from one castle to another

...the blue sky in today's image is not an accurate reflection of the day's weather, which was grey and miserable until the first hint of blue appeared at about 3pm. With little time to go far, we did one of our favourite short walks around the village of Corfe Castle.

This photograph was taken from 'The Rings', which many visitors to Corfe Castle seem to miss out on, but it is well worth a visit. The site itself, was part of a Saxon settlement, however its really interesting history began just a little later.

Before Henry I's death in 1135, his barons had sworn allegiance to his daughter, Matilda, as their queen to succeed him. In the event, her marriage into the rival House of Anjou, along with her gender, caused a change of heart that saw the barons swear fealty to Henry's nephew, Stephen, who claimed the throne but turned out to be a greedy and weak king. In 1139, Matilda returned to England to press her rights. During the intervening four years, the country had been thrust into the turmoil of rebellion by a group of barons that included Baldwin de Redvers.

In 1136, Baldwin seized Exeter Castle having heard rumours that Stephen had died, but was driven out be a singularly alive Stephen. Baldwin moved his base to Carisbrooke Castle only to be forced to flee abroad and join Matilda in Anjou. Matilda sent him back to England, in the August of 1139, to establish a base in preparation for her planned invasion. He landed at Wareham and moved on to Corfe Castle, where the garrison switched sides and admitted Baldwin and his men to the castle.

On receiving the news, Stephen arrived in Corfe fully prepared for a long siege. He ordered his troops to build a 'counter-castle', in the form of a ring and bailey fortress. The attack on Corfe Castle never happened because Matilda and her invading army landed at Arundel and a fourteen year period of civil war ensued. The Empress Matilda temporarily recovered her thrown after defeating and capturing Stephen at the battle of Lincoln. She rewarded Baldwin by bestowing the title of first Earl of Devon upon him.

The Rings found use again in the 17th century when Cromwell used them as the site for a Parliamentarian gun battery in support of the siege that saw the ultimate destruction of Corfe Castle...