Ludlow Castle, West Midlands, England

Ludlow Castle is owned by the Earl of Powis, who's family purchased it in the early 19th Century, in order to preserve it.  Ludlow Castle dates, in part, from the first half of the 12th Century.  It served as one of the Marcher Castles along the Welsh border. The castle belonged to the de Lacy family, until the male line died out in the mid-13th Century. Over its history it witnessed many events. According to the castle guide book, one of the first events was a treaty between Henry III and Prince Llewellyn of Wales, which was signed at Ludlow in 1224.

After the conquest of Wales, the Marches became more stable and the castle began to change, from a defensive military outpost, to a comfortable home. During the reign of Edward II, Ludlow belonged to Roger Mortimer, who obtained it through marriage. Mortimer was instrumental in deposing Edward II. Although he was executed in 1330, his heirs retained ownership of Ludlow until the male line died out in 1425. Ludlow Castle was then inherited by Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York. 

During the reign of Henry VI, Richard, Duke of York, made a bid for the throne, starting the conflict which has become known as the Wars of the Roses.  The Duke made Ludlow his base at the start of the conflict, moving his family with him for safety.  While the Duke never sat on the throne, two of his children, who were here in 1459, would later become Edward IV and Richard III.

Shortly after the future Richard III turned 7 years of age, in October of 1459, the army of King Henry VI descended on Ludlow and vastly outnumbered the Dukes forces.  The Duke and his army fled and when the royal army arrived, they discovered that the Duke and his elder sons where not there. However his wife, Duchess Cecily, with her two young sons George and Richard in hand, bravely met the army on the steps of the Market Cross.  They were taken to see the King and later released, while the army was let loose to ransack the town and castle. 

When Edward IV became King in 1461, Ludlow Castle became a royal residence.  In 1473, Edward sent his eldest son, Edward, Prince of Wales, to set up his own residence at Ludlow under the care of his maternal uncle, Anthony Woodville.  Prince Edward was given the responsibility for Wales and Chester and a council was set up to act on his behalf, as he was only 3 years of age. 

King Henry VII’s eldest son, Prince Arthur, was also installed at Ludlow Castle in 1493. Prince Arthur married Catherine of Aragon, in Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, on the 14th of November 1501, and afterwards they took up residence at Ludlow Castle. However, 6 months later, at the age of 15, Arthur was dead. The only recorded hint as to what the illness may have been, are the words ‘a malign vapour which proceeded from the air’. Catherine was also affect by the illness but recovered. A procession was arranged to take Arthur's body to Worcester Cathedral for burial, but his heart was buried in St Laurence’s church in Ludlow. 

Although it is widely thought that Prince Arthur died of the 'sweating sickness', we don’t know exactly what the 'sweating sickness' was.  Whilst the disease seems to have disappeared after the 16th century, records indicate it often killed within 3 hours of being contracted.  However, if you survived the first 24 hours, you were expected to live. It's victims were often the upper class of society, and it doesn’t appear to have been known outside of England.