Shrewsbury Castle
From Ars Magica
Situation
On the neck of land to the north-north-east of Shrewsbury between the bends of the loop of the River Severn.
History
- 1067 William I ordered a castle constructed. This would have been a wooden motte & bailey construction
- 1069 "The Welsh, with men of Cheshire, laid siege to the King's castle of Shrewsbury aided by the townsmen under Edric the Wild. The castle held, the town was burnt.
- 1074 Castle granted to Roger de Mongomery - Earl of Shrewsbury
- 1086 - Domesday book recods 51 houses recently demolished for an extension to the castle - the outer bailey, and a similar number destroyed to give a clear field of fire around the castle.
- 1102 - the castle reverted to the Crown, when Robert de Bellesme's titles surrendered to Henry I
- William Fitz-Alan of Oswestry granted custody of the castle. He fortified it for Henry I's daughter Matilda, against King Stephen
- 1139 King Stephen stormed the castle, and hung nerarly a hundred of the garrison
- 1160s pipe rolls record expenditure on the castle
- A (stone) shell keep built on the motte mound, and a modest curtain wall around the inner bailey
- 1215 Llywelyn ap Iorweth captured the town and castle
- 1218 construction of town wall started, to prevent repetition of 1215, under orders of Henry III. Work includedwalling the east (riverside) side of the outer bailey.
- 1234 Llywelyn ap Iorwerth again attacked Shrewsbury
- 1242 town walls completed, and 200 cartloads of spare stone given to Dominoican friars.
- 1270* A great wooden tower collapsed - this was within the shell keep on the motte.
