Post by bluefedish on Mar 13, 2008 14:25:42 GMT -5
Location: West Sussex, England.
Arundel Castle dates from the reign of Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066) and was completed by Roger de Montgomery, who became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.
From the 11th century onward, the castle has served as a hereditary stately home to several families (with a few and brief reversions to the crown) and is currently the principal seat of teh Duke of Norfolk and his family.
Arundel Castle was built in 1068 during the reign of William the Conqueror as a fortification for the River Arun and a defensive position for the surrounding land. The original structure was a Motte and Bailey castle before undergoing an extensive renovation during the reign of William the Conqueror which enlarged the motte and improved the defences. Roger de Montgomery is believed to have been declared the first Earl of Arundel as the King granted him the property as part of a much larger package of hundreds of manors. (For other reasons, the generally accepted first creation of the title Earl of Arundel lies in the year 1138 with William d'Aubigny, confirmed in 1155).
After Roger de Montgomery died, the castle reverted to the crown under Henry I. The King, in his will, left Arundel Castle and the attached land to his second wife Adeliza of Louvain. In 1138, three years after Henry's death, she married William d'Albani II (aka d'Aubigny, the first Earl, of the d'Aubigny family of Saint-Martin-d'Aubigny in Normandy). William was responsible for creating the stone shell on the motte, thus increasing the defence and status of the castle.
Alhough the castle remained in the hands of the Howard family throughout through the succeeding centuries, it was not their favorite residence, and the various successors as Duke of Norfolk invested their time and energy into improving other ducal estates, including Norfolk House in London and Worksop.
Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk was known for his restoration work and improvements to the castle beginning in 1787 and continuing for a number of years, as he desired to live there and entertain his visitors there. Many of his improvements have since been revised and remodeled, but the library in the castle is still as he had it designed and built. He held a large party at Arundel Castle to reunite the various senior members of the Howard family shortly before his death in 1815.
This magnificent castle in the heart of West Sussex has been the home for the Dukes of Norfolk since the Norman Conquest. It was severely damaged by fire in the 17th century bus has now been restored to its former glory. Not only is it home to many priceless works of art but it also houses several ghosts.
The ghost of a young woman dressed in white has been seen wandering round Hiorne's Tower, particularly on moonlit nights. According to legend, she threw herself off the tower because of a tragic love affair.
A ghost has also been encountered in the library and has become known as the 'Blue Man'. He has been seen on several occasions searching through books and is thought to date back to the time of King Charles II.
The fourth ghost is that of a small white bird which reputedly flutters around the windows of the castle. It is said to signify the imminent death of someone connected to the castle.
Selected Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundel_Castle
www.zurichmansion.org/castles/arundel.html
homepages.rootsweb.com
Arundel Castle dates from the reign of Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066) and was completed by Roger de Montgomery, who became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.
From the 11th century onward, the castle has served as a hereditary stately home to several families (with a few and brief reversions to the crown) and is currently the principal seat of teh Duke of Norfolk and his family.
Arundel Castle was built in 1068 during the reign of William the Conqueror as a fortification for the River Arun and a defensive position for the surrounding land. The original structure was a Motte and Bailey castle before undergoing an extensive renovation during the reign of William the Conqueror which enlarged the motte and improved the defences. Roger de Montgomery is believed to have been declared the first Earl of Arundel as the King granted him the property as part of a much larger package of hundreds of manors. (For other reasons, the generally accepted first creation of the title Earl of Arundel lies in the year 1138 with William d'Aubigny, confirmed in 1155).
After Roger de Montgomery died, the castle reverted to the crown under Henry I. The King, in his will, left Arundel Castle and the attached land to his second wife Adeliza of Louvain. In 1138, three years after Henry's death, she married William d'Albani II (aka d'Aubigny, the first Earl, of the d'Aubigny family of Saint-Martin-d'Aubigny in Normandy). William was responsible for creating the stone shell on the motte, thus increasing the defence and status of the castle.
Alhough the castle remained in the hands of the Howard family throughout through the succeeding centuries, it was not their favorite residence, and the various successors as Duke of Norfolk invested their time and energy into improving other ducal estates, including Norfolk House in London and Worksop.
Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk was known for his restoration work and improvements to the castle beginning in 1787 and continuing for a number of years, as he desired to live there and entertain his visitors there. Many of his improvements have since been revised and remodeled, but the library in the castle is still as he had it designed and built. He held a large party at Arundel Castle to reunite the various senior members of the Howard family shortly before his death in 1815.
This magnificent castle in the heart of West Sussex has been the home for the Dukes of Norfolk since the Norman Conquest. It was severely damaged by fire in the 17th century bus has now been restored to its former glory. Not only is it home to many priceless works of art but it also houses several ghosts.
The ghost of a young woman dressed in white has been seen wandering round Hiorne's Tower, particularly on moonlit nights. According to legend, she threw herself off the tower because of a tragic love affair.
A ghost has also been encountered in the library and has become known as the 'Blue Man'. He has been seen on several occasions searching through books and is thought to date back to the time of King Charles II.
The fourth ghost is that of a small white bird which reputedly flutters around the windows of the castle. It is said to signify the imminent death of someone connected to the castle.
Selected Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundel_Castle
www.zurichmansion.org/castles/arundel.html
homepages.rootsweb.com
