Warning: this is not your average sandcastle.
Colchester Castle, perched on the hill behind my house, is built on the ruins of Rome and contains the entire history of England within its walls. After an excursion to the museum inside, I will attempt to summarize the history of Colchester in a single blog post. Wish me luck!
Girl Power
Colchester was once comprised of several tribal nations, all under the control of Rome. However, one northern tribe, the Trinovantes, manage to avoid being conquered by making several deals with the Romans. The King of the Trinovantes agreed to give the Romans part of the Trinovantes treasure if the Romans agreed to stay out of his kingdom. Then, the King died and all hell broke loose. The Romans demanded all the treasure, and when the Queen Boudicca and her daughters refused, the Romans beat them, raped them, and took the treasure anyway. The Queen Boudicca then gathered an army and led them against the Romans. She burned the Roman temple (and everyone inside) and proceeded to slaughter all the Romans in her path. Boudicca drove the Romans out of Colchester, and proceeded to battle the Romans all throughout England!
[However, once she was defeated, the Romans reconquered the area... but details, details, she was still awesome!]
Boudicca is still remembered today as a symbol of women's power! Let this be a lesson to you: never mess with a woman's jewels. ;)
Castle Number One
In 1076, Duke William of Normandy ordered several castles to be built throughout the country after he conquered most of England. All the remaining Roman ruins in the area were broken down to make brick for the castle. Colchester Castle was built right on the foundation of the Roman Temple that Boudicca burned. The castle was hastily built to protect from invasion...which never actually came. The castle remained armed and ready, however, and was built up to four stories tall.
Rebellion!
In 1216, the castle was besieged for three months straight when King John broke his agreement with the rebellious nobles (the Magna Carta - sound familiar?) The Royalists were stuck in the castle with little food and water while the Parliamentarians brought in hundreds of troops who stood outside the castle battering the walls day and night. In the end, King John won and conquered the castle.
The Ironmonger Scandal
In the 1600's, the castle fell out of use and became the local ruin. John Wheeley, a poor ironmonger, partially demolished the castle and tried to sell the stones. He also dug a hole deep into the castle's foundation, searching for burried treasure. He never found any, and the castle stones didn't sell very well, so he abandoned the castle before it was completely destroyed.
The Perfect Gift
In 1726, the castle (now a complete ruin) was given to Charles Gray, a prominent member of Parliament, as a wedding present! Even though the castle was mostly a wreck, it was still a castle (hint, hint) which is a pretty awesome present if anyone needs ideas (hint, hint). :P
Castle Number Two: Interior Decoration
Charles Gray began to restore and alter the castle. He added a tiled roof, the great dome, a study, a library, arches, and enlarged windows, plus decorative bricks on the walls.
Museum
Now the castle is a museum, with a functional roof, heating/plumbing, and random midieval artifacts. We toured the dungeons, the turrets, and the largest staircase of any castle in England! I pass by the castle every day on my way into town, and remember all the history that lurks in my backyard. :)
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