Deddington Castle
We must admit that when we arrived at Deddington Castle, we assumed that there would be something, anything, left of the structure. We're lucky English Heritage have just about kept up with upkeep of the notice boards.
This is nothing more than an earthwork castle now. Nothing remains of the original structure other than the built up earthen mounds. There aren't even any indents, it's really, quite sadly, just a dog walking field now.
Deddington Castle was originally an 11th century Motte and Bailey castle which was built on a former Anglo-Saxon Estate. It was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux who was the half brother of William the Conqueror. It is thought that the castle acted as his centre as it was both the richest of his estate and between his Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire estates. It's also possible that it doubled as a military structure to fight off any future Anglo-Saxon uprisings.
This castle's layout was unusual for the area during this era. Structure's like this were usually in the Normal style of smaller ringwork designs, but Odo went rogue and picked a different layout with some fish ponds, in a style much like the initial version of Rochester Castle which he also built. Regardless of how he chose to build Deddington and for why, it didn't stay with him for much longer.
He rebelled against William II in 1088, lost, then as punishment was stripped of his lands and granted to sub-tenants by the crown. Although it isn't known for sure who ended up with Deddington Castle, it is thought that Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, who appears to be the cousin of Roger de Beaumont who we mentioned in our Kenilworth Castle post, controlled it in 1130.
The castle was then strengthened in the 12h century when additional earthworks were added to the western half of the structure. Nobody knows why as it was never recorded, but experts guess that it may have been in response to the threats made by Duke Robert of Normandy to invade in 1101. It was then further rebuilt in 1157 by its owner William de Chesney who built a strengthened curtain wall around the inner bailey as well as reconstructing the inner bailey itself. His descendants then continued the reconstruction which included adding a chapel, solar, service buildings, and a hall. An open backed square tower was also constructed atop the wall which caused some pressure damage later on that had to be rectified.
William died in 1176 and the castle was passed to his nephew Ralph Murdac. Unfortunately, he was an unpopular man, especially as he was a favoured supporter of Henry II, so when Richard I took the crown, Ralph's own relatives Guy de Dive and Matilda de Chesney took him to royal court to due him for a third of William's estate. Guy was granted the land exterior to the castle and remained in his family line until the 14th century with a slight interruption. King John seized Deddington for reasons unknown to us when he took the throne and the land wasn't handed back to Guy until 1204, the castle itself was held until a year later. John then took the castle back when Guy died in 1214 but it was returned to his family when John died in 1215.
When the 13th century hit it seemed that the richness and allure of Deddington was over. Not only did the castle's popularity fall, but the village as well. Banbury nearby became a favoured place and although Deddington had become a borough it wasn't enough to compete. On top of that, any castles that lacked decent defences were abandoned which included Deddington and so it was left to rot. By 1277 it was being described as an old demolished castle and four years later Robert of Aston led a group of men to break down the doors and enter it. It was following this event that the castle was noted as weakened and left without repair.
Now fast forward to 1312 when it was rumoured that Piers Gaveston, close friend of Edward II, was captured at the castle. Why he was here, we don't know, what we do know is that he had a lot of enemies and ended up surrendering to the barons on the condition that he was not harmed. He was taken south by the Earl of Pembroke, Aymer de Valence who imprisoned him at Deddington while he went t visit his wife. Naturally it is assumed that he was kept prisoner at Deddington Castle, but considering it was in a weakened state this seems unlikely and the chances are he was kept in the rectory house which would have been watched. The surrender agreement didn't last however as Gaveston was then seized by Guy de Beauchamp the very next day and taken to Warwick Castle where he was tried and executed by his enemies.
We then jump to the 14th century when the castle had squatters. The upper levels of the tower was abandoned and wood was burnt along the walls as make shift fireplaces. Who lived here we don't know, but we doubt it was nobility as the deterioration of the castle was pretty finite at this point. The Canons of Windsor bought the castle in 1364 along with the park and fishponds from Thomas De Dive who was the last in Guy's bloodline to hold the castle. They rented out what they could as farmland but kept the chance to use the castle and make a profit from it as a manorial court. It is thought that the Canons also demolished the tower during this time and sold the stone from the walls in 1377 to the Canons of Bicester.
Despite being nothing more than a farmland ruin, Deddington still played a part in the English Civil War due to its proximity to both Banbury and Oxford. It seems that both forces used the castle as a temporary fortress and that a Royalist garrison was besieged there in 1644. Following this, until the 19th century, it went back to being farmland.
When the 19th century hit the site was reclaimed and used as a recreation ground, so nothing has really changed since then. The local gentry played their social sports here, cricket, archery, probably bowls. They even built a small lodge for a professional coach alongside a pavilion building which was basically just a village hall that doubled as a cafe. Ownership of the site then passed from the Canons to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the Church of England who demolished the pavilion as the 20th century rolled in and continued to dismantle the stone of the castle until the 1940s for other structures nearby.
They then sold what was left of the site in 1947 to Deddington Parish Council who wanted to build tennis courts in the inner bailey but due to the archaeological finds when work started were put off. This then influenced the transition into the site being used as a park instead while further digs took place to unearth history and that is still how it stands today.
Unfortunately, it seems that all of the stone ended up being sold off as only the earthworks and mounds remain making for a pretty basic site of grass and trees unless you know what you are looking for. It is a shame, as the site is hidden at the back of some village houses and isn't that easy to get to in order to visit.
We had a nice time walking the site as it was a historical dog walk and as such Yogi had a blast, but there was also a nest of Buzzards in the trees which was a better find than the much forgotten castle if we are honest!
We probably wouldn't visit this site again if we are honest. There isn't anything left to tickle our little grey cells, there isn't even enough notice boards to tell you what once was here. It seems Deddington is destined to be forgotten which is an awful shame, but that is why we do these posts. The site is no doubt haunted, but unless the spirits who are trapped here fancy a game of footy at nightfall, we doubt there is much in it for them!
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