Guides'' are four series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. ''The Buildings of England'' series was begun in 1945 by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, with its forty-six original volumes pub ...

'' as "magnificent... a very fine example of the royal masons' work of the period."Verey, p. 332. It is a massive structure of two large D-shaped towers flanking a wide gate passage 14.8 m (48 ft) long, and linked above by a large room. This sort of gatehouse is sometimes termed a keep-gatehouse or gatehouse-keep because of the massive size and defences on both the inner and outer sides of the building. The first gatehouse of this sort was built at

Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Castle () is a medieval castle, fortification in Caerphilly in South Wales. The castle was constructed by Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as part of his campaign to maintain control of ...

; other examples exist in North Wales and at

Tonbridge Castle Tonbridge Castle is a 13th century castle situated in Tonbridge, Kent, England. Early history Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-a ...

.King, p. 119. Uniquely, St Briavels' gatehouse is protected with three sets of

portcullis A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway. ...

esalthough some gatehouses, such as

Harlech Harlech () is a seaside resort and community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, North Wales, and formerly in the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionethshire. It lies on Tremadog Bay in the Snowdonia National Park. Before 1966, it ...

and

Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...

were built for slots for three, they were only installed with two. A notable feature is the existence of smaller portcullises to defend the doorways from the passage to the porters' lodges. The gatehouse was originally taller than it is today and the entrance would also have included a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...

, removed during the 20th century. The base of the gatehouse is defended from undermining by large "spurs". This design feature is characteristic of castles in the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

, including Goodrich and

, but unlike these castles depends on a solid octagonal, rather than square, based interacting with the form of the circular towers. The gatehouse is well defended, except for the upper windows at the rear; the upper floors were designed for high status guests and these windows would have provided adequate light for the chambers. The south-east of the gatehouse is relatively modern, however, having been rebuilt after a past collapse.Curnow and Johnson, p. 100.

History

11th and 12th centuries

St Briavels Castle appears to date from

times, although the village itself predates the Norman period. The area was acquired by

William FitzOsbern William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Breteuil ( 1011 – 22 February 1071), was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. FitzOsbern was created Earl of Hereford ...

, the first

Earl of Hereford Earl of Hereford is a title in the ancient feudal nobility of England, encompassing the region of Herefordshire, England. It was created six times. The title is an ancient one. In 1042, Godwin, Earl of Wessex severed the territory of Herefordshir ...

in 1067, who built a number of castles across the region, including

Chepstow Chepstow () is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western end of the ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

, Clifford and Wigmore. It does not appear that FitzOsbern built a castle on the St Briavels site, however, and the revolt of FitzOsbern's son,

Roger de Breteuil Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford (c. 1056 – after 1087), succeeded in 1071 to the Earl of Hereford, earldom of Hereford and the English estate of his father, William Fitzosbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, William Fitz-Osbern. He is known t ...

resulted in the village being taken into the possession of the royal

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

s of the

. St Briavels Castle was constructed sometime between 1075 and 1129 by royal mandate, although the precise date is uncertain.Remfry, p. 2.

Walter de Gloucester Walter of Gloucester (also Walter FitzRoger or Walter de Pitres) (d. ) was an early Anglo-Norman official of the King of England during the early years of the Norman conquest of the South Welsh Marches. He was a sheriff of Gloucester and also a C ...

, the Sheriff of Gloucester and his son Miles de Gloucester made St Briavels Castle the administrative centre of the Forest of Dean. The location of the castle placed it well behind the English border, in an area with little Welsh presence before the invasion, and it therefore appears to have been established for the purposes of royal governance, rather than to protect the

to its west. Equivalents elsewhere in the south-west include

Restormel Castle Restormel Castle () lies by the River Fowey near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, England, UK. It is one of the four chief Normans, Norman castles of Cornwall, the others being Launceston Castle, Launceston, Tintagel Castle, Tintagel and Trematon Castl ...

and Lydford Castle in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, both regional royal administrative centres.Curnow and Johnson, p. 92. One alternative view, however, sees St Briavels as intended to protect the

Severn estuary The Severn Estuary () is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England (from North Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) and South Wales (from Cardiff, Newport to Monmouthshire). Its very h ...

to the south, along with the royal castles of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

.Emery, p. 15. This early castle was of

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

design, the keep probably of wood. St Briavels Castle Forest Horn Chimney

Miles and his partner Pain fitzJohn strengthened their hold on the Welsh border during the last years of

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

, but after the king's death in 1135 England descended into the civil war of

the Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adel ...

