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Hedingham
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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