King Charles I at Carisbrooke Castle

The imposing entrance to Carisbrooke Castle

This January it is 365 years since King Charles I was executed. Last week we retraced his final steps to the scaffold outside the Banqueting House, London, but this week we visit Carisbrooke Castle, where the doomed king was imprisoned for 10 months from 1647 – 1648.

King Charles I

            After his defeat in the English Civil War, Charles surrendered to the Scots. But after months of negotiation with the English, the Scots handed the king over to parliamentary commissioners in January 1647 in exchange for £100,000. Charles was held prisoner at Newmarket, Oatlands and Hampton Court. However, Charles escaped from the later and made his way to the Isle of Wight, perhaps with the intention of fleeing to France. The king made contact the governor of the Isle of Wight, Colonel Robert Hammond, who although was a parliamentarian Charles believed he had sympathy with the royalist cause - but he was wrong. Hammond confined Charles in Carisbrooke Castle and informed the parliamentary authorities.

The view from the ramparts.
Charles regularly walked along the ramparts for exercise.

            Initially, Charles was housed comfortably in the Constable’s Lodging and allowed the freedom to  roam, but plots to renew the war and escape attempts meant he was placed under closer supervision. Even so, Hammond treated him as an honoured guest and imported furniture from Hampton Court for the king's comfort, as well as dozens of servants. Charles held 20 course meals in the Great Hall and a bowling green created on the field used to drill troops.

This field (with the white tent) was the drill ground for the castle militia.
It was converted to a bowling green for Charles. 

            Charles' first escape attempt was to climb through the window of his bedchamber – but he suffered the indignity of getting stuck in the bars. He was moved to different rooms in a part of the castle built 60 years before by a cousin of Elizabeth I, and placed under armed guard.

Every chance was taken to ridicule Charles -
shown here stuck in the window

 Undeterred, with the aid of his page (with the magnificent name of Henry Firebrace), he made two more attempts. On the night of 20^th March 1648 Charles successfully climbed of a window – to be betrayed by two guards who had taken money to let him escape and then turned him in.

This is the window that Charles successfully escaped from -
only to be betrayed by two guards in his pay.

            Whilst at Carisbrooke, Charles continued plot and scheme – broking a secret treaty with the Scots – they undertook to invade England of Charles’ behalf and restore his throne, in exchange for establishing Presbyterianism in England. 

Part of the correspondence (in cipher) between Charles
and the Scots.

The ensuing skirmishes were put down by the New Model Army and the Scots finally defeated August 1648 at the Battle of Preston.

Charles' bedchamber November 1647 to April 1648
These are not the original furnishings -
but are similar to what Charles had brought from Hampton Court.

            The only option left open to Charles was to negotiate with Parliament. On 5 December 1648, the majority voted to continue negotiations but Oliver Cromwell wasn’t prepared to take the risk of people uniting behind their one time monarch . Cromwell purged those sympathetic to Charles from Parliament, leaving those who would eventually put him on trial and send him to be executed on a scaffold outside the Banqueting House, London – 30 January 1649.

The post about Charles' execution can be found here:
London Then and Now: Charles I's Execution

And finally....10 days to release on 1st February - look who's taking a sneak peek at an advance review copy of The Ringmaster's Daughter!

Five Famous Occupants of Carisbrooke Castle

Click to find the other blogs taking part.

My post is about Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight.

One famous inhabitant was Charles I, imprisoned at Carisbrooke during the English Civil War – but can you name another four famous occupants?

 If not, read on…(in fact, even if you can –read on!)
PS GIVEWAY DETAILS AT THE END OF THIS POST!

Isabella de Fortibus

In the 1260’s Isabella was one of the greatest landowners in England  and that she was a woman made this all the more unusual. She came to her wealth through marriage and inheritance. The first by the death of her husband, William de Fortibus, when she was just 23. The second the murder of her brother, Baldwin de Redvers, who was possibly poisoned. When in 1262 she inherited his lands in the Devon, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Isabella became extraordinarily wealthy and powerful.

