Okehampton Castle; a romantic medieval ruin set in the beautiful Devon countryside with some fascinating former owners with stories to tell.
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Even with grey skies and the pouring rain, as all of these photos show, exploring Okehampton Castle is an engaging experience. Built, soon after the Battle of Hastings and as part of the Norman Conquest, the castle had a vital role to play in consolidating William the Conqueror’s control of the rebellious South-West of England. Built on a natural spur of high land above the valley of the River Okement, its location was carefully chosen to dominate the area and be very difficult to successfully attack. Having seen little action in its early years, it became a hunting lodge for its owners to carry out their favourite pastime and entertain as well as impress, its illustrious guests. It was eventually owned by the Courtenay family who became involved in national politics and suffered some great setbacks with Thomas Courtenay, in 1461 and Henry Courtenay, in 1538, paying the ultimate price of beheading.
What is there to see at Oakhampton Castle?
The first building you come across when entering the castle is the Barbican.With gatehouses being the perceived weak point of most castles, barbicans were developed to be an extra gatehouse or outer gatehouse to step up security.
Above; looking back on the barbican from the interior. Between the barbican and the main gatehouse, which was behind me when I took this photograph, was a walled passageway to enhance safety.
From the main gatehouse looking through the bailey and onto the motte with its stone keep. On the right is the “Great Hall” and beyond that, the kitchens. On the left are lodgings for all of the guests enjoying using the castle as a hunting lodge.
In the 14th century, on the upper floor of the main gatehouse, would have been a courthouse where the lord of the manor would be represented by the constable of the castle and pass judgement on numerous issues. Tenants would come to this court to plea for a job, land rights, or pay taxes and rents.
Above; the major room of the whole complex, the “Great Hall”. What seems like rather dull grey walls would have been plastered and decorated with heraldic wall paintings and expensive tapestries, all designed to add the “wow factor”.
Below; the information board on the Great Hall. All the major feasts and entertainment of visitors would take place here. It was designed to impress the visitors who had come for the hunting in the nearby forests. At the end of the hall, on a small platform dias, would be the lord’s table for his family and principle guests.Trestle tables placed at right angles to the lord’s high table would be for the rest of the diners.
To give you some idea of feasting in a great hall is this list of dishes served at Stokesay manor; “In the ten days, they consumed 36 litres of wine, 2 whole pigs, 2 calves, 3 goats, 10 capons (castrated male chickens) and 5 other fowl. Added to this were large quantities of bread and ale. All of this was to demonstrate the status of the owners.
Above; on the right of this photo are the kitchens with 2 ovens in the wall next to the motte. You can see a close-up view of them in the photo below. They were built big enough to cater for huge feasts!
Below; Inside the tower at the top of the motte.
Below; looking back down the motte to the buildings in the bailey.
Above; view of the motte from the outside. Look how steep it is and therefore, very difficult to charge up it to get to the keep.
Above; this is taken from the bottom of the motte but notice that the ground drops away again on the right, adding to the difficulties of attacking and thus, making this castle safe.
What were, Key events in the history of Okehampton Castle and who were its famous owners?
William the Conqueror, victor over the “English” at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 was hated throughout England. He was not an Englishman and therefore not welcome. Most conquerors of a country have to face rebellions from the occupants and William had to face plenty of them. Furthermore, he had the reputation of being very cruel to add his people’s dislike. One story has him ordering the some of inhabitants of a French walled town that refused to surrender, to be skinned alive when his men eventually overcame the town’s defences. He lived up to that reputation in the winter of 1069-70 when he ordered that all food supplies and buildings should be destroyed near York, thus forcing thousands of people to die of starvation. This was his extreme and desperate tactic after having suppressed several revolts all across England. He hoped that this would suppress rebellious ideas once and for all.
