Rochester Castle seen from the cathedral door, showing the four-turreted keep. The filled-in moat now enjoyed by picnickers has also seen service as a graveyard and Charles Dickens asked to be buried here, though his wishes were ignored.

Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway, in Rochester, Kent. There has been a castle on his site since Roman Times though it is the Keep of 1127 and the Norman castle for which Rochester is deservedly famous. With the invention of gunpowder other types of defence became more appropriate, and the military centre of the Medway Towns moved to Chatham. Rochester Castle, Kent Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Rochester Castle, Kent Image by ChrisO File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Rochester Cathedral is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. ... Dickens was a prolific writer who was almost always working on a new installment for a story and rarely missed a deadline. ... The River Medway in England flows for 112 km from Turners Hill, in West Sussex, through Tonbridge, Maidstone and Rochester in Kent, to the River Thames at Sheerness. ... Rochester is a small town in Kent, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. ... 12th century keep (Rouen, France) A keep is a strong central tower which forms the heart of a castle. ... Events Conrad III establishes the Hohenstaufen dynasty when he is crowned antiking to the Holy Roman Emperor, Lothair II. First coalition of the Norman princes against Roger II of Sicily. ... The Nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the nave anticipates the Gothic style. ... Gunpowder whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance which burns very rapidly and is used as a propellant in firearms. ... This article is about Medway in England. ... Location within the British Isles Chatham is an English town that developed around an important naval dockyard on the east bank of the River Medway in the county of Kent. ...

History

The Romans under Aulus Plautius built a fort on the site of the present castle to guard the important river crossing, where they constructed a bridge. There is evidence of an earth rampart later replaced by a stone wall. The timber piles of the Roman bridge were discovered during the construction of the present road bridge. Aulus Plautius (lived 1st century) was the first governor of Roman Britain, serving from 43 to 47. ...

The Norman period commenced with the victory of William of Normandy at Hastings. He appointed his half brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, as Earl of Kent. Rochester's first Norman castle was probably of the motte and bailey type - that is a wooden tower and pallisades on Boley Hill. This was the castle that was besieged by William Rufus during the Rebellion of 1088. The Norman dynasty is a series of four monarchs, who ruled England from the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, until 1154. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman conquest of England in 1066. ... Odo of Bayeux (c. ... The peerage title Earl of Kent has been created many times in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle. ... William II (called Rufus, perhaps because of his red-faced appearance, or maybe his bloody reign) (c. ... The Rebellion of 1088 occurred after the death of William the Conqueror and concerned the division of lands in England and Normandy between his two sons William Rufus and Robert Curthose. ...

As a result of this siege, Bishop Gundulf was persuaded to build the stone castle. Bishop Gundulf was a talented architect, he had started to build Rochester's Norman Cathedral in 1080, and was also responsible for the White Tower of the Tower of London. Events William I of England, in a letter, reminds the Bishop of Rome that the King of England owes him no allegiance. ... The Tower of London, seen from the river, with a view of the water gate called Traitors Gate. ...

Henry I granted the custody of the castle to the Archbishop of Canterbury, William de Corbeil. He started to build the great stone keep in 1127. The keep which has dominated the city for 800 years is not only a massive fortress but also a splendid residence. Henry I of England (c. ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... William de Corbeil (d. ...

Following the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, King John besieged and eventually took the Castle which had been occupied by dissident barons. Henry III had the castle repaired and a further ditch dug to strengthen the defences. Simon de Montfort laid siege in 1264. Magna Carta placed certain checks on the absolute power of the English Monarchs. ... // Events A certified copy of the Magna Carta June 15 - King John of England forced to put his seal to the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning men (nobles and knights) and restricting the kings power. ... John (French: Jean) (December 24, c. ... Henry III (October 1, 1207 – November 16, 1272) is one of the least-known British monarchs, considering the great length of his reign. ... Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (1208 – August 4, 1265) was the principal leader of the baronial opposition to king Henry III of England. ... Events May 12 - The Battle of Lewes begins (ends May 14). ...

The Wars of the Roses were not fought in Kent, so the castle was spared. It was briefly taken by Wyatt's men during his futile uprising. But now with the invention of gunpowder, this form of castle was no longer so secure. It became expensive to maintain so fell into disrepair. The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) is the name generally given to the intermittent civil war fought over the throne of England between adherents of the House of Lancaster and the House of York. ... Wyatts Rebellion is named for the son of Sir Thomas Wyatt, Thomas Wyatt The Younger. ...

The castle is now maintained by English Heritage and the keep is open to the public, although it is little more than an empty shell. English Heritage is a United Kingdom government body with a broad remit of managing the historic environment of England. ...

Later military history

Rochester, however, remained of strategic importance, and the Naval Dockyard grew in importance. In the Napoleonic wars, the dockyard was protected by a circle of forts, Fort Luton, Fort Borstal, Fort Pitt, Fort Clarence, Fort Amherst etc. HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship was built in Chatham (though now "exiled" in Portsmouth). During the twentieth century wars, Chatham has provided a home for the Royal Engineers, and built aircraft such as the Sunderland. The Dockyard built and serviced nuclear submarines. Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway in Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, and thus requiring added defences. ... The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... Fort Luton was built between 1876 and 1892 south of Chatham, Kent. ... An afterthought from the 1859 Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom, Fort Borstal was built between 1875 and 1885 by convict labour to hold the high ground southwest of Rochester, Kent. ... Fort Pitt refers to two forts: Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, and Fort Pitt, Kent. ... Fort Clarence is sited across St Margarets Street in Rochester, Kent. ... This article is about the British fort. ... This article is about the late 18th century ship of the line HMS Victory. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... This article is about the English city of Portsmouth. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers (RE), commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... The Sunderland, S.25, was a flying boat patrol bomber, developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers, based on their successful S.23 Empire flying boats, the flagship of Imperial Airways. ...