The reaction on seeing Bodiam for the first time is almost always the
same: sharp intake of breath, followed by 'Now that's what I call a castle!'
With its wide moat, round towers and majestic gatehouse, Bodiam in East
Sussex looks like something out of a fairytale.
This, of course, is no accident. It looks the way it does because
its builder – an ambitious knight called Sir Edward Dallingridge
– wanted a castle that looked fantastic in order to show
the world that he was fantastic too.
New money
Although today its beauty is unique, when it was built in the late 14th
century Bodiam was in many ways typical of its time. In the later Middle
Ages, new castles were built not by kings and earls (who already had lots
of them) but by lesser men with big ambitions. In this respect, Sir Edward
is a typical late-medieval castle builder.
Castles like Bodiam were funded by the huge profits their owners amassed
by fighting in the Hundred
Years War. Money obtained from ransoms, plunder and extortion was shipped
home and invested in spectacular dream homes. Sir Edward was a veteran of
the wars and this is precisely how he paid for his new castle.
Fort or show-off?
In recent years the castle has attracted a lot of debate: is it a serious
military fortification, or a dream home for a nouveau riche show-off?
Personally, I think that Bodiam should be considered a proper castle.
Of course, Sir Edward was showing off – take a look at the shields
above both entrances at Bodiam – but he also wanted to protect himself
and his family. The castle was built in the 1380s, and at that time the
Hundred Years War was going so badly for the English that it looked as
if the French were about to invade southern England. Since Sir Edward's
estates lay just a few miles from the coast, and the government was powerless
to defend them, he had to look to his own protection.
Because of his active career in royal service, and his relentless rise,
we know quite a lot about Sir Edward. Regrettably, we know less about
his wife, Lady Elizabeth, because women feature much less in the records
of royal government.
Career cut short
Having fought long and hard all his life, and risen relentlessly, Sir Edward
died in the late summer of 1393. He was in his mid-forties, and so died
comparatively young, even by late-Medieval standards. So he can have only
enjoyed its splendour for a few years at most.
Sir Edward and Elizabeth were buried in the abbey of Robertsbridge, just
a few miles from Bodiam, where they were later joined by their son John.
Sadly, the monastery was 'dissolved'
in the 16th century and nothing remains of their tombs except for the mutilated
trunk of John's effigy, which can now be seen in the museum at the castle.
The castle today
Although much of the interior of the castle is ruined today (it was probably
dismantled during and after the English
Civil War from the outside the castle appears largely intact and it
serves as a superb monument to the man who built it.
In 1917 Bodiam Castle was acquired by Lord Curzon and extensively restored.
He left it to the National Trust on his death in 1926.
Today Bodiam remains in the hands of the National Trust and is open to
the public.
Back to top
|
