Research Topics

Members of the group are currently working on various topics, some of which may be updated from time to time as new information comes to light. The group has decided we should share our findings on our website.

Topics (please click on topic

Census Records, Data collections

Castle Rising Mint

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Mayors of Castle Rising

Members of Parliament of Castle Rising

Ancient woodland

13th Century -14th Century Lords of the Manor

The Black Prince & Castle Rising

Castle Rising's Famous connections & visitors

Kett Rebellion

Connection with the Sea

 

Castle Rising Mint

Castle Rising mint 1145 - 1154

Approximately four years into the construction of the castle consent was granted by King Stephen to allow coins to be minted at Rising. There were three known types of coin minted here, (types 2-6-7) all of them silver pennies issued by the moneyer Rodbert. The fact that Rising had both borough status and permission to mint coins adds weight to the argument that it was a place of importance prior and during the time of the construction of the castle. In total 46 towns or boroughs were granted privileges to mint Stephens coins around Britain, this was one of the largest number of mints issued during the medieval period. It is believed this was one of Stephens tack-ticks, allowing extra mints as a way of gaining support on his succession to the throne. With the anarchy surrounding Stephen and widespread disapproval of his accession to the throne. Other signs of defiance can be seen in the striking of coins of Matilda along with evidence that other individual coins were struck by various Lords supporting Matilda from across the country.

Also in defiance, some of Stephens coins were struck with a voided X across the bust, interestingly many of these were East-Anglian type mints indicating or suggesting that he may have been particularly unpopular in this area. However this is not the case for Rising's coins, and this may be due to the Lord of the manor William D'Albini Earl of Arundel and Chief Butler to KingcHenry 1 having family connections with both Stephen and Matilda during this period.

These coins were usually struck or re-struck in secure areas which may have included churches and castles. As the castle was in its infancy and was not completed during this time we are only able to speculate as to where the coins were struck in Rising, however it is believed there may have been an established market operating here at that time. To date very few individual rising coins have been recovered, leading to a high market value.

However a single hoard was discovered at Wicklewood in a ditch in 1989 this spectacular hoard contained 482 silver coins in excellent condition. Part of this contained a large quantity Stephen coins minted in Rising, Norwich and Thetford covering a twenty-five year period representing the reigns of Henry I, Stephen and his mother, Matilda, David I of Scots and Henry II. It is suggested this hoard was possibly buried for safety but never recovered by its owner, this is a significantly large sum of money for this period. One might speculate that this hoard was buried by a member or an associate of the D'Albini family since they owned the castle at nearby New Buckenham. William and his family were also frequent visitors to Wymondham Abbey close by which they had founded in 1107, the church was added in 1130 which they held the right of visitation, including holding the title as Lord of the Manor.

local markets were one way of issuing the new coinage and old coins were re-struck, some of these coins can also be found clipped on the edges, this clipping exercise is normally done to adjust their weight, as there should be two hundred and forty pennies to one pound of silver, hence 240p = 1 pound. Also commonly found are cut halves and cut quarters, trading as half-pennies and quarter pennies. This practice continued throughout the medieval period suggesting the need for smaller coin denominations. One third of the Wicklewood hoard also contained cut coinage confirming that is was in circulation at the time

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Connection with the Sea

One cannot read the earlier accounts of the history of Castle Rising without seeing the following piece of doggerel being quoted:-

“Rising was a seaport town when Lynn was but a marsh, Now Lynn it is a seaport town, and Rising fares the worse.”

Although no-one knows the origin of this, and some recent writers have doubted its facts, there is good evidence from the local landscape that it represented what actually happened.

After the departure of the Romans and during the time when the Saxons were establishing the village, the sea, at least at its highest tides would have stretched all the way to the bottom of Nightmarsh Lane, Onion Corner and beyond where the bypass now runs. Evidence for this comes from aerial photographs showing salt-marsh with meandering streams immediately north of the village. Much of the Babingley Valley near the village would have been salt marsh and grazing marsh but the highest tides would have reached close to the village itself. This Babingley estuary provided access to the sea and the coastal region was an important source of salt, valuable for trade and for the preservation of food.

The first attempt to reduce the impact of the sea on the Babingley valley occurred probably late in the Saxon period when a large sea-wall was built from North Wootton, across the salt marsh to the Babingley River almost up to the foot of Nightmarsh Lane and along the northern bank of the river towards Wolferton. This not only provided some protection from salt water? but also allowed cultivation of corn behind the sea-wall. Evidence of this is visible on 1946 aerial photos as ridge and furrows, The ancient sea-wall can also be seen

1946 Aerial Photo of Babingley Valley, north of the Village

You can see that the ancient sea wall extended up the south side of the Babingley River and then split into two branches to enclose the Ridge and Furrow field visible in the centre left of the picture. This sea wall is an important ancient monument of our village; parts of it can still be seen today, however much has been destroyed since this photo was taken as a result of late 20th century intensive agriculture.

The Babingley River, provided easy access to the sea, thereby a source of sea-food and contact with the outside world at a time when land transport was very poor. The Romans had probably used it to ship the locally quarried Silver Carr to Brancaster and the Normans brought in Barnack Stone from the valley of the Nene. Both sea and estuarine fish were found in the middens of the castle, with the bones of cod (a sea fish), eel, smelt and flounder (all estuarine species) being commonly found. There were also lots of evidence that the early residents of the castle were fond of shell-fish with shells of winkles, oysters, mussels and whelks very much in evidence.

Access to the village was via a side branch of the Babingley river enlarged during the building of a Saxon Mill upstream. The dock itself was probably located at the foot of Havengate Lane, formerly the main road up to the castle and village but now inaccessible. It ran parallel and to the west of Nightmarsh Lane. Its route is evident from the aerial photo and from old maps.

Access to the sea became gradually more difficult because of increasing siltation. Sir Henry Spelman the 16th century historian who lived at nearby Congham wrote of Castle Rising that “It has been a famous port, but being stopped up with sands, was the cause of its great decay.”

During the 17th century, another sea wall was built on the seaward side of the former sea-wall. It enclosed some of the salt marsh formerly used for salt production since by this time salt was more easily obtained elsewhere. It added extensively to the farmland of the Manor. Later in the 17th century, the first sluice was put across the Babingley River. It is still visible today on the lower reaches of the river. It effectively kept the sea water away from the fields of the Babingley valley, except at the highest of tides.

17th Century Sluice on Lower Babingley River

Floods had always been a problem for the farmers who pastured their animals in the valley and the years of 1779 and 1781 were particularly difficult ones. Many of the leading members of the community were forced to seek help from Lady Andover, the then Lady of the Manor (presumably responsible for maintaining the sea defences). They wrote:-

“under your ladyship situate, lying and being near the sea of Lynn Channel in the Parishes of Castle Rising and North Wootton in the County of Norfolk - and that the tide on 1st Jan 1779 swelling to an unusual height overflowed the sea banks fencing your Ladyship’s said lands in the tenure of your petitioners and laid the whole level under water. And also drowned and swept away a great number of sheep and cattle belonging to your petitioners” They also lost crops of corn, hay and grass, but “would have forborne to trouble your Ladyship thereon. But on Friday 19 Oct last (i.e.1781) a tide nearly equal to that of 1779 again overflowed your Ladyship’s banks which second calamity your petitioners finding themselves unable to sustain as the damage that inevitably must accrue to the lands from being again drowned will consequently render them of little or no value for several years to come, have ventured to entreat your Ladyship to take into consideration such their grievances and that your Ladyship may be better able to judge thereof your petitioners have hereunder stated the number of acres overflowed which each of them occupys and also of the stock drowned and Hay and Corn, etc. spoiled.”