Back in 1068, only three years after the Battle of Hastings, the people of the west country united in rebellion in Exeter and were joined by Harold Godwinson’s mother, Gytha. They refused to accept William as their king and pay the £18 tribute that he had demanded. He was now was obliged to take 500 armed men westwards and there he did his usual tactic of destroying towns as he went. However, the rebels in Exeter were not phased by his cruel tactics and so he had to besiege the city. Exeter’s elders tried to negotiate terms with William and offered hostages but when they returned to their city, the inhabitants turned on them and would not agree to capitulation. William now resorted to another one of his regular tactics: he blinded one of the hostages, but again the rebels refused to give in. The siege lasted 18 days before terms could be agreed for its ending.
To ensure this would never happen again, he organised for some of his key supporters to be given land in Devon and Cornwall and for castles to be built. The castles would act as bases for loyal troops and would deal with any rebellious spirit quickly. Accordingly, William gave 200 manors to Baldwin de Brionne and appointed him Sheriff of Devon. Baldwin had a noble and loyal background and furthermore, he was married to William’s cousin, Emma. Baldwin was tasked with overseeing the completion of a castle for William at Exeter and was given permission to build his own at Oakhampton.
The castle had an excellent location, being built on a strip of high ground and therefore towering over the surrounding countryside and the Saxon settlement of Ocmundtune. It started out with the usual motte and bailey design but evolved, with the wood being replaced with stone, making it even more formidable.
Baldwin’s four sons took over the castle on Baldwin’s death but they all had business elsewhere and so the castle was passed along the female line. In 1173, the heiress was Hawisia who went on to marry Reginald Courtenay, the first of many Courtenays to own Oakhampton Castle. Over time, the Courtenays became Barons of Oakhampton and then through marriage got the title of Earl of Devon and with it, considerably more land.
By the 14th century, Tiverton Castle had become the main residence of the Courtenay family with Okehampton Castle being seen as a country hunting retreat. With that in mind, facilities for guests were developed so that they were comfortable in their well furnished rooms with elaborate latrines and fireplaces, feasting in the great hall and so would leave the castle, very impressed. The local surroundings were developed as a deer park fit for an earl and his noble guests.
In 1377, Hugh Courtenay III became one of the original Knights of the Garter, with one of his 17 children becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. However, Thomas de Courtenay, 1414-1458, was a much more colourful character, having an ongoing, armed feud, with his neighbour Sir William Bonville of Shute. When the Wars of the Roses broke out, he sided with the Lancastrians but switched to the Yorkists and then back again. Throughout the Wars of the Roses, Thomas Courtenay kept up his feud with Bonville which resulted in murder and the capture of Exeter where some of the properties, including the cathedral, got looted! He died in 1458, at Abingdon andhis family did not come out well at the end of the Wars with all three of his sons being killed. Thomas Courtenay’s eldest son, Thomas, was beheaded after the Battle of Towton after fighting for the Lancastrians. A further consequence of this was that the new King, Yorkist, Edward IV, seized Okehampton which resulted in all of Thomas’ property being forfeited.
When Henry VIII came to the throne, the Courtenays were back in royal favour and Henry Courtenay, the 9th earl, was promoted to Marquis of Exeter. However, he was to fall foul of Henry’s insecurity and was beheaded for “conspiring with Cardinal Pole”. Once again Oakhampton Castle was confiscated and this time the deer park fell into disuse. The abandonment of the castle meant that overtime it fell into ruin.
Essential information.
Getting there;
By road.
Postcode for Sat Nav: EX20 1JA 1⁄2 mile south-west of Okehampton town centre (signposted). Turn into Castle Road by Post Office. The free car park is located roughly 100 yards from the castle, along a country lane with no pavement.By bus.
Stagecoach service X9, Beacon Bus service 118, Western Greyhound service 510 & 599; Dartline service 178 & Jackett’s Coaches service 318. Also Dartmoor Rover First service 187 (summer, Sun only).
By train.
Dartmoor Railway, Okehampton (summer Sundays only) 1⁄2 mile. Book tickets online at Great Western Railway.
Opening Times;
For current opening times and ticket prices click here for English Heritage’s website.
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