Overview
The castle of Warwick, situated right in the Heart of England is one of the great strategic defensive sites in Britain. Its importance as such first became apparent during the conflict between the Danes and the Saxon English in the 9th century. Alfred, King of Wessex, had turned the tide of Danish invasion at the battle of Uffington in 878. His daughter, Ethelfleda, was able in 890 to capture the Danish burgh of Warwick with its commanding views over the Avon valley and she is credited in 915 with building the first known fortification on the site of the present castle.
Following the establishment of the Danelaw north of the river Trent, Warwick retained importance as one of three strongholds in the Danish Marches, as the Midlands were then known, a status unchanged despite England’s incorporation into Canute’s kingdom in 1016. Come the Norman conquest of 1066 the significance of Warwick was not lost on the Conqueror or his officers.
William the Conqueror, seeking to strengthen his hold on the Midlands before advancing further north, constructed a fortress at Warwick. This consisted of a large mound of earth with timber buildings and a wooden stockade around the top (Motte and Bailey – see Windsor Castle Notes). William appointed as his Constable or Castellan one of his Norman followers, Henry de Beaumont, who was known locally as Henry de Newburgh. The castle was subsequently presided over by seven generations of this same family.
At the time of the invasion, a man named Thurkill was the largest landholder in Warwickshire. He became known as “The Traitor” when he refused to join Harold’s Saxon Army to fight against the Normans. William rewarded him by allowing him to keep his lands for life. But his son was dispossessed by William’s successor William Rufus, so-called because of his red face – too much mead perhaps?
When the Newburgh line died out in 1242, the castle passed through several hands before being seized by John Giffard, governor of Kenilworth Castle (only 6 miles away), the stronghold of Simon de Montfort in his war against Henry III (son of King John). He smashed his way through the walls between Bear Tower and the Mound, and carried off the Count and Countess. He was then succeeded by his nephew William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick, and founder of the greatest Warwick dynasty.
William was an important military commander in Edward I’s campaigns in North Wales (see Wales notes). His son Guy was best known for his hatred of Piers Gaveston, favourite and lover of Edward II. When the opportunity arose Guy seized Gaveston, and took him to the Castle where he was tried in the Great Hall and sentenced to death. His execution took place in 1312 on Blacklow Hill, just outside Warwick. He was in fact beheaded, though popular legend claims that he met a more gruesome end, featuring the ingenious use of a red hot poker. A notorious Oxford University Dining Society is named after this dubious character.
On his death, Guy was succeeded by his son Thomas de Beauchamp (1329-69), an illustrious soldier who fought at the victorious battles of Crecy and Poitiers, and acted as military adviser to the Black Prince. He it was who moved the defensive stronghold of Warwick Castle from the Mound in the west to the present site in the east. He and his wife are buried in a splendid chapel in St Mary’s Church, Warwick, which he rebuilt.
Moving on two generations to the early C15 we come to Richard de Beauchamp, friend and adviser to Henry V and tutor to his son Henry VI. He was “Captain of Calais” during the latter stages of the Hundred Years War in France and presided over the infamous trial of Joan of Arc in 1431. For further details of Warwick’s role see Shawls “St Joan” or Jean Anouilh’s “The Lark”.
His son Henry seemed set for an illustrious career as Chief Minister to Henry VI, but died when only 21, thus bringing to an end the male Beauchamps line. The title of Countess then passed to the young man’s aunt Anne, who married Richard Neville, son of the Earl of Salisbury, and soon to become the central figure in “The Wars of the Roses”.
History
Warwick The Kingmaker and The Wars Of The Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) represent one of the most complicated but fascinating episodes in English history as two men, Henry VI and Edward IV, both descended from sons of Edward III (John, Duke of Lancaster and Edmund, Duke of York), vied for the throne. One day, representatives of the rival factions met in a rose garden. A quarrel broke out, whereupon the Earl of Somerset, a Lancastrian and close adviser to Henry, plucked a rose and said “Let those who are friends to Lancaster wear a red rose.” In reply, the Duke of York, Warwick’s uncle, plucked a white rose. “And those who are mine a white” he cried. To this day, roses are still the symbol of both counties, worn most notably on the cricket caps of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Henry was a weak and feeble-minded king, easily swayed by corrupt and self-interested barons such as the Earl of Somerset. Richard Neville and his uncle, the Duke of York, though loyal to the crown could not stand by and see the country brought to its knees, so during one of Henry’s regular bouts of temporary insanity, they arrested Somerset and threw him in the Tower of London. But when Henry recovered he released Somerset and a confrontation with the Yorkist Party became inevitable. Warwick and York fled to gather an array, and with five thousand men returned to London. They met Somerset’s army at St Albans and the first battle of the Wars of the Roses was fought in the streets of the town. Warwick, carrying his famous arms of the “Bear with ragged staff”, won the day, and Somerset was killed in the fighting. The victors found the king cowering in a nearby house, where they bowed low and assured him they came only to serve him.