, as factions loyal to King Stephen and the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

fought for control of the country. Fitz John was killed early in the fighting, but Miles declared in favour of Matilda and took control of the castle in his own right. In 1141 the Empress confirmed Miles as the

and formally granted him St Briavels Castle. Under Miles, the castle escaped the worst of the fighting of the Anarchy. Miles' son, Roger Fitzmiles continued to hold the castle into the reign of

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, the empress' son, but a confrontation with the king resulted in it being removed from the earldom and taken back into royal ownership, once again as part of the Forest of Dean. Henry II rebuilt the castle keep in the 1160s, replacing the older wooden structure with stone. Royal forests in the early medieval period were subject to special royal jurisdiction; forest law was "harsh and arbitrary, a matter purely for the King's will".Huscroft, p.97. Forests were expected to supply the king with hunting grounds, raw materials, goods and money. The Forest of Dean could be used for hunting, but was more important to the king as a major metalworking centre, thanks to the plentiful supply of trees for making

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

and the iron deposits in the limestone stone of the region. The iron goods constructed locally were stored at the castle before being shipped to other royal locations. The quantities being produced were substantialin 1172, for example, Henry II received 100

axe An axe (; sometimes spelled ax in American English; American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for thousands of years to shape, split, a ...

s, 1,000 picks, 2,000

shovel A shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made ...

s and 60,000 nails from St Briavel Castle.

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

took 50,000

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

s on

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

with him from St Briavel. The constable of St Briavel Castle had wide-ranging responsibilities within the Forest, including managing the rights and privileges of the iron-workers, exercised through the Miners' and the Hundreds Court of the castle.

13th century

King John enjoyed regular

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

in the Forest each November, and used St Briavels Castle as his base for such trips. The king entertained the Welsh lord Gruffyd ap Cadwallon at the castle in 1207.Remfry, p. 3; Curnow and Johnson, p.96. This royal interest resulted in further building works and substantial expenditure, with £291 being spent in the next four years. A stone curtain wall replaced an earlier wooden one between 1209–11, complete with a tower and gateway. Inside the bailey a number of buildings suitable for use by the king as a lodge were constructed. A wooden chapel was built within the castle in 1236–7.Curnow and Johnson, p. 98. The castle expansion may have been funded by the increased taxes from iron-working across the areas, and by the end of John's reign, the castle was almost in its mature form. In 1217 the

Charter of the Forest The Charter of the Forest of 1217 re-established rights of access for free tenant, free men to the royal forest that had been eroded by King William the Conqueror and his heirs. Many of its provisions were in force for centuries afterwards. It ...

was passed, in part to mitigate the worst excesses of royal jurisdiction. The forest laws, however, did allow for a very wide range of fines to be imposed on local peasants who broke the numerous edicts in place to protect both wildlife and the trees in the forest. The courts held at St Briavels Castle imposed a relatively large number of fines, or

amercement An amercement is a financial penalty in English law, common during the Middle Ages, imposed either by the court or by peers. While it is often synonymous with a fine, it differs in that a fine is a fixed sum prescribed by statute and was often v ...

