Donnington Castle

-1287

Thomas de Abberbury purchased the estate of Donnington. At the time, the estate would have only been a manor house.

-1353

Sir Richard Abberbury inherited the Donnington manor. He had been a companion of Edward the Black Prince, Richard II's father, at the battles of Crécy and Poitiers.

Then, he went on to become the Chamberlain to Queen Anne of Bohemia, the first wife of Richard II. This led to the accumulation of his wealth, which allowed him to upgrade his estate.

-1386

Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder was granted a license by Richard II to fortify the Donnington manor house. Thus, it became known as Donnington Castle.

Donnington Castle is a quadrangular castle, a typical style of fortified estates from this era. It originally consisted of a curtain wall with two square wall towers, four round corner towers, and a robust gatehouse.

There were likely towers or buildings made of timber within the courtyard, standing against the castle walls. These buildings would have consisted of halls, kitchens, and lodgings for the castle's guests and occupants.

-1388

As one of Richard II's key supporters, Sir Richard de Abberbury was expelled from the Royal Court by the Lord's Appellant. He retired to Donnington to enjoy his final years.

-1399

After Sir Richard de Abberbury the Elder died in April 1399, Donnington was passed to his son, Richard Abberbury the Younger.

-1415

Richard Abberbury the Younger sold Donnington Castle to Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. 

Chaucer gave Donnington Castle to his daughter Alice Chaucer, who later became Duchess of Suffolk. Her husband, the Duke of Suffolk, made Donnington his occasional residence. He also made some minor modifications to the castle by enlarging the buildings.

Donnington Castle would later become the Tudor monarchs' royal possession after the family fell out of favour.

-1514

Henry VIII granted Donnington Castle to Charles Brandon after he became Duke of Suffolk. Charles Brandon added squared windows to Donnington Castle.

-1535

Donnington Castle was taken into royal possession once again. By now, parts of the castle were in a state of decay. Afterwards, it would undergo minor renovations.

In the subsequent years, Donnington Castle would host Royal visits from Henry VIII in 1539 and 1541, Edward VI in 1551, and Elizabeth I in 1568.

-1590

Elizabeth Cooke, also known as Lady Russell, was given keepership of Donnington Castle by Elizabeth I. She was the first woman to hold a keepership title in England.

-1600

Donnington Castle became a private property once again after Elizabeth I gave it to Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham. 

Lady Russel occupied Donnington until Howard finally took possession of the estate in 1603.

-1643

Donnington Castle had changed ownership several times. When the English Civil War broke out, it was owned by the Parliamentarian John Packer and his family. 

That year, Charles I sent the Royalist Sir John Boys to take Donnington away from John Packer. Sir John Boys brought 200-foot soldiers, 25 cavalry, and sufficient cannons to support his efforts.

After getting hold of Donnington, Sir John Boys quickly enhanced the castle's defences. He added star-shaped earthworks around the lower slopes of the hill. This site was used for gun emplacements. 

-1644

Parliamentarians laid siege to Donnington castle. Lasting 18 months, it was one of the longest sieges in the English Civil War. The castle was attacked many times; Charles I even had to relieve the castle himself twice. 

-1646

The Royalist forces appeared hopeless, and Sir John Boys requested Charles I's permission to surrender. After obtaining the king's permission, Boys and his troops surrendered Donnington Castle to the Parliamentarians in April 1646.

By this point, Donnington Castle had sustained significant damages. Later, the Parliamentarians voted to demolish Donnington, leaving only the gatehouse. The estate was then given to John Packer.

-1647

John Packer rebuilt Donnington's nearby Elizabethan lodge, which became the new mansion on the estate. It was named Donnington Castle House. John Packer then became Donnington Castle's last resident.

-1946

Donnington came under the guardianship of the state once again, this time for good. The state rebuilt the castle's exterior to a height of 2 ft (0.60 m) based on the original layout.

-1969

On 9th September 1969, English Heritage declared Donnington Castle as a Grade I historic building. It was also classified as a scheduled ancient monument and became protected from unauthorised changes. It remains an English Heritage site to this day.