Dudley Castle was founded shortly after the
Norman Conquest of 1066. A formidable French knight by the name of Ansculf,
who came from Picquigney, near Amiens, gained the estate of Dudley in 1070,
following the unsuccessful rebellion of the Saxon lord, Earl Edwin of
Mercia.
The Castle was mentioned in the Domesday book survey of 1086, and
at that time was being held by Ansculf's son, William.
At the beginning of the 12th century, the Castle passed to the de Paganel
family. How they obtained the barony is uncertain. In the 1130's Dudley
Castle was refortified by Ralf Paganel. When a civil war known as "The
Anarchy" broke out in 1135, Ralf sided with Empress Matilda, the daughter of
Henry I. As a result of this, Dudley Castle was laid under siege by her
cousin, King Stephen, in 1138. Stephen failed to take the well-fortified
Castle, so he took his temper out on the surrounding area and people, before
marching off to attack and destroy Shrewsbury Castle.
Dudley Castle passed through marriage to the de Somery family. In 1264
Roger de Somery II supported King Henry III during another Barons' revolt
and was granted permission to refortify the Castle as a reward. Work began
on a new Tower or Keep, a Gatehouse, and a set of defensive walls. Many of
the subsequent de Somerys lived rather short lives and it is believed that
the majority of this work was completed by the last of the name, John de
Somery, the bad baron of Dudley Castle, who was accused of raising money for
the building of the Castle through murder and robbery in the neighbouring
villages. John de Somery's son predeceased him and he died without male
heirs in 1321
The end of the castle came in 1750 when a devastating fire swept
through the remains. Rumour had it that the local militia kept their
gunpowder in the castle, and, for fear of explosions, nothing was done to
put out the fire, so Dudley Castle simply became "A Romantic Ruin".
[ http://www.dudleycastle.org.uk/history.html]
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