NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle is a small village and ruined castle (50°38′25″N, 2°03′34″W) dating back to the 11th century, situated in a gap in the Purbeck Hills, five miles south of Wareham, in Dorset, England. Rocky landscape with ruins, by Nicolaes Berchem, ca. ... Caernarfon Castle, Wales. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... The Purbeck Hills form a headland where they meet the sea at Old Harry Rocks Corfe Castle guards a gap in the ridgeway At Lulworth Cove the sea has broken through the Limestone, eroded away the weak clays and exposed the chalk of the Purbeck hills The Purbeck Hills are... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dÉ”.sÉ™t], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification - by Athelstan AD 927 Area - Total 130,395 kmÂ² (1st in UK) 50,346 sq mi Population - 2005 est. ...

The word "corfe" is from the Saxon for gap, as in the gap in the hills which the castle commands.

The castle

The oldest surviving structure on the castle site dates to the 11th century, although evidence exists of some form of stronghold predating the Norman Conquest. Edward the Martyr was assassinated at the site on March 18, 978. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... King Edward the Martyr or Eadweard II (c. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... Events Badìa Fiorentina, an abbey in Italy, is founded by Willa, Margravine of Tuscany. ...

Construction of a stone hall and inner bailey wall occurred in the 11th century and extensive construction of other towers, halls and walls occurred during the reigns of Henry I, John and Henry III. By the 13th century the castle was being used as a royal treasure storehouse and prison. The castle remained a royal fortress until sold by Elizabeth I in the 16th century to Sir Christopher Hatton her Lord Chancellor. Image File history File links Dot4gb. ... Image File history File links Gb4dot. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1869 KB) Summary Corfe Castle from the Halves Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 1869 KB) Summary Corfe Castle from the Halves Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... King Henry I of England (c. ... John of England depicted in Cassells History of England (1902) John (French: Jean) (December 24, 1166/67–October 18/19, 1216) reigned as King of England from 1199 to 1216. ... Henry III (1 October 1207 â€“ 16 November 1272) was crowned King of England in 1216, despite being less than ten years of age. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 â€“ 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Portrait of Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor of England during Elizabethan era Portrait by Nicholas Hilliard, 1588-1591 Sir Christopher Hatton (1540â€“November 20, 1591) was an English politician, the lord chancellor of England and, according to speculation, the lover of Queen Elizabeth I. His father was William Hatton (d. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ...

The castle was bought by Sir John Bankes, Attorney General to Charles I, in 1635. The castle served as a symbolic symbol of the Bankes Family for over 400 years and now belongs to the National Trust. It is a grade I listed building.^[1] Sir John Bankes was Attorney General and Chief Justice to King Charles I of England during the English Civil War. ... Her Majestys Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 â€“ 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Ireland, and King of Scots from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... The Bankes were an important aristocratic family in Dorset, England for over 400 years. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... Buckingham Palace, a Grade I listed building. ...

During the English Civil War, the castle twice came under siege by Parliamentarian forces. Sir John Bankes was away from his estate attending to Charles I so defence of the castle was led by his wife Lady Mary Bankes — "Brave Dame Mary" as she became known. The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) from 1642 until 1651. ... A siege is a military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ... English parliament in front of the king c. ... Sir John Bankes was Attorney General and Chief Justice to King Charles I of England during the English Civil War. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 â€“ 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Ireland, and King of Scots from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... Lady Mary Bankes was a Royalist who defended Corfe Castle from a siege during the English Civil War in 1643. ...

The first siege, in 1643, lasted for six weeks before the Parliamentarians withdrew with the loss of 100 men. The second siege, in 1646, was resisted for two months before the castle was betrayed by a member of the garrison. After its capture, the castle was slighted(destroyed) with some explosives and mainly by undermining to ensure that it could never stand again as a Royalist stronghold. In the centuries that followed, the local populace took advantage of this easy source of building material and masonry, door frames and other items originally from the castle can be seen in a number of nearby houses. For people named Garrison, see Garrison (disambiguation) Garrison House, built by William Damm in 1675 at Dover, New Hampshire Garrison (from the French garnison, itself from the verb garnir, to equip) is the collective term for the body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but... Undermining (also known as Removal of the Guard) is a chess tactic in which a defensive piece is captured, leaving one of the opponents pieces undefended or underdefended. ... Prince Rupert of the Rhine Cavaliers was the name used by Parliamentarians for the Royalist supporters of King Charles I during the English Civil War (1642â€“1651). ...