Each petitioner then summarized his losses in the two floods and assigned some monetary value to the claim. An example is “Robert Reeve 60 sheep drowned and 10 acres of Wheat spoiled 1779 £140.” Flooding was a constant threat but the danger was again reduced by the next major alteration to the sea boundary which occurred in the mid-19th Century. To improve the harbour facilities at King’s Lynn the “Marsh Cut” engineering proposal was announced. It was vigorously opposed by Fulke Greville Howard, Lord of the Manor of Castle Rising, but was completed in 1853. The scheme diverted the River Ouse a long distance to the west so adding an additional 20 square kilometres of reclaimed land in the Parish of North Wootton, in the Manor of Rising. It also necessitated the diversion of the Babingley River which now enters the Great Ouse near Lynn Point, about 2 km south of its original outlet.

Old course of the River Great Ouse prior to the Marsh Cut,

Much of this land was still marshland but gradually sections were reclaimed and converted into farmland, the last as recently as 1966. Even today, despite evidence of sea level rises globally, the Wash is still accumulating salt marsh to its outer margin, but it is unlikely that there will be further reclamation. The last major incursion of the sea came in 1953 during the great winter storm of that year. The sea surged up the Babingley River and destroyed the ancient foot-bridge between Castle Rising to the abandoned village of Babingley. After that event, the sea defences were again strengthened, and the coast that we see today was created.

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THE KETT REBELLION 1549

In July 1549 Robert Kett a tanner and yeoman from Wymondham led a rebellion against the local land owners who were enclosing the common land. Supporters came from all over Norfolk with those from Watton, Thetford, Dereham and Brandon and the surrounding area encamped at Castle Rising. They then proceeded to mount an attack that failed on King’s Lynn, destroying the Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen, now the Almshouses on Gaywood Road during their hasty retreat. The rebels then regrouped at Ryston near Downham Market before joining the main camp on Mousehold Heath outside Norwich. Robert Kett’s men were finally defeated by the Earl of Warwick at Dussindale and Kett himself was hanged from the battlements of Norwich Castle. Below is the reputed site of the rebel’s camp and known locally as ‘Kett’s Castle’ a slightly raised mound in a field adjacent to the Old Flax Factory on the West Newton to Roydon road at Castle Rising.

 

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Famous Connections

As well as its long catalogue of owners Castle Rising has had many famous visitors over the last 2,000 years. The owners of the estate who will be described more fully elsewhere have included, Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1052, William D’Albini who built the castle in the Twelfth century, various King’s and Queens and many members of the Howard family. Around the year 630 A.D., St Felix, first Bishop of East Anglia, is said to have fallen from his boat into the river Babingley. According to folklore, he was rescued by beavers and made their leader a bishop! Certainly Felix, who is reputed to have brought Christianity to East Anglia, would have been familiar with the Saxon village of Risanga just across the river from his settlement at Babingley

Constables of the Castle.

The office of constable of the castle was much more prestigious than today’s police constable for they were responsible for administering the estate in the absence of the owner. Most of the owners of Castle Rising were non resident, visiting their estate mainly for hunting expeditions. A number of the eminent men of their day were appointed as constable. Brown suggests that the attraction may well have been the opportunities for hunting that went with the position. One famous constable was Ralph, Lord Cromwell (Henry VI's treasurer) in the first half of the Fifteenth century. Another was John Vere, Earl of Oxford. Parkin recounts that he
“commanded the vanguard in the battle of Bosworth wherin King Richard III was slain”, and was made “constable of the castle, steward of the honor of Rising, and ranger of the chace for life” in 1485. The office of constable was discontinued in 1544.

Letters

One of the ways in which we know that people have visited Castle Rising is from the letters they have written and which have been preserved in various archival collections.

King Edward IV and Richard III.

Richard Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) wrote from the castle in 1469 asking for a £100 loan . He was about Seventeen at the time – teenagers don’t change! His brother, King Edward IV visited at the same time.

Duke of Suffolk.

One particularly precise record is that at 11:00 a.m. on 8th August 1538, the Duke of Norfolk wrote to the Duke of Suffolk while sitting on a molehill on Rising Chase.

Mary Queen of France.

Another famously recorded letter from Rising was written ten years earlier by Mary, Queen of France.

Castle Rising is best known for its association with Queen Isabella, daughter of King Philip IV of France a French Queen of England. By contrast Mary was an English Queen of France. She was born as Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VII. By 17th of March 1528, when she wrote to Cardinal Wolsey from Castle Rising, her first husband, Louis XII of France had died and she was already remarried - to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk (The same person, the Duke of Norfolk wrote to from the molehill). This story has a background of intrigue. Mary hadn’t really wanted to marry Louis in the first place because she was in love with Brandon. Two years later, Louis died, reputedly worn out by his exertions in the bedchamber. By then, Charles was already married to someone else. Mary’s brother, Henry VII, wanted her to marry her late husband’s successor, Francis I, but neither Francis nor Mary wanted to marry each other. Henry sent Charles Brandon to fetch Mary home, making him promise that he would not propose to her! Charles is described as “handsome and athletic”, so when “Mary's adored Brandon arrived … she begged him to marry her … he agreed and they were married in France”. The inconvenient fact that Charles had a wife still living was overcome by a Papal Bull and Henry was bought off with “rich gifts”. The intervention of Wolsey, to whom Mary was writing from Castle Rising, was one of the factors persuading Henry to let the couple off with a fine. Brown suggests that this was “almost the only Tudor love match with a happy ending”.

Royal Visitors

Queen Isabella and Edward III.

Queen Isabella, widow of Edward II was the Lord of the Manor of CR from 1331 to 1358 and as described elsewhere in the book she was held in a loose sort of imprisonment in the castle. Not only did she travel but she entertained many visitors. Her son, Edward III, visited Isabella at the castle. According to Dence, and Beloe these visits took place more or less annually. Edward was accompanied by his wife, Queen Phillipa. According to Hillen, many of the meetings between mother and son took place elsewhere in the county, and she had been at Rising fourteen years before he visited the village. He suggests gifts shown in the records, from Isabella to the King, may have been presented to him elsewhere. Parkin and Blomefield record several letters sent by the King from Castle Rising on 3rd August 1345 to the Bishop of Norwich to be presented to the Pope. Jones writes: “Castle Rising was gay in those days, when the king was there. The scarlet and gold and blue and silver of the royal lions and lilies waved from the tower ; hawks, horses, and hounds sparkled over the flat country when Edward and Philippa and their gallant boys came down to keep holiday. Queen Isabella had minstrels to enliven the entertainments, paid for by the good burgesses of Lynn ; and hundreds of pounds of wax to light the feasts, for which ample supplies of wine, meat, swans, sturgeons, and eels were forwarded from that convenient port.” Bradfer Lawrence records that after Isabella’s death, Edward II’s son, Edward the Black Prince, continued to visit the castle, and that John le Valliant, Duke of Brittany probably visited him there, before the latter’s period of ownership of the estate from 1379 to 1397.

Edward Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

Many centuries later when tourism was still in its infancy, Castle Rising began to attract visitors who came to see the Norman church, the castle and the 17th century almshouses (Trinity Hospital). Berlyn writes of Castle Rising: “To this most complete and typical English village the Prince of Wales’ family are greatly attached. It is but a pleasant walk past the half-ruined Babingley church … to Sandringham” The Prince of Wales at that time was Albert Edward (Bertie), eldest son of Queen Victoria. Of all the recent Royal Family he was probably the one who knew Castle Rising best because he often joined the shooting parties of his friend Lord Farquhar who rented the Hall in Castle Rising from the Howards. There are several references in the school log to visits made by the Prince and his wife, Princess Alexandra, to the village.

