Lewes Castle

-1067

William de Warenne, the first Earl of Surrey, obtains the rape of Lewes from William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings. After the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror had sub-divided Sussex into administrative units (rapes) and appointed his trusted companions as associates over each rape.

William de Warenne was in charge of the Lewes rape and started building a castle on the land. The original structure was a wooden motte and bailey castle. Its motte (now referred to as the Black) sat on an earlier burial mount.

-1077

William de Warenne established the Lewes Priory as a station of Cluny Abbey in Burgundy. William was also the owner of other properties, including Varenne (Normandy), Conisborough (Yorkshire), Reigate (Surrey), and Castle Acre (Norfolk).

-1100s

William de Warenne rebuilt Lewes Castle using stone and added another motte. The new motte supported masonry shell keeps and probably stood on a former burial mound. The Castle’s bailey comprised stone walls with towers.

William de Warenne also replaced the former wooden gateway with a large gatehouse.

-1264

Lewes Castle became a hotbed of national politics when soldiers engaged Simon de Monfort, the Earl of Leicester, who rebelled against King Henry III. Royalist troops had come to the town to fight the rebel army led by Simon de Monfort.

King Henry assembled his forces at Lewes Priory while his son Prince Edward held the Castle. Prince Edward attacked Montfort, who approached the town without involving his father’s soldiers.

Edward broke part of the Monfort army’s line at the subsequent Battle of Lewes, but King Henry was exposed. The Royalists lost the battle and surrendered while the King was captured. Simon de Montfort became the ruler of England, but only for a short period.

-1265

After the Battle of Evesham, Monfort lost his title after Prince Edward’s triumph. The Warenne family then regained the Castle. After this, the town wall was established after the barons had successfully controlled Lewes after the battle.

-1334

The Crown issued a Royal grant of funding for repairs to the town wall.

-1336

The Warenne family constructed a barbican gatehouse to upgrade the defences of Lewes Castle. The town hall’s repairs and the enhancement of the Castle’s defences responded to an expected attack by French troops. The French threats eventually led to the outbreak of the Hundred Years’ war. However, these were the last repairs by the Warenne family.

-1347

John, the 7th Earl of Surrey and the last male heir of the Warenne family, died without a child. He was buried in the Lewes Priory. His nephew Richard FitzAlan, the Earl of Arundel, inherited Lewes Castle.

However, Richard’s family was wealthy, owning several properties far from Lewes. Therefore, Lewes Castle fell into the custody of a succession of constables.

-1370

Sir Richard Dallingridge took control over Lewes Castle. Richard, who served as a soldier during the Hundred Years’ War, was now in charge of the defence of Sussex. He also constructed the remarkable Bodiam Castle, which became his principal residence. However, he was unsuccessful in taking care of Lewes Castle.

-1377

The French attacked Lewes. They later raided the town in 1379 when they sailed to River Ouse and fought the town’s troops under the leadership of the Priory of Lewes.

-1377 to 1399

The town of Lewes faced conflicts in the form of the Peasant Revolts due to labour shortages following the Black Death. In Sussex, locals protested against the Earl of Arundel for failing to secure the town from French raids (by garrisoning Lewes Castle).

The protests led to raiding and looting of the Castle as locals stole stones and casks of wine. Consequently, Lewes Castle became a prison to hold offenders for a few days. Initially, the Castle had only served as short-term detention as prisoners would later be transferred to Guildford Castle. However, after the civil strife, the Earl of Arundel had to convert it into a prison.

-1380s

A majority of the English magnates, including the Earl of Arundel, started detesting the dictatorial reign of King Richard II. Hence, Richard FitzAlan, the then owner of Lewes Castle and the Earl of Arundel, joined other appellants in impeaching the King’s favourites.

However, Richard II managed to restore his power and take revenge against the appellants. He had the Earl of Arundel arrested and executed. Moreover, Lewes Castle was confiscated in 1397.

-1399

Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV) ousted King Richard II and executed him at Pontefract Castle. Henry then restored Lewes Castle and the FitzAlan properties to the family.

-1400s

Lewes Castle gradually lost its significance though the Earls of Arundel visited it regularly. Eventually, it became a warehouse for storing wool.

-1600s

Lewes Castle was becoming a ruin, and locals were using its materials to construct buildings elsewhere. Later, it was subdivided into tenements and sold off. Thomas Friend acquired one of these in 1733 and 1750.

The tenements later fell under the ownership of a series of owners up to the 20th century.

-1700s and 1800s

Modifications of the Castle’s keep took place. The West Tower was replaced, while Gothic-style windows replaced the arrow slits. Moreover, the interiors were upgraded into a pleasure garden.

Charles Thomas-Stanford acquired Lewes Castle after Sussex Archaeological Society leased it. The Society later obtained the Castle in 1920 as freehold.

-2019

A section of Lewes Castle’s curtain wall measuring 10m by 10m collapsed onto a house and garden next to it. News reports stated that the section weighed 600 tonnes. Fortunately, there were no casualties.