Donnington Castle
| Donnington Castle | |
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| Near Donnington, Berkshire in England | |
Ruins of Donnington Castle
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 Donnington Castle
Shown within Berkshire
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| Coordinates |
51°25′10″N 001°20′15″W / 51.41944°N 1.33750°WCoordinates: 51°25′10″N 001°20′15″W / 51.41944°N 1.33750°W grid reference SU46106914 |
| Site information | |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1386 |
| Built by | Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder |
| In use | 1386-1646 |
Donnington Castle is a ruined medieval castle, situated in the small village of Donnington, just north of the town of Newbury in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder in 1386 and was bought by Thomas Chaucer before the castle was taken under royal control during the Tudor period. During the First English Civil War the castle was held by the royalist Sir John Boys and withstood an 18-month siege; after the garrison eventually surrendered, Parliament voted to demolish Donnington Castle in 1646. Only the gatehouse survives. The site is under the care of English Heritage and is protected from unauthorised change as a scheduled ancient monument.
The manor of Donnington had been owned by the Adderbury family since 1292, Donnington Castle was built by its original owner, Sir Richard Abberbury the Elder, under a licence granted by Richard II in 1386. The surviving castle gatehouse dates from this time. In 1398, the castle was sold to Thomas Chaucer, son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, as a residence for his daughter Alice, who later became Duchess of Suffolk. The Duke of Suffolk William De La Pole made Donnington his occasional residence, and considerably enlarged the buildings.
This family later fell out with the Tudor monarchs, and the castle became a royal property. In 1514 it was given to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Though Brandon appears to have stayed at the Donnington Castle in 1516, by the time the castle and manor returned to the Crown in 1535 the structured was in a state of decay. Both King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I visited Donnington Castle, in 1539 and 1568 respectively.
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