So, Warwick and York became the King’s advisers, and some degree of stability was attained until Henry’s fearsome wife, Margaret of Anjou, known as the “she-wolf of France”, decided to get rid of the two newcomers. She coaxed Henry into appointing Warwick captain of Calais and defender of England’s last possession in France. There he remained for the next five years, while Margaret built up another collection of obedient and sycophantic counsellors. When Warwick returned, the situation was just as bad as it had been before the Battle of St Albans, and he raised an army to fight Margaret and the Lancastrian faction. But the battle of Ludlow was lost to the Queen when Warwick’s army deserted and he was forced to flee the country. At Bristol he hijacked a small ship, which took him back to Calais. There he plotted an invasion that would destroy the power of Queen Margaret once and for all. Little did he know that this was just the beginning of the struggle. When he landed in England with two thousand troops, his army swelled rapidly as they marched on London. The citizens, fed up with years of inefficient rule locked the Lancastrian garrison in the Tower. The Yorkists continued their march north to meet the Queen’s Army, and won a decisive victory at Northampton.
Margaret escaped to Wales with her son, but the less fortunate prisoners who remained were ruthlessly executed. Again Margaret returned with the help of the Scots and jealous northern barons. She gained her revenge in a battle at Wakefield, during which York was killed and Warwick’s father captured and then beheaded as a traitor. Warwick feared that Henry would once more fall into the power of the French Queen, and so in 1461 after a great victory at Towton in Yorkshire the son of dead York was crowned as Edward IV. This gave Warwick the title Kingmaker. There were now two Kings of England. Who would win?
The answer lay as always with Warwick. He set off once again in search of Margaret, and chased her army north into Scotland. Henry was captured, and later imprisoned in the Tower for a period of ten years. For a while Edward and Warwick ruled together peacefully, but the two quarrelled after the king secretly married Elizabeth Woodville, thus blocking a dynastic marriage with the royal house of France favoured by Warwick. Warwick retired to his castle in disgust, and after a short campaign captured Edward, and held him prisoner. With Henry in the Tower of London, Warwick now held two Kings of England in his power, something that had never happened before and could certainly never happen again.
Briefly reconciled Edward returned to London, but soon afterwards he declared Warwick a traitor and “The Kingmaker” fled across the Channel once more, this time accompanied by The Duke of Clarence, heir to the throne and recently married to Warwick’s eldest daughter. To everyone’s surprise he teamed up with his old enemy Queen Margaret, finally united in their hatred for Edward. He then married his second daughter to Margaret’s son, thus ensuring that whoever won, he would have blood ties to the monarch. Together they returned to England in 1471, and routed Edward’s army, forcing him to flee to Holland with no more than the clothes he was wearing. The half-witted Henry was dragged out of the tower, and back onto the throne.
Edward in turn gathered a small army to reclaim his throne, and within months was back in England. He met Warwick’s hastily gathered army on the morning of Easter Day. A thick fog shrouded the battlefield at Barnet, and in the confusion Warwick’s army began attacking itself. Panic spread and the battle was lost. Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick lay dead on the field. At Tewkesbury, Margaret was defeated, her son was killed and soon afterwards Henry VI was murdered in the Tower. This left the way clear for Edward IV to rule undisputed for the next twelve years, until his death in 1483.
He left behind two young sons, Edward V, and Richard, who were taken from their mother “for safety”, when their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester became “Protector”. At this time the king held power as much by strength as by right and suddenly the Duke claimed the throne as Richard III, ahead of his elder brother George, Duke of Clarence, and nothing more was heard of the “Little Princes”. It is highly probable they were murdered on Richard’s orders, and indeed, a man named Sir James Tyrrel later confessed to the crime. Two hundred years later, two small skeletons were found buried in the Tower. Sir Thomas More later claimed that it was at Warwick Castle that Richard ordered the murder.
Richard lasted only two years on the throne; when he was decisively toppled by Henry Tudor, last of the Lancastrians. Henry was descended from an ancient Welsh family, but more importantly he could trace his lineage back to Edward III, and also to the widow of Henry V, who was his grandmother. His claim to the throne was not the best, but by defeating and killing Richard in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field, he brought an end to the Wars of the Roses and founded the great Tudor Dynasty.
Warwick Under the Tudors and Stuarts
After the death of “The Kingmaker”, the title passed to the Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV and Warwick’s son in law. He only enjoyed the title for a short time, as his brother Richard suspected him of treason, and imprisoned him in the Tower. According to Shakespeare, he was discreetly drowned in a huge vat of Malmsey wine. Richard himself was responsible for building the last defensive towers (Bear and Clarence) at Warwick.
