Educate. Inspire. Preserve.
Medieval castle. Rectangular site surrounded by a wet moat. Gatehouse had two storeys and a basement.
Includes a two storied gatehouse, a separate hall block also with tow storeys and a chapel block of three storeys.
Towers and walls were restored by Bishop Dr. Hedley Bartlett.
1135 c: Built by Ralph de Pembridge.
12-13 C Late-early: Keep dates from.
1208 Owned by the Pembridge family
1215 Before; Possibly built: Three storied great tower built.
1219 Completed.
1216-1272 Between: Owned and lived in by Richard de Pembridge, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
1230 Held by Henry Pembridge.
1242 Still held by Henry Pembridge.
1259 Henry III ordered Henry Pembridge to defend his castle.
1265 Land given to Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, and the castle became his chief seat.
13 C Curtain wall. Gatehouse, curtain wall, undercroft and chapel added.
1387 Passed to Sir Richard Burley, who died later in the year. It then passed to Edward Tudor, Henry VI’s half brother.
14 C Before: Owned by the Wake family.
14 -15 C Owned by the Mortimer family.
1445 Owned by the Hopton family who then sold it to Sir Walter Pye.
1485-1509 During: Lived in by Sir Richard Birley. Held by the Order of St John.
1588-1603 During: Lived in by Margaret, Countess Richmond and Derby.
* Bought by Sir Walter Pye.
16 C Chapel.
1642-1651 Held for the king, but was besieged and partly ruined.
1644 Royalist outpost. Ruined after being seized by Colonal Scudamore for Parliament.
1646 June: Parliamentary forces were given orders to slight and abandon the castle.
1675 Repaired and restored by George Kemble.
1679 Owned by George Kemble: John Kemble, George’s brother and a Catholic priest, was arrested at the castle and executed.
17C Hall. Domestic buildings.
1715 Owned by Henry Scudamore.
1715 After: Henry Scudamore sold it to the Townleys of Lancashire. The Townleys sold it to the Bailey family.
1905 Used as a farmhouse.
1914 Partially restored by Dr. Henry Bartlett
1994 10th April: Visited by members of the Woolhope Club.
1994 Watching Brief by Hereford and Worcester County Council Archaeology Section.
20 C Early: owned by Thomas Bartlett.
20 C Owned by R.A. Cooke. Reconstructed. Crenellated parapet, loop windows, projecting garderobe and window.
2002 Management agreement.