s, for both illegal wood-cutting and the poaching of venison during the period. The castle also began to be used a prison shortly afterwards, partially for forest trespassers and for those who could not pay the required fines. After King John's death, however, St Briavels Castle became the primary centre for English quarrel manufacture. The

was an important military advance on the older short bow and was the favoured weapon by the time of Richard Imany crossbows and even more quarrels were needed to supply royal forces. Crossbows were primarily built at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, but St Briavels Castle, with the local forest to provide raw materials, became the national centre for quarrel manufacture. St Briavels Castle Gateway Passage

In 1228 John Malemort, William the Smith and William the Fletcher arrived at the castle and began production operations at a

built within the bailey. A production level of 120,000 quarrels in a 120-day period was achieved by 1233, with men like Malemort being able to produce up to 100 quarrels a day. Quarrels were then put into barrels and shipped across the kingdom in large quantities. Other iron from the castle was sent to build

siege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while othe ...

s in

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

. The manufacturing capability of St Briavels Castle gave the king a distinct advantage over potential baronial enemies, with the supply of arms from the castle to Marcher Lords threatened by the Welsh being one of the levers of royal power during the period. Now a centre for arms manufacture, the castle was made more secure, with a new defensive ditch, freshly repaired walls and a new chapel. The castle was garrisoned with royal troops during the uprising of

Richard Marshal Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke ( 1191 – 15 April 1234), was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England ...

against Henry III in 1233–4, suggesting it had considerable military value at this time. Another indicator of the military importance of the castle and the surrounding forest was the £20 fee each year being paid to the constable of the castle by 1287, on a par with the much larger castles of

Rhuddlan Rhuddlan () is a town, community, and electoral ward in Denbighshire, Wales. Its associated urban zone is mainly on the right bank of the Clwyd; it is directly south of seafront town Rhyl. It gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan ...

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. Under Edward I, the massive gatehouse was built to protect the castle entrance, including special protection against undermining. There has been speculation that the royal architect

James of Saint George Master James of Saint George (–1309; French: , Old French: Mestre Jaks, Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: Mestre Jaks, Latin: Magister Jaco ...

may have been responsible for the building work, which occurred between 1292–3 at a cost of £477. The reason for the king extending the castle at this time is unclear, as the castle was relatively far from the Welsh border and in no particular risk of attack.Curnow and Johnson, p. 103. One popular explanation is that given the quantities of weapons and money being stored at the property by this time, the gatehouse was designed to improve the internal security of the castle; the presence of the additional portcullises would also support this explanation. In 1300, the old wooden chapel was rebuilt in stone and in 1310, an extension to the castle wall was constructed at a cost of £40; called 'the Peel', this followed the line of the old motte and gave additional protection to the keep.

14th–17th centuries

St Briavels Castle remained an important location in the reign of

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

, as the

were a key region in the wars between the king, his favourites and various noble factions during the period.

Roger d'Amory Roger Damory, Lord d'Amory, Baron d'Amory in Ireland, (d. bef. 14 March 1321/1322) was a nobleman and Constable of Corfe Castle. He was the younger son of Sir Robert D'Amory, Knight, of Bucknell and Woodperry, Oxfordshire. Sir Roger also posse ...

was the constable of the castle during the early years of Edward's reign. D'Amory was a royal favourite and Edward II visited the Castle several times, with an extensive renovation of the rooms and quarters occurring during this time.Curnow and Johnson, p. 99. Around £500 was spent on the work, a substantial sum. D'Amory was supplanted in the king's favour by

Hugh Despenser the Younger Hugh Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser) and his wife Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of Wi ...

, and d'Amory fought against the king in the

Despenser War The Despenser War (1321–22) was a baronial revolt against Edward II of England led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun. The rebellion was fuelled by opposition to Hugh Despenser the Younger, the royal favourite.Some hist ...

of 1321-22. After the war, Edward placed the

Marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...

under the control of the Despensers, with

Hugh Despenser the Elder Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being ...

taking particular responsibility for St Briavels. The Despensers appointed Robert Sapy as the keeper of St Briavels and the other confiscated castles across the Marches.Fryde, p. 176. Violence began to break out across the region in response to the Despenser's harsh rule, and Sapy's deputy was attacked in July 1325 on his way back from St Briavels Castle to London; his eyes were torn out, his arms and legs broken and all his records and money stolen. Edward and the Despensers were deposed shortly afterwards by Edward's wife,

Isabella of France Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of Edward II of England, King Edward II, and ''de facto'' regent of England from 1327 ...

