We spent a great day in Shropshire, visiting three different
castles.
The first was Moreton Corbet Castle, which is part medieval
castle and part Elizabethan mansion. The castle was built in the 13th century
by the Toret family, and was inherited by Richard de Corbet in 1235. His
descendant, Robert Torbet, started to build a new mansion in the 16th century,
but after he died of plague in 1583, his two brothers continued the building.
The buildings are still owned by the
Corbet family (who live elsewhere) but they are managed by English Heritage.
It’s said that the grounds are haunted by the ghost of Paul
Holmyard who was a Puritan at a time when they were being persecuted, and
was given protection by Vincent Corbet. However, Vincent got scared and forced
Paul to leave, taking shelter in the nearby woods until his death. One day,
Paul appeared to Vincent and put a curse on him. From that day, Vincent never
lived at the mansion house again (can’t say that I blame him!)
Acton Burnell Castle was a fortified manor house, built in
the 13th century by Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells, Chancellor of
England 1274-92, and a close friend and confidante of Edward I. When the king
stayed here in 1283, he summoned one of the first Parliaments to be attended by
the Commons as well as the Lords. This Parliament passed a law for the
regulation of trade, which as a result was known as the Statute of Acton
Burnell.
Stokesay Castle is one of the best preserved fortified
manor house, dating from the 13th century. It was built by Lawrence Ludlow, a
leading wool merchant, and by some good fortune it escaped destruction during
the 17th century Civil War, when so many other castles were destroyed. Thus it
gives a very good impression of the homes of the rich in medieval times.
