| Wilton Castle | |
|---|---|
| Herefordshire, England | |
 | |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Still standing, mostly tobattlement height |
| Location | |
  Wilton Castle Shown withinHerefordshire | |
| Coordinates | 51°54′58″N2°35′48″W / 51.916163°N 2.596635°W /51.916163; -2.596635 |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Stone |
Wilton Castle is a 12th-centuryNormancastle located in south-easternHerefordshire,England on theRiver Wye adjacent to the town ofRoss-on-Wye. The castle is named after themanor associated with it.
This castle in Herefordshire,[1] still standing mostly tobattlement height, remains a monument to its former lords. The Longchamps of Wilton in their time provided Bailiffs ofNormandy,Chancellors ofEngland,sheriffs ofHereford and theWelsh Marches and enemies ofKing John.
They were succeeded by the families ofDe Cantilupe (seeThomas de Cantilupe and links) andDe Grey who between them built up a powerbase inWales and the Marches.Matilda de Grey, née de Cantilupe, declared untruthfully in court in 1292 to KingEdward I of England that the castle had been built by her Longchamp ancestors in the days ofEdward the Confessor (1042–66). In fact, the castle could not have been built before 1154 and certainly the 'barony' never held theMarcher Lord rights Lady Matilda claimed for it.
The castle was primarily associated with a branch of theNorman-descended family of Grey, theBarons Grey of Wilton, a prominent dynasty of NormanMarcher Lords in the Welsh Marches, who held it from 1308 or before. The castle passed from the family whenWilliam Grey was captured by the French at the end of the defence ofGuînes in 1557, and was forced to sell the castle to raise funds for his ransom.[2]
The castle was finally destroyed in theEnglish Civil War by troops led by localRoyalistBarnabas Scudamore, a period that saw skirmishes and sieges locally atGoodrich Castle,Ruardyn Castle andRaglan Castle.
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