Bedford
Bedford Castle

Places > Bedford > Castles

The earliest castle was built by Ralf de Tallebosc soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The castle would have consisted of a large mound of earth with a wooden tower on top. In order to build the castle the Normans flattened a large part of the existing Saxon town.

In 1087 William the Conqueror granted the Barony of Bedford to Hugh de Beauchamp who may have enlarged the castle and rebuilt the wooden buildings with stone ones. In 1130 it was recorded that the castle had "a strong and unshakeable keep".

In 1137 King Stephen laid the castle under siege and in 1215 King John sent Falkes de Breaute to attack it as a result of a minor rebellion.

The most famous siege however was the siege of 1224 when Henry III ordered William de Breaute to surrender the castle. The siege lasted for two months. When it was over William de Breaute and eighty men were hung and the castle dismantled. The keep was flattened and the ditch filled in.

Sources:

• Bedfordshire by James Dyer (Shire Publications, 1995)
• The beginnings of Bedford by David Baker and Evelyn Baker (Bedfordshire County Council Planning Department, 1985)

Further reading:

• The great siege of Bedford castle by A.R. Goddard (Bedfordshire Times, 1906, reprinted 1985)
• Bedford castle excavations by David and Evelyn Baker in Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal, volume 13, 1979, p7-64
• The siege of Bedford castle by Margaret Greenshields in Bedfordshire Magazine, volume 4, p183-190

Bedford Castle by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2005

Page last updated: 22nd January 2014