Isabella's window in the present day
(Author's own photo)

Isabella decided against marrying again and took up her brother’s lordship of the Isle of Wight to live at Carisbrooke Castle, new Newport, IOW. She used the castle as her main residence from which she oversaw the running of her southern estates. In addition she invested in improvements to the castle itself, adding expensive details such as a stunning window – the remains of which can be seen today as “Isabella’s window”. She reorded the principal apartments, built a chapel of St Peter, apartments for the constable, a new kitchen, a herb garden, a prison and a fish pond!

Sir George Carey

Sir George Carey was the grandson of Mary Boleyn, (Anne Boleyn’s sister) , and therefore a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I. in 1583 he was appointed captain of the Isle of Wight –overseeing maritime law, controlling shipping around the island,  and fighting piracy.

Sir George Carey

 

Part of his work was to protect the island from invasion (see also: Invading the Isle ofWight). To do this he trained militia, fortified defences and refurbished the chain of beacons that would be lit as a warning should the Spanish invade.

View from the ramparts of the ruin of Sir George Carey's house.
(Author's own photo)

In unsettled times, with the threat from Spain, the Isle of Wight would have given an invading navy a huge strategic advantage. With this in mind Carey fortified Carisbrooke Castle with the addition of small bastions, a large outwork and earthworks, in order to make the castle withstand a Spanish artillery attack. (Ultimately, the Spanish Armada arrived off the south coast in 1588, but sailed straight past the Isle of Wight)

Charles I

From 22 November 1647 to 6 September 1648, Charles I was a prisoner at Carisbrooke Castle. During this time, the aim was for him to negotiate with Parliament and the Scots to find a settlement that would return some power to him. At first he was held as a guest, with considerable freedom and many luxuries – such as the bowling green created for on the eastern outwork (previous a drilling ground for militia). However, when no progress was made, his attendants were removed and he was imprisoned more strictly.


View from the ramparts of Charles I's bowling green (with the white marquee on it)
(Author's own photo)

He continued to plot via secret messages carried by servants and on the night of 20 March 1648, Charles tried to escape. He climbed out of his bedchamber window but became stuck in the bars! After this he was removed to more secure quarters but even so, he plotted another escape but was thwarted when someone betrayed him and extra sentries were posted beneath his window.

The window through which Charles I tried to escape
(Author's own photo)

Eventually, Charles was moved to London and put on trial. He was executed in Whitehall on 30 January 1649.

Princess Beatrice

Queen Victoria’s loved the Isle of Wight and bought Osborne House as a private family retreat.

Princess Beatrice with her mother, Queen Victoria.

Her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice seems to have inherited this love and spent the early part of her married life to Prince Henry of Battenburg, living at Osborne. Queen Victoria appointed Prince Henry as governor of the Isle of Wight, and when Henry died, Beatrice inherited this role.

The garden created by Princess Beatrice,
within the grounds of Carisbrooke Castle.
(Author's own photo.)

Some while later, in 1913, Princes Beatrice revived the lapsed custom that governors of the Isle of Wight resided in Carisbrooke Castle. She made some alterations, to bring it up to date, and spent many of her summer at Carisbrooke until her death in 1944.

And finally…the donkeys!

For any castle, in order to withstand a siege, a reliable source of water is essential. To this end a decent well is essential. Carisbrooke Castle has a courtyard well that is 49 meters deep, the lower part cut through chalk and the upper lined with masonry. In Isabella’s time a house was built over the well with a tread wheel to raise buckets of water. The current well-house was erected by Sir George Carey in 1587.

Postcard of the donkey working the treadmill at Carisbrooke Castle

It seems likely the treadmill was originally powered by prisoners, but in 1696 a visitor recorded:

“Water was drawn by a horse or ass.” From then on specially trained donkeys were kept at the castle, to walk inside the wheel and winch up buckets of water. To this day, tourists can visit the well house and watch the donkeys at work (although, in case you were wondering, the castle is now connected to the mains.)

*****

The Castles Blog Hop is celebrating the release of Castles, Customs and Kings - a compilation of historical essays by authors belonging to the English Historical Fiction Authors. Grace has contributed two articles to the book.
For other participating members please click the button at the top of this post.

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Invading the Isle of Wight

 

“The very notion of anyone invading the Isle of Wight seems absurd and even, much like the island itself, a bit quaint… With its benign climate, agricultural fertility, excellent ice-cream and numerous B&B establishments, it would suit a committed group of idealists bent on establishing a utopian societal model… But the best reason for invading the Isle of Wight is that they definitely won’t be expecting it.”

