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Donnington Castle

With RoadTour you can hear about Donnington Castle and over 1500 other UK Heritage sites via your SatNav or Mobile as you drive! Pub & Restaurant guides also available. Buy RoadTour now online for your vacation to the UK...

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“Marrying into money was a sure-fire way of climbing the property ladder in the 14th century and Thomas Chaucer, son of Geoffrey, wasted no time in getting the keys to Donnington Castle after he took heiress Maud Burghersh down the aisle in 1395. But far from revelling in his new found wealth, Thomas gave the castle to his only daughter Alice, who later became the Duchess of Suffolk. Chaucer was only the second owner of the castle after Richard Abberbury the Elder but the family later lost ownership after a dispute with the Tudor monarchs. Donnington became a royal residence and Queen Elizabeth I set her sights set on living there during her imprisonment by her sister Queen Mary but was not allowed. Later on, the castle was at the centre of a power struggle during the English Civil War and was battered by a series of long and sustained attacks. After the first Battle of Newbury, Royalist Colonel John Boys was entrusted with its defence and built star-shaped earthworks around the castle. This helped to repel a siege by Cromwell’s men in 1644. Later that year reinforcements arrived in the shape of King Charles and his men but they were forced into a humiliating retreat after the second Battle of Newbury. In spite of this, Colonel Boys refused to budge from the castle. But after a long and bloody 18-month siege even he was forced to admit defeat – the Parliamentarians sanctioned a dignified end, with Boys and his men marching out of the castle. Parliamentary forces demolished it in 1646 leaving only the four-towered gatehouse and Colonel Boys’ earthworks, which are all that remain today. ”

Address:

Castle Lane,
Donnington, , Berkshire
Visit Website

Opening Hours:

Exterior viewing only

Prices:

Free

Facilties:

See more Castles in South & SE England:

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David, Essex

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