Mediæval Military Architecture in England, Volume 2 (of 2)

by George Thomas Clark

The castle is composed of a court or ward of irregular plan, more or less rectangular, with projections upon the south side, the wall of which contains a space of 110 feet by 70 feet, strengthened on the south by a larger and a smaller three-quarter mural tower, having a gateway upon the east face, and on the west traces of a building exterior to the curtain wall. The north side is occupied by a hall, also exterior to, or rather replacing the line of, the curtain, three of its four walls forming a part of the exterior defences of the building.

The whole is placed within a ditch of great depth, and, indeed, the earthworks generally are of so formidable a character as to make it probable that they are earlier than the present building, or than any other work in masonry. The actual platform occupied by the walls, and contained within the crest of the ditch, is about 150 feet in diameter.

Outside the ditch, to the east and south, and covering the entrance of the castle, is a large demi-lune, or platform of earth, scarped towards the field, and upon which are traces of walls and a defence of the nature of a barbican. The main ditch, now traversed by a modern embankment, was evidently at one time crossed by the usual bridge, of which a part lifted. The gatehouse, if such it can be called, presents two lateral cheeks of wall, projecting on either side of the bridge, and thus forming a covered way, from each side of which a cruciform loop is directed along the ditch. The pointed vault of the entrance is broken, but there remain the ragged grooves for the portcullis, and the two holes which received the large wooden bar fastening the gate.

Entering, on the right is the shell of the hall, 80 feet long by 27 feet broad, out of all proportion to the area of the defences. The floor, of timber, was laid 6 feet above the level of the court, so as to give height to a spacious basement store-room or cellar, but which, however, has a large fireplace in its east wall. The hall has windows at each end, and four in each side; but probably only the six to the east belonged to the hall, the other two lighting a withdrawing-room. The position of the fireplace on the north side seems to mark the centre of the hall.

On the left of the entrance the curtain extends to the south-east or smaller drum tower, and probably supported a spacious lean-to roof marked by the corbels or bearers for the upper wall-plate. This south-east tower seems to have been massive, but low, and to have been altered and enlarged at the gorge, on the side towards the court, which now projects inwards in a rectangular form. When this addition was made the tower seems to have been raised to three or perhaps four stories, and near its summit is a bold cordon.

A strong curtain extends from this to the south-west drum-tower, of larger dimensions, and broken down towards the court. The floors of these two towers were of timber. Between them, and parallel to the curtain, seem to have been some buildings, probably barracks.

The buildings outside of, and built against, the west curtain projected boldly into the moat. They are in great decay. Here was the fireplace, the flue from which, wrought out in the substance of the curtain, rises above it as an elegant octagonal chimney shaft, the summit of which is crowned by the elegant lanthorn or spiracle which has so often been drawn and is so well known.

Grosmont, as it now appears, is of moderate size and much mutilated; but its towers and walls, though stripped of their ashlar, are still standing, and the earthworks are large, bold, and well-defined.

Whatever may be its ancient history, the present building presents nothing earlier than the reign of Henry III. The additions seem to have been in the Decorated style, and, probably, are of one date, that of the reign of Edward I. After the South Welsh conquest, Grosmont was one of the numerous De Braose castles, and passed by inheritance to the Cantelupes. It then fell into the possession of Henry III., who granted it to Hubert de Burgh. In the well-known war waged by the Welsh and Richard Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, against Henry III., it was besieged by Llewelyn and relieved by the king, who occupied it as head-quarters during the latter part of the campaign. After De Burgh’s fall, Henry regranted the castle to the Earl of Lancaster, and it has since, with the somewhat earlier castles of Skenfrith and Whitecastle, remained attached to the duchy. Henry, Crouchback’s grandson, was here born, and hence styled Henry of Grosmont. Probably he was the author of the principal additions.

The adjacent church contains a late Norman font, with cylindrical base and octagonal bowl; and the pier arches of the central tower are also Pointed Norman. Most of the remainder of the church is early English, and probably of the date of the castle; but there is a Decorated north porch, and also some other parts in the same style, which may have been the work of the artist who completed the additions to the castle and designed its elegant chimney-shaft and finial.