A long time ago in the days of castles and kings there was in Gloucester, England a place called the Manor of Berkeley.
In the Doomsday Book the manor was assigned to a man named Roger. Since he did not have a last name, he decided to use Berkeley, the name of the manor as his surname.
Later, the manor was granted to Robert Fitzharding by Henry, the duke of Normandy, in 1153 (he became King Henry II the following year).
Maurice, the son of Robert Fitzharding married Alice, the daughter of Roger of Berkely. Their children took the last name of Berkeley too. The Berkeley family still lives there!
King Henry II ordered the castle keep built, it was completed in 1153. He wanted to defend the Severn Estuary (at the mouth of three rivers) and the Welsh border.
A keep is a place castle defenders could retreat to as a last resort. In medieval times it was called the “magnus turris”.
The castle is one of the March Castles, built to keep out the people from Wales. The castle has many ways built in to help the English fight their enemies!
There are trip steps made so the soldiers would trip or stumble when they attacked. Murder holes were holes in the ceilings, passage- ways or gateways. Boiling water, molten lead or stones, etc were thrown on attacking soldiers.
Arrow slits were used by archers who shot the shortbow, the longbow or the crossbow. Arrow slits had different designs since the slit for cross bow was horizontal and the slit for the other bows was vertical.
Slots for the portcullis are still found at Berkeley. A portcullis was a heavy grilled door that dropped down through slots or guides. There were usually spikes on the bottom.
The battlements at Berkeley Castle drop sixty feet to the Great Lawn below. Notice the arrow slits too!
Battlements were built to provide a place to walk, a platform to fight on and defend against the enemy scaling the wall.
There are 6,000 acres on the estate. It has one of the best examples of a deer park in the country. The head of the manor used to lead guests to the deer park to hunt, usually after dinner.
Some famous things have happened in Berkeley Castle. This castle has been connected with the Magna Carta, a king who was killed and a play written by William Shakespeare.
Barons of the west country met in 1215 in the Great Hall of the Berkeley Castle before going to Runnymede to force King John to put his seal to the Magna Carta.
After King Edward II was overthrown by his wife, he was made to name his son Edward III as king. He was then taken to Berkeley Castle, where he was later murdered. The year was 1327.
William Shakespeare was commissioned to write Midsummer’s Night Dream for the wedding of Sir Thomas Berkeley and Elizabeth Carey in 1596. He stayed in the castle!
The Berkeley Castle is mentioned by name in the Shakespeare play, Richard II.
The Berkeley Castle has stood as a quiet sentinel during the passing of time.
…remember Maurice Fitzharding and Alice Berkeley at the beginning of the book? They are your 30th great grandparents!
.........This is in book form with really good pictures to go with each "page"...which didn't work here. I hope you enjoy it anyway!