Victoria, Empress Dowager, Frederick of Gascony and Queen of Prussia.

When Sandringham house became a country retreat for the royal family, in 1861, the almshouses in Castle Rising became a local trip out for their visitors, many of whom signed the Trinity Visitors’ Books. The first famous entry is signed “Victoria, Empress Dowager, Frederick of Gascony and Queen of Prussia”. Victoria, Princess Royal, was the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Her title included “Frederick of Gascony” because she had married the German Emperor, Frederick III. She was also the mother of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. Her entry was dated the Fifteenth of January 1889, exactly seven months after she was widowed.

The Russian Royal Family.

Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna, grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, visited Trinity Hospital more than once. On April 9th 192 she was accompanied by two of her daughters, Olga and Maria. The visit is recorded by the Czarina herself in the Trinity Hospital visitor’s book. This contradicts the assertion by Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden In her biography of Alexandra Feodorovna, she states that after a visit to Cowes in 1909, the Empress never came to England again. Alexandra Feodorovna’s husband, Tsar Nicholas II, was King George V’s first cousin. Among many complicated family links, the mothers of the Tsar and the King were both daughters of the Danish King Christian IX. In addition, George V's aunt was married to the Tsar. The Czarina and Empress is noted for her association with Gregori Rasputin, the Russian wanderer, pilgrim and faith healer. She consulted him about her son Alexi’s haemophilia. Rasputin was publicly perceived to have political influence on Alexandra. Although he was noted for his sexual exploits with women. Buxhoeveden states that this did not include the Czarina.The entire Russian royal family was shot by firing squad on 17th July 1918. The execution took place in the basement of a house in town of Ekaterinberg in the central Urals of Western Siberia. “When the family arrived in the basement, the former empress complained that there were no chairs for them to sit in. Yurovsky [a Bolshevik officer] ordered chairs brought in, and when the empress and the heir were seated, the executioners filed into the room.”. In the year 2000 the Czar and Czarina, their children and others, were canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church.

George V.

George V visited Trinity Hospital several times in the 1920s and 1930s. However he spent more time shooting in Sandringham, Castle Rising and Wootton. Some of Colonel Charles Howard’s hunting cards are displayed in the Reading Room in the village. They record five such occasions, between 1924 and 1930. The King was joined by his sons, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII until his abdication), Prince Albert, Duke of York (later George VI) and Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and his son in law on a shoot just after Christmas 1929 at White Hills, Fowlers & Babingley Osiers. At least part of this shoot was on the Castle Rising Estate. The seven guns that day accounted for the deaths of 890 pheasants and 116 other game. George V’s son-in-Law was The Earl of Harewood - husband of Princess Mary, the Princess Royal. He had succeeded to the title on the death of his father the previous month.

Queen Mary 1867–1953.

400 years after the visit of Mary, Queen of France, another Queen Mary, consort of
George V, was a frequent visitor to Trinity Hospital, signing the visitors’ book nine times between 1927 and 1950. Jack Plowright told members of the history group that when she was widowed Mary quite often came to the village to visit one of her ladies in waiting. Presumably she stayed at Sandringham. He said that his mother once hid behind the grocer’s van because she didn’t have the time to stop and chatter with the Queen! Queen Mary regularly gave the residents a dinner in January. She also gave each lady a flowering plant.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

On 29th January 1938, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother visited Trinity Hospital, not long after becoming Queen consort. There is some evidence that she may also have visited on two previous occasions.

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

Prince Charles must have visited Castle Rising. In a speech made at the opening of the Build a Better Britain Exhibition in 1989 he described the village as ‘one which conjures up an archetypal picture of village English’

Princes William and Harry.

More recently, the young princes have played football on the Castle Rising pitch. They played for opposing teams on Christmas Eve 2005. Harry’s side won 5–1.
The following year, Prince William wore a red Castle Rising number 5 shirt for the local football game. He played midfield, helping the village to win the Christmas Eve match 4-1. About 20 villagers turned out to watch. Newspapers reported that “he produced a delicate chip from the right side of the 18-yard box to put his side ahead, as plain-clothed Royal protection officers watched from the sidelines”.

Royal Family Worship at Castle Rising.

Each year, the royal family worship at one of the six local churches in the Sandringham group. The 21st January 2001 visit to St Lawrence church, Castle Rising, was a particularly special occasion as the service commemorated the 100th anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria on 22nd Jan 1901. The service included readings from Victoria’s diaries and music composed by her husband. During the service the rector, Canon George Hall, told the congregation that Queen Victoria herself had visited the Castle Rising church in April 1889. After the Service, the Queen Mother, aged 100, stood outside the West door where she was presented with flowers by local children. She was then assisted into the waiting car by her daughter. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh walked down the path meeting well-wishers before returning to Sandringham.

Politicians

The rotten borough of Castle Rising will be described in more detail elsewhere. It returned two MPs so, over the years. sent many representatives to Parliament. Most of these had little connection with the village; many were relatives of the Howards or Walpoles who secured their rights to nominate candidates for election by owning burgages in the constituency.

Samuel Pepys (1633–1703)

Pepys was the Member of Parliament for Castle Rising from 1673 to 79 but probably did not spend much time here. A man, described by Bryant as a carpet bagger, stood against him and had accused Pepys of being a papist: “… when on November 1st Pepys appeared at Castle Rising, he was greeted by the Mayor and burgesses with anxious ques­tions about his religion, and by the populace with the coarsest expressions of dislike”

We are told that “the insufferable Offley even marched through the little town with a band of disorderly soldiers from Lynn headed by drums and trumpets.” Pepys was able to present testimonials to “the more re­putable inhabitants who alone had the right to vote”, and on November 4th he was elected by 29 votes to 7. (The validity of his election was also challenged in Parliament but after an investigation the allegations against him were found to be false and rejected). Pepys does not appear to have referred to his constituency much while in parliament. He had to spend some time there refuting further claims from Offley, that his election was illegal, because he allegedly had had an altar and a crucifix in his house, (Bryant tells us that in the seventeenth century this meant a picture of the crucifixion). After this, he was occupied with persuading parliament to fund the refitting of the fleet. Bryant’s next reference to Castle Rising is in 1679. Pepys wrote to the Mayor and Burgesses of Castle Rising before the coming General Election. He reminded them of his past contributions towards the rebuilding of the church. However, at the same time, he approached other constituencies and was duly elected for Harwich. In fact, Castle Rising was proposing not to re-elect him and Sir Robert Howard was elected in his place. The final act, relating to the parish was when he withheld £50 he had promised to the church rebuilding fund.

Robert Walpole 1676–1745 1st Earl of Orford

Robert Walpole was the first Prime Minister of England from 1721 to 1742, although at the time it was not an official title. He was Member of Parliament for Castle Rising from 1701 to 1703. He owned properties in Castle Rising and is likely to have passed through the parish often on his way between his home in Houghton and his Whig financial interests in King’s Lynn.

Horace Walpole.

Horace Walpole was the fourth son of Sir Robert Walpole. He is known as an author, diarist and creator of Strawberry Hill. He was MP for Castle Rising in 1754

Enoch Powell

Enoch Powell was a British politician and academic, rising to become Minister of Health. He was (in)famous for his “Rivers of Blood Speech”. Powell twice preached at St. Lawrence Church, Castle Rising and picked strawberries in the pick-your own fields. Lord Greville Howard, the present owner of the Rising Estate, had been his private secretary 1968–1070 and presumably invited him to stay.

Tenants of the Hall.

