Sherborne Old Castle, South West, England

Sherborne Old Castle is so known, due to the there being a new Sherborne Castle built much later.  The old castle dates from the early 12th Century and was built by Roger de Caen, the Bishop of Salisbury.  The castle was originally set in a large deer park.  De Caen was the Chancellor and Justiciar to Henry I and was left in charge of England when Henry was abroad in Normandy. 

The castle became a royal fortress when Bishop de Caen supported Empress Matilda and her claim to her father Henry I’s throne.  King Stephen seized Sherborne Castle as well as all the Bishop's estates.  The castle remained property of the crown for the next 200 years. 

The southwest gatehouse remains and has always been the main castle entrance. The imposing entrance was designed to impress visitors and discourage intruders.  

In 1354, the castle was granted to the Earl of Salisbury.  The Bishops of Salisbury had been trying to reclaim ownership of the castle for years.  The then Bishop of Salisbury, Bishop Wyville, was so upset by this grant that he vowed to take on the Earl in combat if necessary.  A settlement was reached whereby the bishop regained Sherborne in return for a payment. 

In 1592, the castle was leased to Sir Walter Raleigh who began to modernise it, only to abandon it for a completely new castle that he built on the land.  The life of the old castle did not end there, as it was occupied on behalf of the King during the Civil War.  After a two-week siege in 1645, it was partially demolished in order to prevent further military use. 

After Sir Walter Raleigh was accused of treason, King James I sold the estate at Sherborne, with both new and old castle, to Sir John Digby.