Castle Rising, Eastern England
At the time of the Doomsday book there was no settlement here, the lands belonged to the Archbishop of Canterbury. By 1086 they were held by Odo of Bayeux, half brother of William the Conqueror. Odo fell from favour under King William Rufus and the lands were granted to William de Albini.
The castle was built by Lord William de Albini II, the son of the previous landowner, in the mid 12th century. He was married to Alice of Louvain who was the widow of King Henry I. William’s marriage to the dowager Queen Alice would have elevated his social standing considerably. A chronicler of the time remarked that ‘As a result he became arrogant and inordinately conceited so that he could not bear anyone being his equal, and anything that our world possessed that was special, apart from the king, was worthless in his eyes.’ Possibly true but equally possible to be one mans opinion. In one stroke however, William had become Earl of Lincoln, Sussex and Arundel through his marriage.
William helped to bring about the treaty between King Stephen and the future Henry II which ended the civil war in 1153. He kept favour with Henry II and continued to be loyal to him throughout his career.
The castle today is still similar to how it was when it was built by William de Albini II, in the 12th century. A stone bridge leads across the main inner ditch to the gatehouse. Within the inner bailey is a large keep containing the main living accommodation and the state apartments of the lord.
Despite its early history, Castle Rising is known for being a royal residence of Queen Isabella of France, wife of Edward II. She retired to Castle Rising after her husband was deposed. She was given an income of £3,000 a year. Her son Edward II visited her at Castle Rising on several occasions. After her death the castle passed to her grandson Edward, the Black Prince, who spent money on the castle's improvements. His register tells us that he repaired the bridge and towers of the castle and the two cannons.