Lord Horace Brand Farquhar 1844–1923

Horace Brand Farquhar was a good friend of the Prince of Wales. He rented the Mansion House in Castle Rising for use as a shooting lodge and country estate from at least 1886. At that time the estate affairs were directed by the mother and step father of the young Henry Greville Howard on his behalf, but they had no need of the house. Farquhar continued to visit Rising for over twenty-five years. He and his wife were known for their generous hospitality. Many distinguished guests at Castle Rising including the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, were invited to week-end house parties where the entertainment included shooting, feasting and often debauchery! Plowright states that special accommodation was built at the hall for him. It is believed that this was a corrugated building erected at the rear of the Mansion House, especially for the Prince’s private ‘entertaining’. Plowright recalls 50 beaters and up to two thousand pheasants shot a day in the main shoots.

Farquhar was a colourful character, welcomed in the village. His presence and that of his guests brought work for both men and boys attending the shoots as well as for extra staff at the house. His wife Emilie too took a role in the village life, visiting both the school and the hospital. Farquhar was a shrewd business man and politician and served as Master of the Royal Household to Edward VII, and in 1915 as Lord Steward of England. He rose from being an M.P. to a Viscount and in 1922 an Earl. However, this elevation was accompanied by allegations of ‘Cash for Honours’ accomplished, not by using his own money, but that of the Conservative and Unionist Party of which he was treasurer! The following year he was sacked from this post by Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law for giving the donations to Lloyd George instead of to the Party. On his death in 1923 he left enormous debts, partly due to his generosity in entertaining his friends. It has been suggested he only escaped prosecution, for fraud, for a whole gamut of irregular dealings, by dying when he did.

The Duke and Duchess of Fife.

Louise, Duchess of Fife, was born in 1867. She was the third child and first daughter of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. She and her sisters, the Princesses Victoria and Maud frequently visited the Sandringham Estate of their father. According to Campbell, her future husband, Alexander Duff, Duke of Fife, courted her from Castle Rising when he was a staying at the hall during the tenantship of Lord Farquhar. Alexander was a Liberal M.P. seventeen years older than Louisa. He is described as a coarse and selfish man. They married on 27th July, 1889. Lord Farquhar was their best man. They lived in the Mansion house at Castle Rising for some time after their wedding. The couple had two daughters. In 1911 en route to Egypt, the family were shipwrecked off the coast of Morocco. They all survived, but Alexander fell ill with pleurisy and died soon after in Aswan. Louise continued to be a close friend of the Farquhars and she is recorded in the visitor’s book of the Trinity hospital when she visited with Lord and Lady Farquhar in January 1913.

Artists.

Many illustrations of the castle and church over the centuries bear testament to Castle Rising’s attraction for artists. Among them were S.M.Buck, Millicent, William Taylor, the antiquarian and above all John Sell Cotman.. John Sell Cotman, (1782-1842) was one of the most notable of the Norwich School of Painters who made many etchings of St. Lawrence Church, as well as Rising Castle, which add greatly to our understanding of the building prior to the Victorian alterations. One imagines that he must have stayed in the village for some time and known it well in the early 19th Century. The village today continues to the provide inspiration to students at the Castle Rising Art Centre and others who are often to be seen around the village with their easels.

Arthur Rackham.

Arthur Rackham, the well known illustrator of children’s books knew Norfolk well and in 1893, when he was twenty-six, was commissioned by Jarrold and Sons of Norwich to provide some of the illustrations for a guide book of East Anglia to be called Sunrise Land. He and Annie Berlyn, the author of the book, loved Castle Rising and it has been suggested by Alison Barnes in her book about Rackham in East Anglia that ‘The wonderful witch-like sisters of Castle Rising almshouses provided the basic inspiration for all the bent old crones and witches that he later drew to illustrate his fairy tales’’. It must be said that this description is not recognisable in the present-day residents, if indeed it ever was. Today’s Trinity ladies look splendid in the red cloaks and black hats which are now used only on special occasions.

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Lord Mayors of Lynn.

At one time mayors of Lynn were official visitors to the Trinity Hospital.
Bradfer-Lawrence tells us that the statutes require a “triennial visit of inspection of the inmates stock, and statutes” in return for a pair of white gloves. Bradfer-Lawrence surmises that the custom ceased after a row in 1742 between Mayor Benjamin Nuthall and the local rector, the Reverend Henry Loftus. It was not until Mayor Paul Richards was invited to the Founders Day lunch in 1999 that this tradition was restored. Paul Richards is a highly respected local historian and taught many of the founder members of the Castle Rising history group when they attended extended education history courses run by the University of East Anglia.

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THE BLACK PRINCE AND CASTLE RISING

As previously mentioned in 1337 when Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II died on 22nd August 1358 most of her possessions including Castle Rising and its estate, passed to her favourite grandson Edward of Woodstock the eldest son of Edward III and Phillipa of Hainault. He was born on 15th June 1330 at the royal place of Woodstock in Oxfordshire and later known, due to the colour of his amour, as the Black Prince. At twelve years of age he was created Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester and Duke of Cornwall making him the first English Duke and was one of the original Knights of the Order of the Garter. Edward showed considerable military ability at an early age and at sixteen played a major part in the defeat of the France at the battle of Crecy in 1346. Legend has it that the Black Prince acquired the feathers from the blind King John I of Bohemia who died heroically in the battle. The prince it is said, happened to come upon his body and took his helmet lined with ostrich feathers and the dead king’s motto ‘ich dien’ (I serve) as his own badge and these have been used the Princes of Wales since that time.

Edward led an expedition to Castile in Spain during 1367 where Pedro the king of Castile presented him with a magnificent ruby which to this day adorns the Imperial State Crown which the Queen wears to the opening of Parliament. The campaign lasted four long hot months in the summer during which his army suffered badly and he fell ill himself. From then on his health declined and he died at Westminster on 8th June 1376 aged 45.

The only records we have of the Prince’s affairs at Castle Rising appear to be a petition brought by Richard Otewey of Great Massingham between 1376-1376 against someone called Braun, Robert Matthew, Thomas Whiting and John Trig tenants of the Prince requesting remedy for an affray at his house, the cause this is not stated in the document. The Council of the Prince commanded the Prince’s Steward William Berard to imprison them until satisfaction was made to the petitioner. It seems that Henry Basson of Great Massingham gave at court before the mayor of Castle Rising “pledge and gage (…) absence 10 marks against right and reason” which we have to presume satisfied the petitioner and they were released. In the same period 1375-1376, a local farmer John Pynchon, petitioned Edward of Woodstock the Prince of Wales with the request “that he be granted mitigation of his farm of the Prince’s pastures of Castle Rising as the pasture has twice been destroyed by flooding so that he not have his profit from him and his beasts died by default, whereby Pynchon is greatly ruined” The records make no mention if his petition was granted but by all accounts the prince seemed a reasonable man and we hope that he granted Pynchon his request. Over his remaining life the prince spent considerable amounts sums of money improving the estate which he obviously loved as much as his grandmother.

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13th Century -14th Century Lords of the Manor

Lion Rampant – the de Montalt Shield

Before Queen Isabella took up residence at the Castle in 1330, the Manor of Rising had been held by the de Montalts, barons, also known as de Montealt, de Mohaut and de Monte Alto, for almost 100 years. They were either called Roger or Robert and also usually held the important post of Justiciary or Steward, of Chester. As barons, during the reign of Edward II, along with prelates and heads of religious houses they were invariably summoned to parliament, where a group of royal judges and clerks would also be present.

Roger de Montalt - Born ? – 1260/61

Such information on this Roger de Montalt, is taken from the 1235-61 Annals Cestreienses Chronicles, 1235-61. A Footnote (18) confirms the facts already noted by Norman Fahy, of how he became Lord of Rising Castle – i.e. he married Cecily, daughter of William de Albini, 3rd earl of Arundel and sister and co-heir of Hugh, 5th earl on whose death in 1243, ‘the great domains of this branch of the house were divided between his four sisters and co-heirs. Cecily took as part of her share the castle of Rising, in Norfolk, which thenceforth became ‘the principal residence of herself and her husband Roger de Montalt.’