. Isabella set about expanding her own lands after her victory, and took St Briavels Castle and various other royal castles into her own possession. When Isabella herself was overthrown by her son,

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, in 1330 the castle then reverted to the crown. Towards the end of the 14th century, England saw increasing conflict between the rival

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, th ...

and Lancastrian factions. St Briavels Castle passed back and forth between the senior nobility on either side, but without playing a major part in the conflict itself. The castle was initially given to King Edward's son Thomas, Duke of Gloucester; with the fall of Thomas from favour after his uprising against

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

, Thomas le Despenser received a life grant of the castle in 1397, as part of his reward for serving Richard. With Thomas' own fall from power under Henry IV, the castle was then given to Henry's son, the

Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Fran ...

.MacKenzie, p. 323. Henry Beauchamp, the Duke of Warwick and a close friend of Henry IV, then acquired St Briavels Castle and the Forest of Dean around 1445. William Herbert was rewarded with the castle in 1467 for his support for

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

and the Yorkist faction during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

; he was then executed by the Lancastrian

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, 6th Earl of Salisbury (22 November 1428 – 14 April 1471), known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, landowner of the House of Neville fortune and military com ...

, who took the castle for his own.Nicholls, 1863, p. 14. Warwick died himself at the

Battle of Barnet The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a War of succession, dynastic conflict of England in the Middle Ages, 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured t ...

in 1471, but after being briefly held by Robert Hyet, Henry VII restored St Briavels Castle to Neville's widow,

Anne Neville, 16th Countess of Warwick Anne Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick (13 July 1426 – 20 September 1492) was an important late medieval English noblewoman. She was the daughter of Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and his second wife, Isabel le Despenser (a daug ...

. With Anne's death in 1492, the castle passed into the control of Thomas Baynham. St Briavels Castle Victorian print

By this time, however, St Briavels Castle had been in a slow period of decline for many years, similar to that of several other royal castles in the region, including Bristol and Gloucester. Minor improvements were made, including various light windows added to the internal buildings in the 15th century, and extensive restyling of the chapel in the 17th century, but not to the extent of those castles successfully converted to more luxurious dwellings. Under

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

and

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

the castle was traditionally granted to the

Earls of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

.Nicholls, 1863, p. 16. By the time of the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, St Briavels Castle was held by Philip Herbert, the 4th earl and a friend of the king's. Philip Herbert sided with

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, however, and St Briavels' played little part in the conflict. With the Restoration and the return of Charles II to power in 1660, the castle was removed from the Earls of Pembroke and given instead to Henry, Lord Herbert of Raglan for life. After Henry's death,

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd D ...

was granted the property; after the disgrace of the Duke of Beaufort a few years later, the castle changed hands again, with the subsequent owners being more modest figures in English public life than had been the case in previous years.

18th and 19th centuries

In the 18th century many of the buildings inside the bailey were knocked down and the more valuable materials, including the

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

from the roof, recycled. The keep partially collapsed in 1752, with the remainder falling down in 1777. Victorian writers blamed both the progress of time and the theft of stones by local peasants for the collapse. The famous "forester's horn" chimney was moved from its original location to the west side of the building between 1783 and 1824. Whilst not achieving the

picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...

status of other ruined castes in the area, Georgian visitors noted the "beautiful and romantic scenery that surrounds these ruins". The castle was now principally a prison and a court, still operating under the authority of the constable and the Forest Law originally established in 1217. The remaining buildings inside the bailey were converted into a courtroom and jury room, with the west side of the gatehouse being used as a jail for detaining prisoners. St Briavels Castle was primarily a

debtors' prison A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe.Cory, Lucinda"A Histor ...

