Hedingham Castle in Essex was built, starting in about 1141, by Aubrey
de Vere, Earl of Oxford in Essex, and is still owned by one of his descendants. A
close contemporary of Rochester Castle, Hedingham has the best-preserved
interior of any 12th-century keep (a stronghold in the shape of a square
tower). More than anywhere else in the country, at Hedingham we can imagine
what living in such a splendid castle must have been like.
Hedingham is about three-quarters of Rochester's overall size, but has
walls of similar thickness: 3.5m (12ft) at base, narrowing to 3m (10ft)
at the top. Unlike Rochester, Hedingham is finished all over in an expensive
stone called Barnack stone, quarried in Northamptonshire and almost certainly
transported to the site by ship. This would have involved a lengthy journey
all the way round the coast of East Anglia and up the River Colne, but
would still be much cheaper and easier than transporting hundreds of tonnes
of stone overland.
Great Hall
Like Rochester, the design of Hedingham is that of a classic 12th-century
keep. The castle has four floors. At ground level is a basement, used
for storing food and weapons. The first floor, where you entered the castle,
is where the everyday business of the castle would have been conducted
by the constable, or deputy in charge of the castle during the lord's
absence.
The main selling-point of Hedingham, however, is the second floor, which
contains the Great Hall. Here Aubrey de Vere would have dined in style
and been entertained by poets and musicians. It is almost twice the height
of the other floors, and is lit by a minstrel's gallery which runs around
the top of the walls. The hall's most spectacular feature is the great
arch which spans the entire width of the room. At 8.4m (28ft) across,
this is the biggest Norman arch in England.
Lap of luxury
Although the main part of the keep at Hedingham has been preserved almost
perfectly, the forebuilding (the building on the front of the keep which
covered the entrance) has almost entirely vanished. A quick comparison
with Rochester and other similar keeps reveals that the forebuilding at
Hedingham would have provided an entrance chamber on the first floor with
a chapel above. In all probability, the basement of the forebuilding contained
the castle's dungeon.
Frustratingly, we have no records for Hedingham Castle, so we cannot know
exactly how much Aubrey de Vere paid for all this luxury, or how long it
took him to build it. On architectural grounds, the castle looks to have
been built around the middle of the 12th century. It is assumed that Aubrey
started it in 1141 because he was created Earl of Oxford that year, and
constructing a new castle would have been an appropriate way for him to
celebrate his new status. We know from royal records that nearby Orford
Castle cost Henry II £1,500 from 1166 to 1173, and so we may suppose that
Hedingham, which is a similar size, cost Aubrey a similar amount of money
and took between five and ten years to complete.
Don't trust castles
There is no record of any major military action at Hedingham. In 1215,
shortly after Rochester had fallen to King John, the king
moved into East Anglia, and Hedingham was one of the castles that surrendered
quickly. As the Barnwell Chronicler noted, after the siege of Rochester,
'There were few who would put their trust in castles.'
The castle today
The castle remained in the hands of the De Veres until 1703, when the
20th Earl of Oxford, also called Aubrey, died leaving no heirs. In 1713,
the castle was purchased by Sir William Ashhurst, MP, Lord Mayor of London.
He landscaped the grounds and added a country house. The estate passed
to his great granddaughter, Elizabeth Houghton, who married Lewis Majendie.
The Majendies owned Hedingham for 250 years until Miss Musette Majendie
left it to her cousin, the Honourable Thomas Lindsay. He is descended
from the de Veres through both his mother and his father and is the current
owner of the castle. The castle is open to visitors from Easter to October,
and can be hired for functions.
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