After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the Bankes family regained their properties. Rather than rebuild or replace the ruined castle they choose to build a new house at Kingston Lacy on their other Dorset estate near Wimborne Minster. King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... The Bankes were an important aristocratic family in Dorset, England for over 400 years. ... Kingston Lacy Kingston Lacy is a stately home and estate near Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England, now owned by the National Trust. ... The Minster Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England and the name of the church in that town. ...

In the 1980s, Ralph Bankes bequeathed the entire Bankes estate to the National Trust, including Corfe Castle, much of the village of Corfe, the family home at Kingston Lacy, and substantial property and land holdings elsewhere in the area. The castle is open to the public, receiving 168,377 visitors in 2004^[2]. As of summer 2006, the dangerous condition of the keep has caused it to be closed to visitors, who may only visit the walls and inner bailey. The National Trust also runs a shop and a tearoom in the village, open to visitors without purchasing a ticket for the castle. There is a visitors centre at the castle gate, and another at the car park just outside the village on the road to Wareham. The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, is a British preservation organization. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In fiction

Keith Roberts, an English science fiction writer living nearby set his novel Pavane partly around the castle and similar events in an alternate history. For the former head of the Grenadian security forces, see Keith Roberts (Grenada). ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Pavane by Keith Roberts is an alternate history science fiction novel first published by Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd in 1968. ...

The children's author, Enid Blyton, spent time in the area and some of her adventure stories featured castles that were said to be based on Corfe Castle. The Mystery of the Vanished Prince (1951) Enid Mary Blyton (August 11, 1897â€“November 28, 1968) was a British childrens author. ...

The village

Despite its small population, the former royal status of Corfe meant that it was a borough electing two members of parliament. In the 17th and 18th centuries, with the Bankes's owning much of the property and thereby controlling most of the votes, the town was a rotten borough. The Bankes family was able to ensure that at least one of the MPs returned to the House of Commons was a member of the family or a Bankes nominee. The Reform Act 1832 abolished the rotten boroughs and Corfe lost its direct representation. The village and castle were part of Corfe Castle hundred. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x2470, 1225 KB) Source: Selfmade Description: Corfe Castle File links The following pages link to this file: Corfe Castle History of Dorset Purbeck Hills ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x2470, 1225 KB) Source: Selfmade Description: Corfe Castle File links The following pages link to this file: Corfe Castle History of Dorset Purbeck Hills ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The term rotten borough refers to a parliamentary borough or constituency in the Kingdom of England (pre-1707), the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707-1801), the Kingdom of Ireland (1536-1801) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (from 1801 until their final abolition in 1867) which due... The House of Commons in the 18th century The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act of 1832. ... Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. ... The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom. ... Corfe Castle Hundred was a hundred in the county of Dorset, England, containing only the parish of Corfe Castle. ...

The village is constructed almost completely from the local grey Purbeck limestone and comprises two main streets, East Street and West Street, linked at their north end at the Square. Around the square, with its cross commemorating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of 1897, are clustered the small collection of shops, the post office, church and pubs. The main route through the village is East Street taking traffic to Wareham in the north and Swanage in the south. Separating the two streets is an area of common land called "the Halves". Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 â€“ 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from 1 May 1876, until her death on 22 January 1901. ... A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary. ... Small-town post office and town hall in Lockhart, Alabama A post office is a facility (in most countries, a government one) where the public can purchase postage stamps for mailing correspondence or merchandise, and also drop off or pick up packages or other special-delivery items. ... A thatched pub (The Williams Arms) at Wrafton, near Braunton, North Devon, England The Kings Arms Pub in Sandford-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. ... Swanage station, the terminus of the Swanage heritage railway. ...

As of 2001, the village had a population of 1,429, of which 36 per cent was retired. ^[3]. This article is about the year 2001. ...

The village was for many years the residence of composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (August 14, 1892 â€“ October 15, 1988) was a British composer, music journalist and pianist. ...

Within The Church of St. Edward is an alabaster rederos inset with carvings in white marble, designed by the famous Victorian architect George Edmund Street, R.A. which was presented by Lord Eldon in 1876.

Events

Swanage station is decorated with railway memorabilia. ... Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... The Shrove Tuesday Football Ceremony of the Purbeck Marblers ceremony is a series of three events dating back many years. ...

Contents

The castle

In fiction

The village

Events

See also

External links

References

Contents

The castle GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

In fiction

The village

Events

See also

External links

References

The castle