Beaumys Castle
| Beaumys Castle | |
|---|---|
| Swallowfield, Berkshire, England | |
 Beaumys Castle
|
|
| Coordinates | grid reference SU710646 |
| Type | Fortified manor house |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Earthworks |
Beaumys Castle, also known as Beams Castle, was a 14th-century fortified manor house in the parish of Swallowfield in the English county of Berkshire.
History
Beaumys Castle was a manor in the parish of Swallowfied, given to Sir Nicholas de la Beche in 1335.[1] De la Beche received a licence to crenellate in 1338 and produced a fortified manor house.[2] The castle was rectangular, protected by earthworks approximately 130m by 110m across, surrounded by a water-filled moat, with the castle accessed from an entrance to the north-west.[3]
De la Beche died, leaving the manor to his wife Margery, who in turn remarried,[2] to Thomas Arderne.[4] On Arderne's death in 1347, however, John de Dalton and a small group of followers broke into the castle, where they killed Michael de Poynings, an important nobleman; terrified Lionel, the son of Edward III who was staying there at the time; stole £1,000 worth of goods, and seized Margaret, whom, as a wealthy widow, was forced to marry John.[4][5]
The surrounding manor was broken up in 1420; the surviving earthworks are a scheduled monument.[6]
See also
Bibliography
- MacKenzie, James Dixon. (1896/2009) The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure. General Books LLC. ISBN 978-1-150-51044-1.
References
- ↑ Beaumys Castle, Gatehouse website, accessed 13 June 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mackenzie, p.170.
- ↑ Beaumys Castle Monument No. 237298, National Monuments Record, English Heritage, accessed 18 August 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Mackenzie, p.170; Beaumys Castle, Gatehouse website, accessed 13 June 2011.
- ↑ Beaumys Castle, National Monuments Record, English Heritage, accessed 13 June 2011; Beaumys Castle, Gatehouse website, accessed 13 June 2011.
External links
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