| Richard's Castle | |
|---|---|
 The B4361 road through the village – the pub is to the right | |
  Richard's Castle Location withinShropshire | |
| Population | 674 (2011) |
| Shropshire | 424 |
| Herefordshire | 250 |
| OS grid reference | SO492696 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LUDLOW |
| Postcode district | SY8 |
| Dialling code | 01584 |
| Police | West Mercia |
| Fire | Shropshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Richard's Castle is a village,castle and twocivil parishes on the border of the counties ofHerefordshire andShropshire in England. The Herefordshire part of the parish had a population of 250 at the2011 census, the Shropshire part, 424.[1][2]
The village lies on the B4361 road,5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) south of the historicmarket town ofLudlow. It is a dispersed settlement, with an older core near the castle,3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) to the north-west of the larger main part of the village which is on the B4361. On the B4361 is the village hall, and The Castle Inn traditionalpublic house.[3][4]
Today the fortress is reduced mainly to its earthworks and foundations. A polygonalkeep stood on the high motte or mound. This was reached possibly via a semi-circularbarbican. The bailey wall still stands twenty feet high in places and there are remains of several towers and an early gatehouse around the perimeter. There, earthwork remains of an outer ward enclose the church (St Bartholomew's) and aborough defence.
Richard Scrob was aNorman knight granted lands by theSaxon KingEdward the Confessor before theNorman Conquest, in Herefordshire,Worcestershire and Shropshire as recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086. He built Richard's Castle before 1051. The castle was amotte-and-bailey style construction, one of only three or four castles of this type built before the Norman conquest. Most were built after the conquest. Richard was last mentioned in 1067. His castle passed to his son,Osbern Fitz Richard, who married Nesta, the daughter of KingGruffydd ap Llywelyn ofWales.
Osbern died around 1137 and was succeeded by his grandson, Osbern Fitz Hugh (married to Amice Clifford, a sister ofRosamond Clifford), who died in 1187. Richard's Castle then passed to his marital brother-in-law,Hugh de Say (married to Lucy Clifford), who died in 1190, leaving the barony to his son, another Hugh Say. Thus the castle passed out of the line of descent of Richard Fitz Scrob. In 1196 this Hugh fought at the battle atNew Radnor and was probably killed there, his castles eventually passing toRobert de Mortimer ofAttleborough. In 1264 his son, Hugh Mortimer, was forced to surrender himself and Richard's Castle toSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. His grandson, the last Hugh Mortimer of Richard's Castle, was poisoned to death by his wife in 1304. The castle then passed to the Talbots, through Richard Talbot's marriage to Joan Mortimer. On 3 December 1329, Joan late the wife of Richard Thalebot, had noted in thePatent Rolls that she planned to leave Richard's Castle to John de Wotton, chaplain, and William Balle of Underlith, infee simple.[5] The Talbots were still living there in the late 14th century. Sir William de Vaux, High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, died in Richard's Castle in 1460. By the 16th century it was in ruins.
The village lies on the western edge of the Teme valley, with the castle and older part of the village higher in elevation (180 metres (590 ft) above sea level) than the present-day core of the village situated on the B4361 road (at an elevation of 100 metres (330 ft)).[6]
Much of the village lies in Herefordshire, however there are twocivil parishes named after Richard's Castle, one on the Herefordshire side of the county border calledRichard's Castle (Hereford), and the other calledRichard's Castle (Shropshire) (or "Richard's Castle (Salop)" historically). Both have their ownparish council, which work together on some issues for the combined Richard's Castle community. The parish councils have the same parish clerk.
The castle ruins, St Bartholomew's Church, the Castle Inn pub,the formerMethodist chapel and theCourt House Dovecote lie in the Herefordshire half, whilst the Shropshire side includes All Saints' Church, the Village Hall and the former primary school. The Shropshire civil parish includes the villages ofOverton andWoofferton, the hamlets of Batchcott and Mitnell, as well as Wheatcommon, Moor Park andMcCartneys auction centre. The Herefordshire civil parish includes Haye Park, which forms an almost detached part. Hanway Common is divided between the two parishes, with the county boundary running through it.
TheWoofferton transmitting station, a notable feature of the area's landscape, spreads across the county boundary and is located in both of the Richard's Castle civil parishes.
TheWelsh Marches Line runs through the currently closedWoofferton railway station withTransport for Wales Rail services calling atLeominster andLudlow only.
Richard's Castle belonged to themanor ofAvretone (Overton), which was recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086 as being entirely part of thehundred ofCutestornes,[7] a hundred of Herefordshire. Around the time ofHenry I (1100–1139) the hundreds of Shropshire were greatly reformed and the hundred ofMunslow was created; this hundred took in part of theparish of Richard's Castle (including Overton and Woofferton), causing the division of the parish and village between the counties that remains to the present day, as the remainder of the parish became part of the Herefordshire hundred ofWolphy. Whilst the neighbouring parish ofLudford, which had also been divided into Munslow/Shropshire and Wolphy/Herefordshire parts, was unified fully into Shropshire in 1895, no such unification of Richard's Castle occurred.
Amarket charter had been granted byKing John, but this has long fallen into disuse.[8] Markets were held on The Green, which is still a public and open piece of land, situated near the church and castle.
The originalparish church, sited within Herefordshire, wasSt Bartholomew's Church situated close to and east of the castle. The church was founded by either Richard Fitz Scrobe or his son. The chancel was probably built in 1362. The north transept was probably consecrated in 1351 by BishopJohn de Trillek. This was the Chantry Chapel of the localKnights Templar. The south aisle was built between 1310 and 1320. There is a detached bell tower (one of six in the county) that dates from the second half of the 13th century. The church is between it and the castle. There are no openings in the bell tower between it and the castle. (See theHereford Cathedral Library). The church is now redundant.
The current parish church is All Saints,[9] designed by the notable architectRichard Norman Shaw, and opened in 1892.[10] It is situated north of the village, within Shropshire, in the Batchcott area, by the side of the B4361 road and is aGrade I Listed building.[11] The triptych (1892–3) is a masterpiece byCharles Edgar Buckeridge.[12]
WriterRichard Gifford (1723–1807) was a curate in the parish in the 18th century.[13]
There was also aPrimitive Methodist chapel, which is now a dwelling.
Moor Park School is apreparatory school in the Shropshire parish, between the villages of Richard's Castle and Overton.
Richard's Castle once had a primary school, which was adjacent to the present-day village hall.
Amotorless car race takes place at Hanway Common in mid-July. The annual event was first held in 2004.[14][15]
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