A Brief History of Colchester Castle

Europe’s castles are monuments to their respective times, and England houses some of the oldest and most fascinating of castles in all the world.  In the heart of Essex lies an ancient stone testament to over a thousand years of life in England: Colchester Castle.  Built on the foundations of an ancient temple, digging through the history of this monolith is like getting a close-up at a sliver of the tapestry of our world’s story. 

It was William the Conqueror who ordered Colchester Castle built sometime in the 1050s, shortly after the Norman Conquest.  The building’s base was actually the remains of a Roman temple to their deified emperor Claudius, adopted father of the infamous Nero, and built early in the first century.  It was originally commissioned as a military fortress, and it’s original height is a subject of some debate.  Completed in the early 1100s, Colchester stood for over a century before being captured during the early 1200s. 

The English Barons, leaders of the rebellion during the First Barons’ War, took the castle from King John with the help of the French king Phillipe II as part of their campaign against John.  In a common theme from rebellions throughout history, the barons were pushed too far by high taxes that didn’t come with a high level of control over their lands and laws.  The battle reached into London itself, leading eventually to the signing of the Magna Carta, a document that, for the first time, limited the monarchy in England. The king eventually retook the property, and it was held by the crown for centuries to come.

It was shortly after King John’s death that the first records of the castle being used as a jail are seen, around 1226.  By 1350 the castle’s dungeons had been fully converted to prison cells.  Colchester’s story falls quiet here for 300 long years, and then takes a sudden turn into the darkest part of this tale.  The British Civil War broke out in 1642, a nasty battle between members of the British Parliament demanding that the king step aside for progress and loyal Royalists fighting to protect a centuries-old monarchy.  The war was actually a series of three separate wars, but all focused on the same point: removing England’s monarchy in favor of a more modern Parliamentary government (“modern” being a relative term). 

During this period suspicions ran rampant and witch hunts sprang up all across the countryside, headed by the self-appointed Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins.  Hopkins set up his base of operations in Colchester castle, using its cells to hold and interrogate women and men accused of witchcraft.  Essex was the most enthusiastic county in England during the burnings, executing nearly 200 women, not to mention those that died from the torture techniques of the witchfinders.  At least this purposing of Colchester’s proud halls was short-lived, like the Witchfinder General’s career itself.  Hopkins disappears mysteriously from the pages of the past a mere year and a half after first declaring his title and beginning his hunt.

Colchester didn’t stand empty for long, however.  The Civil War still raged, and a few short years later the castle was again occupied, this time by Royalists fighting in the name of king and crown.  Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle took town and castle in the name of their cause and held it against Parliamentarians for 12 weeks before falling to seige.  The two men were taken out back of the castle and killed for their treason once the castle was retaken. 

Toward the end of the 17th century, a local man bought what was left of Colchester, intending to tear it down and sell its pieces as construction materials.  But when the project went bankrupt the man, John Wheeley, abandoned it.  He’d managed to tear down the castle to only two stories tall, and left it in serious disrepair. 

When it was purchased again in 1727, this time it was bought as a wedding gift.  It was given to Charles and Sarah Grey, who originally leased it to local merchants as storage space.  But in the 1740s Charles began a massive restoration, adding a tower, a library and the facade that still stands on the building, as well as a park on the grounds.  It passed down through the family for several generations, serving as a home, summer home, and eventually, starting in 1860, a museum.

To this day the castle stands, strong against the ravages of time, war, and men, a park and museum open to the public to be explored and enjoyed.  It was finally handed over to the borough in the 1920s, bequeathed by the last of the Grey sons to own it.  Children play on its lawns and students learn from its halls.  This stalwart citadel has put nearly a millennium behind it, and hopefully still has centuries ahead.