Yattendon Castle was a

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

located in the civil parish of

Yattendon Yattendon is a village and civil parish northeast of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in the county of Berkshire, England. The M4 motorway passes through the fields of the village which lie south and below the elevations of its nucleated village, c ...

, in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Faircross, 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

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

History

The site upon which Yattendon castle stood was originally occupied by 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 ...

. This house was held by Sir Richard Merbrook by the early 15th century. His daughter, Alice, married Sir John Norreys of

Ockwells Ockwells Manor is a timber-framed 15th century manor house in the civil parish of Cox Green, adjoining Maidenhead, in the English county of Berkshire. It was previously in the parish of Bray. The manor used to own most of the land that is ...

(d. 1 September 1466), a

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for

, and keeper of the wardrobe for Henry VI. The castle was then in the ownership of the

Norreys Norreys (also spelt Norris) may refer to various members of, or estates belonging to, a landed family chiefly seated in the English counties of Berkshire and Lancashire and the Irish county of Cork. Famous family members *Baron Norreys of Rycote ...

family for over 200 years. Sir John bought many neighbouring estates and received a Royal licence to

crenellate A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

the manor house on 20 January 1448 and to empark some . John and Alice's son,

Sir William Norreys Sir William Norreys (c. 1441 – before 10 January 1507) was a famous Lancastrian soldier, and later an Esquire of the Body to King Edward IV. Probably born at Yattendon Castle, William was the eldest son of Sir John Norreys of Ockwells an ...

(1433 – 4 January 1507) later inherited the castle. He was among the army Henry VII brought from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in 1485 and was present at the

Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field ( ) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 ...

. The castle was probably the residence of William's eldest son Sir Edward Norreys (d. 1487) during his father's lifetime. Edward Norreys was the father of two sons: Sir John Norreys (1481 – 21 October 1564), who inherited the castle, but died without legitimate issue, and Sir Henry Norreys, who was

beheaded Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

in 1536 for his supposed affair with

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the Wives of Henry VIII, second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading ...

. The castle then passed to Edward's grandson,

Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys Henry Norris (or Norreys), 1st Baron Norreys ({{circa, 1525{{spaced ndash27 June 1601){{sfn, Fuidge, 1981 of Rycote in Oxfordshire, was an English people, English politician and diplomat, who belonged to an old Berkshire family, many members of wh ...

(1525–1601), the son of the above-mentioned Sir Henry Norreys. Henry Norreys was a lifelong friend of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

and was the father of six sons, who included Sir

John Norreys John Norreys may refer to: *Sir John Norris (soldier) or Norreys (c. 1547–1597), the son of Henry Norris, 1st Baron Norreys, a lifelong friend of Queen Elizabeth *Sir John Norreys (Keeper of the Wardrobe) for Henry VI of England (c. 1400–1466) * ...

, a famous English soldier. The castle was largely destroyed by Parliamentary forces during 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 ...

. A new manor house was built on the site in 1785. Traces of the moat can still be seen today.

Royal visitors

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

were visitors at Yattendon Castle in 1520. While there, it is said that the Queen's lady-in-waiting,

, of whom the King was already enamoured, dropped her handkerchief during a dance. It was retrieved by Sir Henry Norreys. This incident, later referred to as "Queen Anne's Dance", would be used as evidence, during Anne and Norreys trials, to support rumours of their affair. * Princess Elizabeth stayed at Yattendon Castle on her way to imprisonment at

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

. *

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

visited Yattendon, probably in September 1603.''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 15 (London, 1930), p. 390 undated letter.

References

External links

David Nash Ford’s Royal Berkshire History: Yattendon CastleNational Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Castles in Berkshire Yattendon {{Berkshire-geo-stub

History

Royal visitors

See also

References

External links