– in England up until the Debtors' Act 1869 ( 32 & 33 Vict. c. 62), individuals unable to pay their debts or fines could be detained in prison indefinitely to encourage payment. The conditions in the castle prison became increasingly notorious after a visit from the prison reformer

in 1775 as part of his research for the first edition of his book ''The State of the Prisons'', published two years later. Howard found the prison "greatly out of repair", with the two inmates locked in a single room without exercise for the best of a year, with no fresh water, financial support or firewood. Graffiti on the stone walls of the castle jail includes the mournful inscription by a prisoner of the period "For I have been here a great space; And I am weary of the place." In 1831 there were extensive riots in the Forest of Dean, led by

Warren James Warren James (1792–1841) was a rebel leader in the Forest of Dean, England. As the Industrial Revolution began to take hold in the Forest of Dean, the Crown resolved to dilute the ''Foresters freemining rights and introduce free-market for ...

. After the intervention of the military, the rioters were dispersed and order restored, but a range of complaints were levied about the enforcement of the local laws on miners and metal-workers.Nicholls 1858, p. 112. There had been attacks against St Briavels Castle by discontented locals before during the 1780s, but the degree of violence in this case was much greater. An act of Parliament followed, establishing a number of commissioners who investigated local practices and recent events at the Castle. St Briavels Castle Debtors Prison

The debtors' prison at the castle came in for particular scrutiny. It emerged that out of the 402 cases brought before the court at St Briavels' Castle, 397 of them were for extremely small sums of debt of £5 or less (£373 in 2009 prices), increasingly unacceptable in Victorian eyes.Nicholls 1858, p. 113. A penalty of up to £7 (£522 in 2009 prices) was also being charged for each case, making the process extremely onerous for the local poor being prosecuted in this way. The investigation found that the keeper of the debtors' prison, which could hold up to six inmates at a time, was appointed by the constable, and made part of his income by charging each prisoner one shilling a week for the use of the beds in the prison; with no other public funding, prisoners depended on friends or relatives for food and other essentials, or from donations from their original

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

. The castle prison was found to still be in a very bad condition. The commissioners noted how the prison had "only one window, which is one foot wide and in a recess. It does not open.... There is a door at the outer end of the passage, and in it a hole which is considered necessary for air... The privy is a dark winding recess... It leads to a hole going down to the bottom of the building, which is always inaccessible for cleaning, but which until six years ago had a drain from it to the moat; the air draws up from it into the passage and the room. There is no water within for the prisoners' liberty, and they are obliged to get some person to fetch it."

Prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, reduce recidivism or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are ...

s followed, including improving the conditions of the castle facilities, although visitors continued to note how the castle was "patched and cobbled like a worn-out shoe". In 1838 the role of constable was transformed into the Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests. The court and jury rooms were turned into a local school, although occasional Courts of Attachment were held in the chapel and the castle retained its function as a prison until 1842, when the remaining inmates were transferred to the prison at

Littledean Littledean is a village in the Forest of Dean, west Gloucestershire, England. The village has a long history and formerly had the status of a town. Littledean Hall was originally a Saxon hall, although it has been rebuilt and the current house d ...

Today

The gatehouse and the buildings inside the bailey were made habitable again in 1906 and became a

in 1948. In 1961 the moat was partly infilled and turned into a garden. The castle is classed as a Grade I

and as a

.National Monuments Record, accessed 12 August 2010.
/ref> The site as a whole remains open to the public, managed by

References

Bibliography

* Birrell, Jean. "Forest Law and the Peasantry in the Later Thirteenth Century," in Coss and Lloyd (eds) 1988. * Brayley, Edward William and

William Tombleson William Tombleson (1795 – c. 1846) was an English topographical and architecture artist, illustrator, copper and steel engraver, writer and printmaker, based in London. William Tombleson (German Wikipedia). Life and works In the 1830s, his to ...