The charter for a fair at Castle Rising was recorded as granted to Roger de Monte Alto on 20th August, 1254. This Charter records the fair as beginning on The Ascension of the Lord (Easter dep.). He was appointed to the office of judiciary at Chester on May 27 1257 and whilst in that post, Roger de Montalt was reported in the Annals as having violently attacked and laid claim in 1258 to the possessions of the lord Thomas the abbott and the convent of St. Werburg in Chester, extorted from them the manor of Bretton and various other manors and churches. His eldest son died within 15 days of this attack. On September 29 1259 he resigned the post of Judiciary and it is said that many other notable misfortunes subsequently befell him and he died in poverty within two years. The Annals record his death about the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist St. (June 24 – this would be 1260-61) at Castle Rising. Following his death, the next and last two de Monte Altos before Isabella seen recorded were Roger then Robert.

 

Roger de Montalt, 1265-1297, 1st Baron Montalt – Barony 1295-1297

Roger de Montalt was a baron who rebelled for a time against Henry III but then defended Cambridge for Henry III. He served in the Gascon Wars during the reign of Edward I and in 1295 was summoned to Parliament as the 1st Baron Montalt. and he died in 1297. The 1334 Lay Subsidy Records (tenths and fifteenths tax) recorded that on 24th January, 1297 the grant for a twice weekly market at Castle Rising with £90 subsidy was held by Roger de Monte Alto. He was married to Julian, daughter of Roger de Clifford and there were no surviving children. On his death his lands, including Rising passed to his younger brother Robert and the barony became extinct. It then passed to his son, Robert.

 

Robert de Monte Alto, 1270-1329, 1st Baron Montalt (re-created in 1299)

In 1309, Robert de Mohaut was one of the people mentioned as witnessing a petition when the Bishop of Norwich complained of several individuals in King’s Lynn usurping his authority. This places Robert in Norfolk, almost certainly staying at the castle, involved in local matters as a prominent person. On 16 April, Edward II 16 (1322-23) he was acknowledging £14. 13s.4d paid to him by the Mayor and community of Lynn in part payment of £50 owed to him and payment of £4000 was mentioned as owing. This document was dated at Castle Rising. He was also active in his capacity as Steward of Chester, signing documents and giving various grants. Robert also served in both the Gascon and Scottish Wars of Edward I and Edward II. Mention of him can be seen several times in the Close Rolls of Edward II. On July 12 1321 when the barons rebelled against the King, Hugh le Depenser, Elder and Younger who had too much power over the weak Edward II, it is recorded that ‘……and by conspiracy of such ministers and their false procurers and aiders caused the peers of the land to be falsely indicated by false jurors of their alliance, to wit the earl of Hereford, Sir John Gifford of Brymmesfeld and Sir Robert de Mohaut……….’ So Robert seemed to be quite rebellious and prepared to act but he was still keeping true to his allegiance to Edward II a year or two later. Following this 1321 protest by certain barons to weaken the power of the le Despenser, father and son, they regained their power and hold over Edward II as his favourites. An entry in May 5 1323 shows Robert de Montalt as one being ordered to pay the wages of footmen, archers and other armed men – he supplied 100 from his lands of Estradion and Hawardin to fight for Edward II.

However, when Isabella and Mortimer with the youthful Edward III gathered in France to mount the attack on England in 1326 with the thought of deposing Edward II and the two le Depensers, Robert de Mohaut swore an oath of allegiance to Isabella and was part of the protection of the young heir apparent, being with them when they came to England. This is noted in the Close Rolls A1b December 1326-October 1327. ‘The oath taken by divers persons to maintain the commonalty of the realm; to protect Isabella, Queen of England and Edward eldest son of the king and heir-apparent of the Realm of England; to aid them in their cause against Hugh le Depenser the younger …………………………………’ and on 13th January 1327 Robert de Mohaut was recorded as a Baron and one to take the oath. Robert was called to the 7th January 1327 Parliament in the name of Edward II and then reassembled on 3 February after the deposition of Edward II and the coronation of Edward III.

A note made in August 28 1328 at Clipstone records that ‘The like Archbishop of Canterbury, under date 19 September, the king being at Rising’ So Edward was said to be at the castle on that date, so he was familiar socially at least with Robert de Montalt and visited Castle Rising before Isabella took up residence. As one of the new King’s barons Robert now of course had allegiance to him and was obliged to provide food and accommodation for the King as he travelled round the country, this time at Rising.

Robert de Monte Alto seems to have had financial problems through his life. There are several recordings of him owing money from at least 1313 to his death in 1329 when he owed £200 to Isabella. He owed varying amounts from £80 to Robert de Wakeville, knight to £350 to merchants and citizens of London (March 1315). In June 1315 he had to get permission to go to Scotland by the king’s orders, respite until All Saints for all debts due to the Exchequer. Later in May 1322 Thomas Cok put John de Evesham and John de Norton in place to prosecute the matter of recognisance for £200 made to him by Robert de Monte Alto. So although by today’s standards the amount might seem moderate but would be large debts in medieval England. He also petitioned the King in 1327 for a charter to renew his manor of Snettisham, it being said to be too fragile to last.

Married to Emma, no male heirs were left in his family to inherit the castle and such lands and properties that were still held, so the Escheator was involved in 1329 and all his property went to the Crown. When he died he was buried in the priory of Shouldham Norfolk, a Gilbertine Order and it might be worthy to note here that one of Roger Mortimer’s daughters was in orders at Shouldham. Emma herself, stayed at the castle for a while until her death a year or so later and was buried at Stradsett Church where a black marble slab can be seen under the carpet in the centre of the church.

Isabella was said to hold the castle for her life and in 1330 it was to be inherited by John of Eltham, the King’s brother. John died however in 1337 with a shadow over Edward III being responsible for his death but Edward had a large memorial made for him at Westminster in tribute to him and was said to be devastated. In 1337 things were changed. Following Isabella’s eventual death, the castle would pass to Edward the Black Prince*, Isabella’s favourite grandson. A memorandum in 1337 reads ‘Enrolement of deed testifying that whereas Queen Isabella holds the castle and manor of Rysyng, co Norfolk, a fourth part of the Tolbothe of Lynn, in the same county, the manor of …………….which formerly belonged to Sir Robert de Mohaut, steward of Chester, of which the reversion belongs to the king, who has granted it to *Edward, Duke of Cornwall and earl of Chester, his son, the queen accepts the grant and is attoned to the duke according to the said grant.’

Dated at Rysyng on 10 December, 11 Edward III. (1337-8).

So we can probably conclude that Edward was again at the castle on this date, to arrange this business and perhaps visit his mother at the same time.

Underneath this entry is another memorandum that on ‘Thursday, Christmas day Sir Henry Ingleby clerk who had the power by dedimus protestatum which is on the files, went to Rysyng, co. Norfolk and received the queen’s acknowledgement of the preceding deed.’

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ANCIENT WOODLAND

In an earlier section, we saw the importance of building stone for the development of the village. In this section we explore the role of woodland in the parish. Contrary to common belief, much of the wooded areas of England had already been cleared when the Saxons arrived. Only about 12% of Norfolk was woodland, although possibly more in this region. The name Wootton (Wood town) implies that locally there were more trees than in the rest of Norfolk and according to the Domesday Book, the parish of Babingley had woodland to support 60 pigs (a large number for this period). Since pigs fed largely on acorns when available, this too suggests the area had extensive woods.

