whittington castle - good life destinations

Whittington Castle

Written by Carol MartinoMonday, 16 June 2008 06:26 - Last Updated Tuesday, 12 July 2011 13:21

Romancing the Stone

There’s something romantic about the ruins of a castle. Nevermind that it’s been through a century of bitter feuds and borderwars or that a dungeon lies dormant in its bowels. It's theonce-upon-a-time romance that shines through, especiallywhen setting eyes on Whittington Castle, an English fortressthat sits along the Welsh border. I first learned about the castlewhen my Aunt Dianne came across the Whittington Castlewebsite shortly before Dan and I moved to England in 2001.She and mom are Whittingtons, and since their brother's nameis Dick, our family has always been fascinated with the folktale, Dick Whittington And His Cat. Come to find out, this legendary 14th century orphanis mentioned in our family history. Our earliest “written” familyrecords, dated 1500, began at a church in Nottingham,

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England, but anything traced prior to that time, thoughdocumented, is speculation.

Books from childhoodAfter Dan and I had settled in Langtoft(Lincolnshire), England, I was eager to visit this fortress whichbears our family name. Like most castles, Whittington Castlecomes with its own legends and myths. Some historians believethat Fulke FitzWarin, castle lord in the early 1200s, wasactually Robin Hood. And according to a 13th century ballad,the Holy Grail was once kept in the castle chapel. However,my quest wasn’t to find the Holy Grail, but to see if there was aDick Whittington, or any Whittington,connection to the castle.

A few weeks before my visit, Alec Hayward, castle trustee,assured me that no Whittington family had ties to the castle. Itsname was taken from the village of Whittington, not a familythat once lived there. The news burst my enthusiasm a bit, but Istill wanted to make the trip and learn more about the castle’shistory. So I was surprised to find not only a possible familyconnection to the castle, but also the old cottage where Dick

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Whittington was born!

History Comes to Life

My friend Connie joined me on the long journey.The early miles were filled with monotonousmotorways, but the final leg took us through theunmarred, fairytale beauty of rural Shropshire. Weentered Whittington, a charming village, in the midstof a downpour, but it turned to a spitting drizzle bythe time we reached the castle. My eyes finallycaught sight of the ruins set against the broodingsky. With the day's peaceful setting, and thewinsome swans swimming in the moat, it was hardto imagine the castle’s turmoil in earlier years. Isensed only the romance its history surely holds.

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Knights once crossed a drawbridge over the moat.Upon our arriveal, Alec offered to show us around.He said the castle’s history prior to the 13th centuryis sketchy, but there’s evidence that primitivecastles have existed at the site since 843. Exceptfor the long-gone drawbridge, the site has all theremains of a medieval castle. The gatehouse,connected by two splendid towers, is still intact, anda large portion of the shell-keep stands, though itlooks like it has lost a few battles. Much of the moathas been filled in and the remaining portion is hometo swans and other waterfowl.

A stone bridge took us to the gatehouse entrancewhere Alec pointed out the FitzWarin coat of armsabove the archway. He talked about the family as ifthey were old neighbors. “Fulke FitzWarin hadlordship of the castle in 1200. Since then, 15generations of his descendants won and lost thefortress, until the last in the male lineage died in1420,” he said.

The castle is one of many that was fortified along

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the border in the 13th century as a defence againstWelsh raiders. In 1220, King Henry III granted Fulkepermission to secure the shell-keep with stone andbuild a gatehouse, surrounded by a wall, in returnfor his loyalty to the crown.

Arrow slits in the tower protected archers.Alecpointed out the arrow slits in the towers, and told ushow the narrow openings helped protect thearchers. Stones at the gatehouse entrance still bearthe long, thin scars where swords were sharpenedbefore battle.

Over the years, a series of monarchs claimed thecastle back to the crown and granted its lordship tomen willing to defend the throne. In the 16thcentury, an Elizabethan dwelling was built onto thenorth tower. The addition was occupied by variousfamilies and businesses until the 1950s.

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Elizabethan dwellingDuring World War I, it servedas a laundry where women washed the lice-riddenuniforms that came in from France. The groundswere then turned into a “Dig For Victory” gardenduring World War II. RuinsRscued by Trust

The castle has been slowly falling into ruinsince the 17th century. In 1998, the villageformed the Whittington Castle PreservationTrust. The family that has maintainedlordship of the castle since the 1600srecently offered the trust a 99-year lease tomanage and preserve it. Archeologistsrecently discovered the layout of asophisticated medieval garden under turf atthe castle, which makes its preservationeven more important, according to Alec,

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who said the finding could change gardenhistory.

