Bodiam Castle is an ancient castle dating back to the 14th century located near Robertsbridge, a small village in East Sussex (England). It is known above all for its characteristic position, in the center of a moat completely filled with water. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, probably to defend the area against possible French invasions during the Hundred Years War. With a quadrangular plan, the castle has no dungeon and its various rooms are built along the external defensive walls and in the internal courtyards. Its corners and entrance are marked by towers and surmounted by battlements. Its structure, details and position in an artificial aquatic landscape indicate a particular attention to the aesthetic aspect during the design, equal to that dedicated to the defensive purpose. It was the home of the Dalyngrigge family and the center of the Bodiam Manor.
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Possession of Bodiam Castle passed through several generations of Dalyngrigge, until their line died out and the castle was acquired by marriage by the Lewknor family. During the Wars of the Roses Thomas Lewknor supported the House of Lancaster, therefore, when Richard III of the House of York became king in 1483, an army was sent to besiege Bodiam Castle. There is no information on the length of the siege, however Bodiam is thought to have been surrendered without putting up much resistance. The castle was confiscated, but reverted to the Lewknors when Henry VII Tudor became king in 1485. Descendants of the Lewknors held possession of the castle until at least the 16th century. At the beginning of the English Civil War, in 1641, Bodiam Castle was owned by Lord Thanet: he supported the Royalist cause and sold the castle in order to be able to pay the fines imposed on it by Parliament.
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The castle was subsequently broken up and was left as a picturesque ruin, until its purchase by John Fuller in 1829. Under him the castle was partially restored, before being sold to George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, and later to lord Curzon, both of whom undertook further restoration work. The castle is protected as a Grade I listed monument and a Scheduled Monument. In 1925 Lord Curzon bequeathed the castle to the National Trust, which opened it to public visits. A. Household apartments, B. Chapel, C. Chamber, D. Great chamber, E. Lord’s hall, F. Buttery, G. Pantry, H. Kitchen, I. Retainer’s hall, J. Retainer’s kitchen, K. Possible Ante room (on some plans K, L1 and L2 are shown as one room, on some two and others three), L1. Possible service rooms, L2. Edward Dalyngrigge, being a younger son, had inherited no property from his father in accordance with the practice of primogeniture, so he must have been the sole architect of his own fortune.
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By the time Bodiam Castle was built, the Hundred Years War had already begun for almost fifty years: Edward III of England (1327-1377) had made his claims to the French throne and at that stage controlled the territories of ‘Aquitaine and Calais. In his youth Dalyngrigge was one of many English men who had gone to France to seek their fortune in the companies of mercenaries who fought for the highest bidder: he left for France in 1367 and traveled with Lionel, Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III. After fighting under the command of the Earl of Arundel he joined the company of Sir Robert Knolles, a mercenary commander reputed to have earned 100,000 gold crowns by plundering and raiding; working in these organisations, Dalyngrigge raised the money to later build Bodiam Castle. He returned to England in 1377 and by 1378 owned the manor of Bodiam, acquired by marriage to an heiress of a landowning family. He was also a knight of the county of Sussex from 1379 to 1388, and one of the most influential people in the whole county.
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In those years he applied to the king in order to obtain a license to build a castle. The Treaty of Bruges (1375) ensured peace for two years between England and France, but when it expired the conflict resumed. In 1377 Edward III was succeeded by Richard II. During the war, England and France fought for control of the English Channel, with raids on both coasts; with renewed hostility, the English Parliament voted to invest money in the defense and fortification of the south coast of England: defenses were therefore erected in Kent, in anticipation of a French invasion. In addition to external threats, England also faced internal unrest, in the suppression of which Dalyngrigge was involved, notably helping to put down the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. A charter of 1383 granted the manor of Bodiam permission for the holding of a weekly market and an annual fair. In 1385 a French fleet of 1,200 cogs, barges and galleys assembled across the Channel at Sluis in Flanders, causing the population of southern England to panic.
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