The castlekeep in use as part of the county gaol (jail) in the 18th century. (A later work said to be based on an 1819 original)1610 map showing position of Gloucester Castle on theRiver Severn, withGloucester Cathedral (centre, until 1541Gloucester Abbey) to its north-east
More improvements and some repairs were carried out byHenry III, these improvements included a bridge across the River Severn leading to abarbican in the outer wall. Henry III often used it as a residence, and it played an important role in thebarons' war when it wasbesieged twice in 1264–1265.[3] Part of the castle had been being used as a gaol by 1185 and it was probably then the official county gaol, as it certainly was by 1228,[3] andEleanor of Brittany, niece of King John and cousin of Henry III with a better claim to the throne according to primogeniture and thus becoming a state prisoner, had been briefly imprisoned there during the reign of John, from 1222 to 1223, and from 1237 to 1238,[5] while in 1222 to accommodate her the castle temporarily moved all its prisoners elsewhere.[6]
The defences were kept in full repair until the mid-15th century. It is likely that in the reign ofRichard III, the castle ceased to be maintained as a fortress, continuing in use only as the county gaol. Much of the stonework of the castle was taken to construct roads and other buildings[3] and by the mid-17th century all the buildings around thecurtain wall had apparently gone, leaving only thekeep, used as the gaol, and the maingatehouse standing. In time the keep was considered to be unsuitable for use as a gaol and its demolition began in 1787.[3] The new gaol was finished in 1791 leaving no visible remains of the castle.[3]
In December 2015, the castle's foundations were uncovered by archaeologists who were investigating theGloucester Prison site ahead of a new development.[7] Since being rediscovered there have been calls to make the site open to the public. The owners of the site are currently considering how they will include parts of the castle in their plans for the site's future.[8]
^David Walker, 'Gloucester and Gloucestershire in Domesday Book',Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Vol. 94 (1976), pp. 111-12