Woodlands provided timber for building material, firewood for heating and “underwood” for smaller pieces of wood for making tools, laths and fencing. Parishes guarded their woodlands carefully for they provided many raw materials for everyday life. Woodlands were carefully managed on a “Coppice with Standards” regime. The Standards were the large trees, often oaks or ash, whereas the Coppices were cut on a regular basis to provide a continuing supply of thinner branches. The Standards provided the large beams that we can see today in some of the older houses and barns in the parish (see Fig 1).

Fig 1. Beams from Number 21 Castle Rising.

Trees like the Oak could be grown to produce a large central trunk and numerous coppiced basal branches, which could be cropped on a regular basis. There are two Ancient Woods in the parish – the Alder (now Wootton) Carr and the Great Mill (now Castle Rising) Wood. Both are of great antiquity and neither was destroyed in the twentieth century, unlike so many similar woods throughout England. Both of these woods are bounded by a strong bank and an external ditch (see Fig 2). The photograph also shows both standard trees and coppiced trees with smaller branches coming from their base. These woods are now somewhat degraded and valued mainly as pheasant cover.

Fig 2. Edge of Alder Carr, showing ditch, coppice and standards.

The Alder Carr is in the north-west corner of the parish, near to the gamekeeper’s cottage. It is shared with the parish of North Wootton, and as its name implies it has a large number of Alder trees. It is mentioned as early as 1294 “a grant by Thomas son of Adam le Porter of Rising to Godfrey Sefrey of North Wootton of 2.5 acres of land in field called Colstan abutting on the Lord’s Alder Carr. Rent one pair of gloves price 1d Dated N. Wootton 27 Jun 1294.”

Both Alder and Hazel are mentioned in documents as growing in the Alder Carr. However Oak was also harvested there, as an item in the 1883 Estate Account Book reports. “James Page for jankering (i.e removing with the aid of a wheeled contraption) Oak trees from Car wood £1. 15. 0d.”

The other wood, the Great Mill Wood, is north-east of the village along the old highway with Onion Corner at its north-west edge. It is smaller now than it once was but still retains much of its original shape and many features of an ancient woodland. An inventory of the Manor in 1720 reported 120 Timber Trees in Millwood at 4s per tree. A Timber Yard formerly stood at the top of Nightmarsh Lane, close to this wood.

The above-mentioned 1883 Estate Book shows that both woods and the more recently developed Fowler’s Plantation {beyond the present bypass and on the former Goose Moor] were being actively worked in the late 19th century. Entries included “Clearing out drains in Car and Rising Woods.” “Preparing firewood. Carting chips and billet [logs for fire] from Car.” “Repairing hedges in Rising Wood.” “Cutting Hazel in Car.” “Cross cutting trees in Mill Wood and Fowlers Wood.” “clearing out Car and Mill Woods. Both woodlands are shown on the 1588 and the 1732 maps. They must have been just beyond the reach of the highest tides in Saxon times, prior to the building of the old sea-wall.

Woodlands were very valuable and there are several references to the need to protect them. In 1706 in an inventory the Howards of Ashtead were advised that the Millwood “should be carefully preserved and must be fenced against cattle and horses”. But animals were not the only danger. An entry in the Castle Rising Parish Book of 1766 reminded the villagers that there were serious penalties (including transportation or prison) for anyone “who shall willfully cut, burn, damage or destroy, or carry away any Timber trees, or trees likely to become timber or any part thereof without the consent of the owner [i.e. the Lord of the Manor]”. Even entering the woods and damaging the underwoods had serious consequences. The woods still have remnants of the rich flora and fauna for which the ancient woods were famous. There are bluebells, primroses and wild garlic but the nightingales which could be found in the parish in 2005 have now abandoned these ancient woodlands.

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Members of Parliament

Castle Rising first obtained representation in the Parliament of Westminster in 1557 when the influence of the 4th duke of Norfolk, who owned the Manor sent 2 members to the last Parliament of Queen Mary’s reign..