James May
How to Land an A330 Airbus: and Other Vital Skills for the Modern Man

The French fleet attacks Bembridge, Isle of Wight

Today’s blog post is on the theme of ‘invading the Isle of Wight’. Now this is not as random as it seems because whilst on holiday there this summer, I came across several references to previous invasion attempts. Indeed, the Roman Villa at Brading is testament to the islands vulnerability in 300AD.  But unlike James May’s assertion a couple of years ago that, “they definitely won’t be expecting it”, in previous centuries significant efforts were made to protect the island.

Modern day Bembridge (photo author's own)

This post is not an exhaustive account of the history of invasion, but more a reflection on three interesting events in the history of the island. Situated off the South Coast of England, in the Solent, the Isle of Wight gave the would-be-invader of the mainland a huge strategic advantage. With sheltered harbours, plentiful fresh water and good agricultural land, it was the perfect place for an invading army to regroup and refuel before launching a major assault on England.

Carisbrooke Castle from the road (author's own photo)

 Repelling the French

In medieval times, the French were keen to gain control of the Isle of Wight (IOW). During the Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453 – you do the maths!) occupying the IOW would have given them control of the waters around the south coast of England.
Between 1336 and 1370 they raided the island five times. But in 1377 they became bolder still. Key to defense of the IOW was Carisbrooke Castle. The French invaded in strength to the north, laying waste to Yarmouth and Francheville, before laying siege to the castle. The attacking force used trebuchets, ladders and crossbows but the story goes that they were defeated by a lone English bowman, Peter de Heynoe.

View from the ramparts of Carisbrooke Castle (author's own photo)

De Heynoe watched from the ramparts and picked out the French commander. With a single arrow he slew their leader, leaving the French force in disarray and they subsequently abandoned their attack. Later, the castle was further fortified and the French continued to raid until the early 15^th century.

The Threat in Tudor Times

During the 16^th century at various times both the French and the Spanish posed threats at various times. King Henry VIII decided it was time to invest in the Island defenses and built coast forts at Cowes, Sandown, St Helens and Yarmouth – sometimes using stone from dissolved monasteries. Carisbrooke Castle became used as a munitions store.

Priory Bay - IOW
One of the many beautiful coves to be found on the island -
as good a reason as any to invade!
(Author's own photo)

It was during one of these skirmishes between the English and the French, that the Mary Rose was lost in 1545. From his viewpoint at Southsea Castle, looking across the Solent with the IOW clearly visible, King Henry VIII watched his flagship lead the attack on galleys of the French invasion fleet, only to see the Mary Rose founder and sink.
During Elizabeth I’s reign, an example of the key position played by the IOW was the dramatic sight, on the morning of 26 July 1588, of the Spanish Armada sailing in waters off the islands coast.
“This morning began a great fight between both fleets…[which] were out of sight by three in the afternoon.”
Sir George Carey. (Captain of Carisbrooke Castle under Elizabeth I)

            Trivia alert! George Carey was the grandson of Mary Boleyn (sister of Anne Boleyn), and Elizabeth I’s cousin

A Palmerston fort viewed from Southsea Castle, on the mainland,
looking across the Solent with the Isle of Wight clearly visible.
(Author's own photo)

The Palmerston Forts or Follies?

From the north coast of the Isle of Wight a number of marine forts are clearly visible, built in the waters of the Solent, with the purpose of protecting the Solent. These forts were built in Victorian times on the recommendation of the 1860 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. There was a parliamentary debate about whether the cost of their construction could be justified and the cause was championed by the then Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston. However, it seemed he jumped the wrong way because by the time they were completed the French threat of invasion had passed, and the weapons technology with which they were equipped was outdated – hence the nickname Palmerston’s Follies.

My husband in the foreground on a 'walk to the fort' -
traversing a gravel path that becomes visible only at extreme low tide.
Palmerston fort in the background.

I find these forts fascinating. They are clearly visible in the Solent and have a definite ‘presence’. At certain times of the year the tide is low enough to ‘walk to the fort’ – along the seabed – I’ve done this a couple of times and it has a biblical feel about it, with the sea lapping at your ankles on either side.