. (1823) ''A Series of Views of the Most Interesting Remains of Ancient Castles of England and Wales.'' London: Longman. * Brown, James Baldwin. (1823) ''Memoirs of the Public and Private Life of John Howard, the Philanthropist, 2nd edition.'' London: Thomas. * Coss, Peter and S.D. Lloyd (eds). (1988) ''Thirteenth Century England II Proceedings of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Conference 1987.'' Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. . * Curnow, P.E. and E.A. Johnson. (1985) "St Briavels Castle," in ''Chateau Gaillard: études de castellologie médiévale.'' Caen: Centre de Recherches Archéologiques Médiévales. . * Dunn, Alaistair. (2003) ''The Politics of Magnate Power in England and Wales, 1389-1413.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. . * Emery, Anthony. (2006) ''Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500: Southern England.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Fisher, Chris. (1981) ''Custom, Work and Market Capitalism: the Forest of Dean Colliers, 1788-1888.'' London: Croom Helm. . * Fryde, Natalie. (2004) ''The Tyranny and Fall of Edward II 1321-1326.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Hicks, Michael. (2002) ''Warwick the Kingmaker.'' Oxford: Blackwell. . * House of Lords. (1838) ''The Sessional papers of the House of Lords: Volume XI, the Prisons of England; Prisons of Ireland.'' London: HM Stationery Office. * Huscroft, Richard. (2005) ''Ruling England, 1042-1217.'' Harlow: Pearson. . * King, David James Cathcart. (1988) ''The Castle in England and Wales: an Interpretive History.'' Beckenhem, UK: Croom Helm. . * MacKenzie, James Dixon. (1896/2009) ''The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure.'' General Books LLC. . * Nicholls, Henry George. (1858) ''The Forest of Dean: an Historical and Descriptive Account.'' London: John Murray. * Nicholls, Henry George. (1863/2009) ''The Personalities of the Forest of Dean.'' Fineleaf Editions. . * Pettifer, Adrian. (1995) ''English Castles: A Guide by Counties.'' Woodbridge: Boydell Press. . * Pounds, Norman John Greville. (1990) ''The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: a social and political history.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Pugh, Ralph B. (1968) ''Imprisonment in Medieval England.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Remfry, P.M. (1995) ''Saint Briavels Castle, 1066 to 1331.'' Worcester, UK: SCS Publishing. . * Rickards, George Kettilby. (1842) ''The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 82.'' London: Her Majesty's Printers. * Rudge, Thomas. (1803) ''The history of the county of Gloucester brought down to the year 1803.'' Gloucester, UK: Harris. * The Saturday Magazine. (1838). No. 413, December 1838. London: Parker. * Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline and for the Reformation of Juvenile Offenders. (1827) ''The Seventh Committee Report.'' London: Cornhill. * Storer, James. (1808) ''Antiquarian and Topographical Cabinet, Containing a Series of Elegant Views of the Most Interesting Objects of Curiosity in Great Britain.'' London: Clarke. * Thomas, William Heard. (1839) ''Tinterne and its Vicinity.'' Bristol: Hamilton and Adams. * Thompson, M. W. (1991) ''The Rise of the Castle.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Urban, Sylvanus. (ed). (1832) ''The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle.'' London: Nicholls. * Verey, David. (1970/1992) ''The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire: the Vale and the Forest of Dean.'' London: Penguin Books. * Vicker, Kenneth H. (1961) ''England in the Later Middle Ages.'' London: Methuen. * Weir, Alison. (2006) ''Queen Isabella: She-Wolf of France, Queen of England.'' London: Pimlico Books. .

External links

St Briavel's Castle English Heritage siteYouth Hostel Association site
{{Hostels Castles in Gloucestershire Prisons in Gloucestershire English Heritage sites in Gloucestershire Grade I listed buildings in Gloucestershire Ruins in Gloucestershire Youth hostels in England and Wales Debtors' prisons Defunct prisons in England