Year	Members of Parliament for Castle Rising
1557	Sir John Radcliff Kt. Attleborough; Sir Nicholas d'Estrange(sic)Kt. Hunstanton
1558	Sir John Radcliff Kt. Attleborough; Sir Nicholas d'Estrange(sic)Kt. Hunstanton
1559	Sir John Radcliff Kt. Attleborough; Sir Nicholas d'Estrange(sic)Kt. Hunstanton
1560
1561
1562
1563	Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; Francis Carew
1564	Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; Francis Carew
1565	Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; Francis Carew
1566	Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; Francis Carew
1567	Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; Francis Carew
1568
1569
1570
1571	Sir Nicholas L'Estrange; George Dacres, Horsford
1572	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1573	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1574	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1575	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1576	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1577	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1578	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1579	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1580	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1581	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1582	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1583	Nicholas Mynn Esq. Little Walsingham; Edward Flower Esq.
1584
1585	Michael Stanhope Esq.; Richard Drake Esq.
1586	Philip Wodehouse, Esq. Kimberley; Thomas Norris Esq..
1587	Philip Wodehouse, Esq. Kimberley; Thomas Norris Esq..
1588	No return entered
1589
1590
1591
1592
1593	John Townsend Esq., Rainham; Henry Spelman Esq., Congham
1594
1595
1596
1597	Thomas Gyton Esq.;Henry Spelman Esq., Congham
1598
1599
1600
1601	John Peyton, Esq. Isleham, Cambs.;Robert Townsend Esq. Wivenhoe, Essex.
1602
1603	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1604	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1605	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1606	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1607	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1608	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1609	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1610	Sir Thomas Mounson Kt.; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1611
1612
1613
1614	Sir Thomas Howard, Kt. Castle Rising; Sir Robert Townsend, Wivenhoe, Essex.
1615
1616
1617
1618
1619
1620	John Wilson. Esq.; Robert Spiller. Esq.
1621	John Wilson. Esq.; Robert Spiller. Esq.
1622
1623	Sir Robert Spiller Kt.; Thomas Bancroft Esq. Santon.
1624	Sir Robert Spiller Kt.; Thomas Bancroft Esq. Santon.
1625	Sir Hamon L'Estrange Kt. Hunstanton; Thomas Bancroft Esq. Santon.
1626
1627
1628	Sir Robert Cotton Bart. Conington Hunts.; Thomas Bancroft Esq. Santon.
1629
1630
1631
1632
1633
1634
1635
1636
1637
1638
1639
1640	April Richard Harman (Perliamentarian).Wood Dalling. Thomas Talbot Esq. Gonville Hall Wymondham.
1641	Sir Robert Hatton Kt.(Royalist) Sir John Holland Bart. Quiddenham(Parliamentarian)
1642	Hatton disabled (seat vacant)
1643
1644
1645	John Spelman (of Narborough)
1646
1647
1648	Spelman excluded in Pride's Purge.
1649
1650
1651
1652
1653	unrepresented in Barebones Parliament & in 1st and 2nd Protectorate Parliament
1654
1655
1656
1657
1658	The Ashtead History mentions the following names 1658-59 John Fyelder, London; Guibon Goddard. Esq. Lynn; Robert Jermy Esq. Bayfield;
1659	Jan John Fielder (of London) and Gaybon Goddard.(of Lynn) CR not represented in restored Rump
1660	John Spelman, Sir John Holland (of Quiddenham)
1661	Sir Robert Paston,(of Oxnead) Robert Stewart (of West Briggs)
1662
1663
1664
1665
1666
1667
1668
1669
1670
1671
1672	Sir John Trevor, vice Sir R. Stewart
1673	Samuel Pepys Esq.vice Sir R. Paston
1674	Trevor; Pepys
1675	Trevor; Pepys
1676	Trevor; Pepys
1677	Trevor; Pepys
1678	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1679	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1680	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1681	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1682	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1683	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1684	Sir Robert Howard, James Hoste Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1685	Sir Nicholas Le Strange;Thomas Howard Esq.
1686	Sir Nicholas Le Strange;Thomas Howard Esq.
1687	Sir Nicholas Le Strange;Thomas Howard Esq.
1688	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1689	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1690	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1691	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1692	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1693	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1694	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1695	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1696	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1697	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1698	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1699	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1700	Sir Robert Howard Esq.; Robert Walpole(Sir Robert's Father)
1701	Apr.01Robert Cecill Esq. vice TH(Decd), Robert Walpole (this is Sir Robert who inherited the seat)
1702	Dec.01Richard Earl of Ranelach of Ireland,Robert Walpole (Whig)
1703	Feb01/2.Wm.Lord Marquess of Hartington;Robert Walpole
1704	Jul02,Sir Thomas Littleton(Whig), Horatio Walpole Esq.(Sir R. Walpole's uncle)
1705	05, Sir Robert Clayton (Whig), Horatio Walpole Esq.
1706	Nov 05,Wm. Feilding(viceSir R. Clayton);Horatio Walpole Esq.
1707	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Esq.
1708	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Esq.
1709	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Esq.
1710	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Esq.
1711	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Esq.
1712	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Esq.
1713	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Jnr.(Sir Robert's brother)
1714	Wm Feilding;Horatio Walpole Jnr.(Sir Robert's brother)
1715	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1716	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1717	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1718	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1719	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1720	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1721	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1722	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1723	Wm Feilding; Col. Charles Churchill
1724	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1725	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1726	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1727	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1728	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1729	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1730	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1731	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1732	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1733	Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath K of Ireland; Col.Charles Churchill
1734	Thos. Hanmer, Brig-Gen.Charles Churchill
1735	Thos. Hanmer, Brig-Gen.Charles Churchill
1736	Thos. Hanmer, Brig-Gen.Charles Churchill
1737	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover)(viceT.Hanmer);C. Churchill
1738	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1739	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1740	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1741	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1742	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1743	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1744	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover);C. Churchill
1745	William Howard Esq.(Viscount of Andover)(viceT.Hanmer);Richard Rigby (Whig)(vice C.Churchill)
1746	Wm Howard;Richard Rigby.
1747	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1748	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1749	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1750	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1751	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1752	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1753	Robert Lord Luxborough; Thos Howard Esq.
1754	Horace WalpoleEsq.(Sir Robert's son); Thos. Howard Esq.
1755	Horace WalpoleEsq.(Sir Robert's son); Thos. Howard Esq.
1756	Horace WalpoleEsq.(Sir Robert's son); Thos. Howard Esq.
57	Charles Boone Esq.(vice H. Walpole) Thos.Howard Esq.
58	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
59	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
60	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
1761	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
62	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
63	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
64	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
65	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
66	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
67	Charles Boone Esq.Thos.Howard Esq.
68	Thos. Whateley Esq. Jennison Shafto Esq.
69	Thos. Whateley Esq. Jennison Shafto Esq.
1770	Thos. Whateley Esq. Jennison Shafto Esq.
71	Thos. Whateley Esq. Crisp Molineux Esq.(vice J. Shafto decd)
72	Heneage Finch (commonly called Lord Guernsey)(vice T. Whateley), C. Molineux
73	Heneage Finch (commonly called Lord Guernsey)(vice T. Whateley), C. Molineux
74	Alexander Wedderburn;Robert Mackreth,
75	Charles Finch(vice A. Wedderburn);Robert Mackreth.
76	Charles Finch;Robert Mackreth.
77	J. Chetwynd Talbot(vice C.Finch); Robert Mackreth.
78	J. Chetwynd Talbot; Robert Mackreth.
79	J. Chetwynd Talbot; Robert Mackreth.
1780	J. Chetwynd Talbot; Robert Mackreth.
81	J. Chetwynd Talbot; Robert Mackreth.
82	Sir Chas.Erskine, Robert Mackreth.
83	Sir Chas.Erskine, Robert Mackreth.
84	Charles Boone (of Soho Sq.); Walter Sneyd(of Keel, Staffs).
85	Charles Boone ; Walter Sneyd.
86	Charles Boone ; Walter Sneyd.
87	Charles Boone ; Walter Sneyd.
88	Charles Boone ; Walter Sneyd.
89	Charles Boone ; Walter Sneyd.
1790	Chas. Boone;Henry Drummond the younger(of Grange, Hants.).
91	Chas. Boone;Henry Drummond
92	Chas. Boone;Henry Drummond
93	Chas. Boone;Henry Drummond
94	Charles Boone; Charles Chester (vice H. Drummond. decd)
95	Charles Boone; Charles Chester
96	Charles Chester; Horatio Churchill Esq. (of Lower Grosvenor St. Middx)
97	Charles Chester; Horatio Churchill Esq. (of Lower Grosvenor St. Middx)
98	Charles Chester; Horatio Churchill Esq. (of Lower Grosvenor St. Middx)
99	Charles Chester; Horatio Churchill Esq. (of Lower Grosvenor St. Middx)
1800	Charles Chester; Horatio Churchill Esq. (of Lower Grosvenor St. Middx)
1801	Charles Chester; Horatio Churchill Esq. (of Lower Grosvenor St. Middx)
1802	Charles Chester, Peter Isaac Thellusson (later Baron Rendlesham)
1803	Charles Chester, Peter Isaac Thellusson (later Baron Rendlesham)
1804	Charles Chester, Peter Isaac Thellusson (later Baron Rendlesham)
1805	Charles Chester, Peter Isaac Thellusson (later Baron Rendlesham)
1806	Charles Chester, Peter Isaac Thellusson (later Baron Rendlesham)
1807	Charles Bagot, Richard Sharp
1808	Charles Bagot, Richard Sharp
1809	Fulk Greville Howard, Richard Sharp
1810	Fulk Greville Howard, Richard Sharp
1811	Fulk Greville Howard, Richard Sharp
1812	Fulk Greville Howard, A Cavendish-Bradshaw
1813	Fulk Greville Howard, A Cavendish-Bradshaw
1814	Fulk Greville Howard, A Cavendish-Bradshaw
1815	Fulk Greville Howard, A Cavendish-Bradshaw
1816	Fulk Greville Howard, A Cavendish-Bradshaw
1817	Fulk Greville Howard, George H Cholmondeley
1818	Fulk Greville Howard, George H Cholmondeley
1819	Fulk Greville Howard, George H Cholmondeley
1820	Fulk Greville Howard, George H Cholmondeley
1821	Fulk Greville Howard, George H Cholmondeley
1822	Fulk Greville Howard, George H Cholmondeley
1823	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1824	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1825	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1826	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1827	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1828	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1829	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1830	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1831	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1832	Fulk Greville Howard, William H.H. Cholmondeley
1833	Reform Act ends the constituency. In 1832

 

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Mayors of Castle Rising 1557 -1834

It is not clear when there were first Mayors of Castle Rising but the position must have been established early in our history. The first documented Mayor was Robert le Mayre in 1275.The Mayor was head of the council and later presided of the Manorial Leet Court. After Castle Rising became a parliamentary borough, the Mayor was responsible for conducting the election of MPs to the Westminster Parliament. During the years when the Howard and Walpoe families both held considerable political influence in the village (from 1695-1834), the Mayors of the village were nominated in alternate years by each family. For example from 1745 to 1797 John Wakefield, a Walpole supporter was Mayor 27 times. In alternate years John Beaverley, Nathaniel Kirby and William Fawssett were appointed by the Howards. The list below was created partly from the list produced by H.L. Bradfer-Lawrence in his book “ CASTLE RISING. A short history of the Castle, Honour, Church and Borough of Castle Rising Norfolk, and partly from original records in the Norfolk Record Office.

