Jan Cooper
16 Apr 2018
Geoffrey de Clinton, Treasurer to Henry I, was granted land from the Royal Manor of Stoneleigh to build a castle, and a priory, at Kenilworth in 1119, partly to counterbalance Warwick Castle whose baron was rebellious. The Priory housed black cloaked Augustinian Canons, all ordained, who went out to take services in neighbouring churches and hence were popular with landowners; Maxstoke and Studley were other Augustinian houses. Two large ponds were provided near the castle in which the canons could fish on Thursdays. The Prior had both religious and secular duties: he acted as Lord of the Castle when the latter was absent, and, amongst other things, collected the relevant taxes.
By the 13th century, when King John was having trouble with the barons, he spent £1,100 between 1205-15 improving the defences of Kenilworth. The keep was heightened by 30ft, the associated wooden buildings were replaced by stone, the curtain walls were built with towers on the north and east sides as elsewhere the fish ponds had been turned into a Mere with a heightened dam to raise the water level. Henry III gave the castle to his sister Eleanor who was married to the Frenchman Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and they lived there with their family. But Simon fell out with the King and captured him at the Battle of Lewes in May 1264. In 1265 a Parliament was called at Kenilworth which, for the first time, included knights and burgesses besides the barons and bishops. Simon was defeated, and died at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265. The King disinherited all his opponents, but the keeper of Kenilworth Castle, Sir Edward Hastings, said he would only surrender it to the Countess of Leicester, Simon’s widow.
The King laid siege to the Castle from March 1266, residing in the Priory with the Queen, both Archbishops and his Court, as well as the Papal Legate who was supposed to act as intermediary. The Castle contained approximately 1,200 people, including women and children and, having taken crops and animals from the neighbourhood, was initially well supplied. The King’s group also put great strain on local production. Negotiations failed and the rebels were excommunicated. Starvation finally forced their surrender in December 1266. The King and his Court left Kenilworth on the 15th, leaving an impoverished Priory.
Thereafter the Castle was granted to the Earls of Lancaster. Thomas, 2nd Earl (1298-1322), built the Water Tower and a chapel in the outer bailey. John of Gaunt (Earl 1361-99) built the magnificent Great Hall, the State Apartments and a gatehouse, besides making improvements to the Priory which was made an Abbey in 1447. Henry V spent his childhood at Kenilworth and frequently returned between campaigns; the Pleasance (since demolished) was built for him in 1418. Henry VI was a frequent visitor and Henry VIII added some structures. But the latter dissolved the monasteries, and the Abbey was surrendered on 5 April 1538. The lead from the roof, was sold, the stone used in due course for the Castle; its Missal is now in Chichester, its Cartulary in the British Library and a chair is at Halford. The land was eventually acquired by Robert Dudley, created Earl of Leicester in 1563 by Queen Elizabeth, whom he hoped to marry.
To this end he spent lavishly, improving the Castle and building a new Gatehouse. The Queen visited Kenilworth in 1566 and 1568 whilst staying at Warwick with Ambrose, Robert’s brother. In 1572 she slept at Kenilworth Castle and again in 1575, staying for 19 days when she paid three visits to St Nicholas Church. The Castle reverted to the Crown after Robert fell out of favour, and James I gave it to Henrietta Maria, his daughter-in-law. After the Civil War, in which it played little part, it was ‘slighted’ and the Mere drained. The Castle is now owned by English Heritage. The Abbey ruins were excavated and recorded in the 1920s, but were covered up again in 1963. They are owned by the Kenilworth District Council.