Edlingham Castle & Church, North East England

Edlingham Castle gets its name from Thomas de Edlingham who owned the manor here in the late 13th Century.  In 1295 William de Felton, a royal official, purchased the manor from Sir Thomas.  The last male heir of the de Felton line, John de Felton, died in 1396, and the castle passed to Elizabeth de Felton and by marriage to Sir Edmund Hastings. 

Edlingham Castle was a fortified manor house, typical of many medieval houses in the north of England.  Its defences were increased in response to the border warfare which raged between England and Scotland from 1300-1600.

The Castle dates from the early 14th Century and was built as a stone manor house at a time that was relatively peaceful and the house did not originally have strong defences.  However, it was around this time that England decided to intervene in the succession to the Scottish throne, which began three hundred years of warfare, border raiding and economic hardship, causing social instability.  Most of the gentry fortified their homes during this time.­­

In the mid-14th Century a solar tower was added. This served two purposes- it enhanced domestic comforts but it also provided an extra line of defence.  A gate tower was also constructed and a stone curtain wall was added toward the end of the 14th Century.  All of these changes made a castle out of a manor house.

The castle was abandoned in the 17th Century, much of the stone was removed for use in other buildings and the castle fell into ruin. 

The church at Edlingham is a small Norman church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The church dates in part from the mid-11th Century, with alterations being done in the 12th Century.  The tower was added in the early 14th Century.   

Inside the church is the tomb of Sir William de Felton, who built the first castle here.  The church contains an unusual late 11th Century south porch with barrel vault, and the chancel arch is also Norman.