Wigmore Castle

Wigmore castle stands in the north-west corner of Herefordshire a few miles from the current boundary between England and Wales. This, one of the largest of castles, was founded by Earl William Fitz Osbern in the period between his being made earl of Hereford soon after Christmas 1066 and his death at the battle of Cassel in Flanders on 22 February 1071.  The castle was built over the lands of two Saxons who lost their lands during the Norman conquest of England.  After Earl William's death his son, Roger of Breteiul was imprisoned for life in 1075 after a failed rebellion against the Conqueror.

By 1086 King William I had granted the fortress to Ralph Mortimer as the caput of a series of estates that were later to be known as the barony or honour of Wigmore. According to the Wigmore genealogy Ralph had obtained the castle by besieging Edric Silvaticus within the fortress.  If this refers to the rebellion of Earl Roger, which is possible, this would date the Mortimer's acquisition of Wigmore to 1075.  From then until 1425 the castle remained the cradle of the Mortimer family, although the fortress was increasingly eclipsed from 1301 by Ludlow castle which became the Mortimer's new seat of government in the Welsh Marches.

In the Civil War of 1642-46 Wigmore castle was soon patched up and placed in a state of defence, but it became to difficult to hold securely and was therefore 'slighted' ending its long and noble career.  Today the massive site is covered by the ruins and ditches of a fortress that boasts the remains of a great keep of which a single skeletal finger still points skywards on top of the giant motte.  The outer keep contains the remains of two rectangular and one semi-circular turret, an arrangement echoed in the inner ward enceinte below.  The castle gatehouse stands three storeys high and welcomes visitors to the still overgrown fortress of the Mortimers.

For more details on Wigmore castle please refer to the page on Anglo-Norman Castles

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