The castle ruins Connie and I climbed alarge mound to view the grounds,then made our way up a spiral iron stairwayto reach the remains of the shell-keep whichonce served as the great hall. This is wherethe lord, his family, servants and defendingsoldiers lived. It had a kitchen, sleepingquarters, central hearth, chapel and cloister,according to Alec. From that height, thesurrounding grounds evoked an eeriemedieval atmosphere, and the dismalclouds overhead mimicked the turmoil ofearlier years.

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Alec offered to meet us for dinner at YeOlde Boote, an inn across from the castlewhere Connie and I were spending thenight. Sylvia Ray, trustee/historian, andColin Robinson, trust chairman, joined us.During dinner, we heard fascinating tales ofthe castle and learned that its glory dayscome to life in “Lords of the White Castle,” aromantic, fact-based novel by ElizabethChadwick.

Book tells of romance and feuds.Sylviaassured me that I’m not the onlyWhittington-blooded American who’s been

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curious about the castle. “Americans havetaken a real interest in it. We’ve had over15,000 hits on the Internet. SomeWhittingtons are adamant that their familieslived in the castle at one time. I could writea book! We had a peculiar request from alittle man who offered to pay a lot of moneyjust for permission to use the castle as hisaddress,” she said.

Whittington families in America often learnabout the castle while researching theirancestors on the Internet, according toColin. “The idea of being linked to the castleis quite romantic and they latch on to itbefore finding a genuine connection.Although there may be no connection, it’sconceivable that their ancestors could havecome from Whittington, since people (inearlier times) often took their names fromthe village,” he explained.

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The castle had been ignored for a centurybefore the trust began preserving it fromfurther deterioration. Colin said, “We want toretain its charm and at the same time makea viable income for its upkeep without overcommercializing it. We’re appealing toWhittingtons worldwide to help, either bydonating money or subscribing to thequarterly newsletter, The Friends ofWhittington Castle .They may like the association through acommon name and want to support ourproject.”

What about Robin Hood and the Holy Grail?“It’s a lot of twattle,” according to Sylvia.“Researching the castle for the past eightyears has been one of the most excitingand exasperating things I’ve ever done in

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life. Many legends are interwoven in itshistory, like the Holy Grail, but historianshaven’t embraced them. I suppose there’s agrain of truth in everything. Robin Hood’slife certainly mirrors Fulke who lived as anoutlaw after he was banished from thecastle for a time during King John’s reign,”she said.

Embracing the Family Connection

And Dick Whittington? Sylvia said thelegendary orphan was born in anearby cottage in 1350. His fatherwas a blacksmith, and he took thevillage’s name. In 1368, Dick set offon his famous journey to London andbecame the city’s mayor three times

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between 1397-1420. He marriedAlice, daughter of Sir John (Ivo)FitzWarin, a descendant of Fulke, andincorporated the FitzWarin coat ofarms into his own. At last, theconnection I was looking for! It's quitelikely that Dick and Alice spent time atthe castle. By the time Connie and Iclimbed the wooden steps toBedfordshire, our heads werespinning in the day’s whirlwind historylesson.

Dick Whittington's Cottage

Sylvia didn’t know the exact

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location of Dick Whittington’scottage, but she said it was inNewnes, a hamlet just a fewmiles away. The next morningConnie and I set out early to findthe cottage – no easy task. Therain had continued through thenight, so the tiny roads windingthrough the rolling hills werenothing but muddy ruts. Witheach twisty bend, it becameincreasingly clear that the roadsweren’t meant for tourists. Finally,we noticed a charming,thatched-roof cottage tucked inthe shires and a gentleman

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walking his dogs. “Do you knowthe way to Whittington cottage?” Iasked. “It’s right here,” he saidwith a warm smile, and invited usin for tea.

Tony Good at the legendarycottage Tony Good put the kettleon and told us about the cottage

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he bought 15 years ago. “Theprevious occupants were pigsand sheep. Other than that, ithadn’t been lived in since 1956,”he said. While renovating thecottage, he carefully retained itsoriginal charm, such as thetimber-ribbed beams throughout.A wee door in the loft hides a“priest’s room” where Catholicsonce found safety whenProtestants were at the thrown.

Dick Whittington, the picture-bookorphan who left the humblecottage with a tiny bundle of

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belongings tied to a stick, cameto life that morning at the cottage.It was certainly a high watermarkof emotion for me. I couldn’t waitto share the adventure with mygrandchildren, Nathan andNatalie.

Being the romantic that I am, Iimagine them reading “DickWhittington And His Cat”to their children someday. I seethem reaching for my old photoalbum, finding pictures of the

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cottage, and sharing theirgrandma's long ago adventure.“Once upon a time,” they’ll say... For more information aboutthe Whittington Castle, visit www.whittingtoncastle.co.uk

This feature first appeared inThe Daily Journal (Accent onTravel) Kankakee, IL

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http://www.whittingtoncastle.co.uk/

whittington castle - good life destinations

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