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One of the most amazing sources of grace and beauty in Britain is its castles. Here, in the United States, we have no such thing, as these splendid structures had long since ceased to be built by the time Europeans colonized America. I happen to adore castles. From fully intact royal residences to long abandoned, vine-covered ruins, I love them all. It has been my greatest delight to discover that several of my own ancestors had associations with British castles and some were even born in them! This page features British castles in all their dramatic grandeur and whispered remembrances of times long gone by. Enjoy!
A few interior rooms at Raby Castle
Raby Castle, Durham, England
Raby Castle was built between about 1367 and 1390 by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby. It remained the seat of the powerful Neville family until 1571 when Charles Neville, a Catholic in the era of Protestant Queen Elizabeth I, fled the country. In 1614 it was bought by Henry Vane, and it is still a residence of the Vane family. Portions of the castle are open to the public in season. The castle featured nine towers around the perimeter, a moat and drawbridge, which has been replaced by a flagstone path.
Interestingly (to me, anyway) my 14th great-grandmother, Philippa de Neville, was born at Raby Castle in 1387. Her father, Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, married twice and had no fewer than twenty-two children!
Philippa eventually married Baron Thomas d'Acre, becoming Baroness d'Acre. They had eight children, and their daughter Joan was my 13th great-grandmother.
Farleigh-Hungerford Castle, Somerset, England
Another of my ancestors, my 17th great-grandmother, Elizabeth Hungerford, was born in Farleigh-Hungerford Castle in 1406. The castle itself is mostly a ruin now, but the chapel, which was once enclosed within the castle walls, is still in use. It is St. Leonard's Chapel and is within the Diocese of Bath and Wells. The Hungerford family occupied the castle until 1686 when Edward Hungerford was forced to sell it, due to his extravagant lifestyle and gambling debts. Elizabeth's grandfather, Thomas Hungerford, transformed a manor house on the site to a castle between 1377 and 1383. Her father, Sir Walter Hungerford, inherited the castle and raised his family there. Walter was close with both King Henry IV and Henry V and was named Speaker of the Commons. Most impressive of all, he fought alongside King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in France, 1415. Elizabeth married Sir Philip de Courtenay, and her son William (my 16th great-grandfather) and granddaughter Katharine (my 15th great-grandmother) were born in the de Courtenay family seat, another castle, Powderham.
Powderham Castle, Devonshire, England
Home to the Earl of Devon, the de Courtenay Family
(image by John Jennings/geograph.org)
Rhuddlan Castle, Denbighshire, Wales
On 7 August 1282, Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan was born in Rhuddlan Castle. She was the youngest daughter and the favorite of her father, King Edward I. She was also the sibling closest in age to her elder brother, also Edward, who would become King Edward II. The two siblings were close, growing up. She was born in Wales as the royal couple had traveled there on progress. Elizabeth's mother, Queen Eleanor of Castile (Spain) was no shrinking violet! She and King Edward had a loving and devoted marriage, and Eleanor wouldn't let a little thing like an advanced state of pregnancy to prevent her from being at her husband's side.
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