Under Henry VII and VIII, the castle remained crown property, as the Warwick title held too many risky associations for the time being. But eventually Henry VIII felt secure enough to award the estates to John Dudley, an influential administrator and military commander, who also collected the title Duke of Northumberland in 1551. On the accession of Edward VI, he became briefly the King’s chief Minister. When Edward died, giving way to his Catholic sister “Bloody” Mary, Northumberland sought desperately for a Protestant heir. Elizabeth refused to be swayed by his pleas, so he turned to Lady Jane Grey, second in line to the throne. She was married to Northumberland’s son Lord Guilford Dudley, and dramatically proclaimed Queen by her new father-in-law. But within two weeks, all three had been arrested. They were quickly found guilty of treason, and executed at the Tower of London.
Nonetheless, the Dudley family remained in favour during the reign of Elizabeth I, and the castle was granted to Ambrose Dudley, known as “The Good Ear1” in 1561. The Queen honoured Warwick with a visit in 1572, on her way to visit his brother Robert Dudley at nearby Kenilworth Castle. Robert was the favourite and perhaps the lover of the “Virgin Queen” Elizabeth. His only legitimate son died at the age of 6 and is buried in St Mary’s Church.
Ambrose Dudley died without children, and the Castle once again returned to the Queen. Not until 1618, during the reign of James I was the title conferred again, this time on the Rich family. They remained Earls of Warwick until the family died out in 1759, but never owned the castle. This passed to the Grevilles, a family of rich woollen merchants who skilfully increased their fortunes by marrying rich heiresses. This money was used to embellish the Castle, making it into one of the most luxurious private houses in the country.
The family remained at the forefront of national affairs, supporting the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, and then switching back to the Royalists on the return of Charles II. In 1759, they applied for and were granted the vacant title of Earls of Warwick.
The Visit
The title remains with the Greville family, though economic considerations forced them to sell the Castle to Madame Tussaud’s of London, who own several major tourist attractions in England and one in Amsterdam. The interior of the Private Apartments is now peopled with wax figures, illustrating a weekend party of 1898, given by the Greville’s in honour of the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII. These are based on photographs taken at the time. Most of the furnishings are original, though whatever didn’t survive has been painstakingly copied.
Pay group entrance at Stables you should pay the School Party Rate. Each member receives a plan on which the attractions are clearly set out.
The following course is suggested:
Lead the group straight to the Private Appartments as there is frequently a queue. It is here that Madame Tussauds have recreated the feel of the Edwardian era with original costume on wax figures representing famous guests at a fictitious party which might have been held in 1898. The guest of honour is Edward, Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. His attendance is more than royalty simply gracing the hosts with its presence for the Prince’s mistress at the time (he was forever conducting affairs) was his hostess the Countess Frances, of the most beautiful ladies of the day. Society, although it thrived on whispers, was generally discreet about Royal liaisons. Edward was a frequent houseguest at the castle and always insisted on names being placed outside bedrooms, so as to avoid embarrassing encounters after retiring.
Having seen the exhibition advise the group to go to the Great Hall, then Watergate Tower (where they can hear the story of the death of Fulke Greville, who received the title to the castle from James I and who was murdered by one of his servants). Next the able bodied should climb Guy’s Tower (warn of disorientation at the top) then carry on to Armoury Clock tower and dungeons.
Catering facilities are adjacent to the Great Hall. Allow at least 2 hours to properly visit this castle.
The Dungeon provides a stark contrast to the luxurious apartments under which it is located. French prisoners of war, captured after the Battle of Poitiers were kept here. You can also see a gruesome collection of instruments of torture, together with a macabre set of engravings illustrating their ingenious uses. The dungeon itself also includes an oubliette, a “dungeon within a dungeon”, in which unfortunate prisoners did not even have room to lie down. Better that they should be forgotten, as the name suggests.
Next to the Dungeon is the Armoury, where a splendid collection of medieval weapons and suits of armour, including Oliver Cromwell’s helmet, are displayed. Moving back towards the exit is the Clock Tower, with an interesting historical exhibit, which attempts to describe the Wars of the Roses.
You can clamber over several of the other towers within the courtyard, and even walk along the battlements. Students of medieval history may like to run through some of the techniques of siege warfare. A path leads from between Clarence and Bear Towers out to the Peacock Gardens, Conservatory and Pageant’s Field, laid out by Capability Brown, all worth a visit if the weather is good, though you may not have time. The distinctive cry of the peacocks can often be heard from the castle.
There are no actual guided tours of the Castle; it is best to follow these suggestions. You may not be able, however, to view everything described owing to time.