 

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.

Lord of Manor, Castle Rising 1578 - 1584

One of the more interesting Lords of the Manor of Castle Rising was Edward de Vere, 18th Earl of Oxford.

The Earls of Oxford were among the most important members of the English nobility, dating from the 11th century until 1702. Their family seat was at Castle Hedingham in Essex. The 11th Earl was in command at Agincourt in 1415 and the 13th Earl. John, the 13th Earl was a leading Lancastrian during the Wars of the Roses. He was in command at the Battle of Bosworth, alongside Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) in 1485, where he defeated the then Duke of Norfolk, a leading Yorkist.

Probably as a result of this battle, John was honoured by Henry VII by being made constable of Castle Rising in 1486. According to Bloomfield (1808) “Persons famous for their gallantry in military affairs and actions appear to have been honoured with the const ableship and government of it [the castle]”. Also according to Bloomfield “In the 1st of Henry VII [1484] John de Vere, Earl of Oxford was made constable of the castle, steward of the Honour of Rising and ranger of the Chase for life, who commanded the vanguard in the battle of Bosworth where King Richard III was slain.”

The next Earl of Oxford to be associated with Castle Rising was Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl (1550-1604). His great-grandfather was a first cousin of the 12th Earl (above) so they were not closely related. He was however prominent because of his closeness to the Court of Queen Elizabeth. His first wife was the daughter of Sir William Cecil (Lord Burghley) a leading advisor to Queen Elizabeth in the later part of her reign. Queen Elizabeth had come into the possession of the Manor as a result of the execution of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, in 1572 for his plot, with Mary Queen of Scots, to restore Catholicism.

In 1578, the Manor, Chase and several other properties in West Norfolk (including Gaywood) were granted to Edward de Vere. The following document is in the Public Record Office and translated in 2007 by Nina Green of the Edward de Vere Society. “Grant for Edward, Earl of Oxford, himself & heirs The Queen to all to whom etc., greeting. Know that we, as well in consideration of the good, true & faithful service to us by our dearly beloved cousin Edward, Earl of Oxenford, Great Chamberlain of England, before this time done & given as for divers other causes & considerations us specially moving, of our special grace and of our certain knowledge & mere motion have given & granted and by these presents for us, our heirs & successors, do give & grant to the forenamed Edward, Earl of Oxenford, all that our lordship or manor of Rising at the Castle with its entire rights, members, liberties & appurtenances in our county of Norfolk late being parcel of the lands & possessions of Thomas, late Duke of Norfolk, of high treason attainted & convicted; And all that our castle of Rising otherwise called Rising Castle with the appurtenances in Rising aforesaid, and all that our site of our castle of Rising with the appurtenances, and all the houses, edifices & buildings within the foresaid site of our foresaid castle or to the said castle & site or either of them belonging or appertaining, and all that our close of land called Bratye close with the appurtenances in Rising aforesaid in our said county of Norfolk and lately being parcel of the lands & possessions of the said Thomas, late Duke of Norfolk; And all those our lands, tenements [+&] mills whatsoever, fold-courses of sheep of divers,kinds, rents & hereditaments whatsoever in Rising aforesaid in our said county of Norfolk late parcel of the lands & possessions of the foresaid Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, of high treason attainted & convicted; And all & all manner the warrens, chases, guiding of wild beasts whatsoever, fishings, tolls, liberties, privileges, franchises, royalties & pre-eminences whatsoever to the said lordship, manor or castle of Rising aforesaid or to any of them belonging or in any wise appertaining, or as part, parcel or member of the same lordship, manor, castle and other the premises or any parcel thereof being had, known, taken, used or reputed, or in the same lordship, manor, castle & other the premises or in any of them or in any parcel thereof being used, occupied or exercised, and also all that our chase & free warren called Rising chase and the soil & ground of our same chase with its entire rights, members, liberties & appurtenances in our said county of Norfolk, late being parcel of the lands & possessions of the said Thomas, late Duke of Norfolk, and all & all manner our wild beasts, as well male as female, in & within our foresaid chase & free warren called Rising chase in our said county of Norfolk; And also the advowsons, gifts, free dispositions & rights of patronage of the rectories & churches of Rising & Roydon & every of them in our said county of Norfolk with their entire rights, members & appurtenances”. (PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE C 66/1165, mbs. 34-37 2) It may be that he held ownership of the Manor for a very short time because there is a document in the Norfolk Record Office showing the conveyance of the property to two residents of Castle Rising.

“Conveyance by Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, to Roger Townshend, Esq., and Robert Buxton, gent., of the manor and castle of Rising, Brakeye Close in Rising, Rising Chase with wild beasts, advowsons of Rising and Roydon, and waste ground called Riffeleye, excepting Ryffelye Close and common rights of the inhabitants of Gaywood” (NRO HOW 144, 342X6)

One hopes that his connection with Castle Rising was not a short one because he seems to have been an interesting person. He is perhaps most renowned at the present day as being one of the proposed authors of the works of William Shakespeare. His classical education, his knowledge of the Court of Queen Elizabeth and his family connection with Elsinore in Denmark (home of Hamlet) are presented as evidence in favour, but the date of his death and linguistic analyses of the style of the two writers make his claim less persuasive. He was nevertheless a poet and playwright of some talent.

He went to Queen’s College, Cambridge and entered the Royal Court in the late 1560s having been made a royal ward and raised in the household of Sir William Cecil early in his life upon the death of his father. At the age of 17, he killed a servant while practicing fencing, but was not convicted as it was claimed that the unfortunate man had committed suicide by running into the sword! He married Sir William’s daughter Ann Cecil when she was only 15 but it seems to have been a tempestuous marriage at least at first. In 1575, at the age of 25 he spent several months in Germany, France and Italy, and there are several stories associated with these travels. It is said that he embarked on the journey because of an embarrassing incident at the Court of Queen Elizabeth. According to John Aubrey the 17th Century author of “Brief Lives” while Edward to Vere was bowing before the Queen:-

"The Earl of Oxford, making of his low obeisance to Queen Elizabeth happened to let a Fart, at which he was so abashed and ashamed that he went to travel, seven years. On his return the Queen welcomed him home and said, 'My Lord, I had forgot the Fart’”. Clearly John Aubrey was inaccurate about the length of the overseas visit by Edward de Vere so there may be some doubt about the veracity of the story itself, but it does somehow bring him to life! The period of his travels appears to have been a wild period of his life as he was known to have consorted with a prostitute called Virginia Padoana in Venice and with a 16 year old Venetian choirboy named Orazio Cogno whom he brought back to London with him. Apparently on his return his ship was attacked by pirates and he was stripped naked, only being allowed to escape when the pirates realized his noble status. On his return he became estranged from his wife for some time and refused to accept the fatherhood of the child born during his absence. He fathered an illegitimate child by Ann Vavasour, niece of Sir Thomas Knyvett, which led to a prolonged feud. He was briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London. He later became reconciled with Ann Cecil and they had 4children. Ann died in 1588 and he then married Elizabeth Trentham, a union which resulted in the 18th Earl of Oxford.

In later life he seemed to settle down and commanded one of the English warships which fought against the Spanish Armada. It appears that his ability to manage his finances was sadly inadequate and in 1586 he was granted an annual pension of £1000. His later life seems to have been dominated by his writing. He outlasted Queen Elizabeth by just one year, dying in the first year of King James I. In 1604.

(much of this comes from Wikipedia.)