Sunday 12 August 2018

Sunday Snap – The Purbeck Castle



We were in Dorset for last week's Sunday Snap of the Pottery. I asked what the name of the pottery was and the answer is

Poole Pottery

Firing up the kiln with the right answer were Susan, Soma, Anne and Kara.

We're staying in Dorset for this week's Sunday Snap and going west to the Isle of Purbeck. High up on the hill is a castle that was built by William the Conqueror. Such is its commanding position that the village it overlooks has the same name as the castle.

The castle remained in royal ownership until Elizabeth I sold the castle in 1572 to Sir Christopher Hatton. In turn the ownership passed to Sir John Bankes when he bought it in 1635. As Attorney General to Charles I, Sir John and his family were Royalists. He and his family took up residence in the castle while most of Dorset was under the control of the Parliamentarians. Lady Bankes and her family endured a six week siege of the castle by the Parliamentarians. Despite the efforts of those Roundheads surrounding the castle she was able to get food in and gain support to defend the castle. As a prime Royalist base the Parliamentarians were keen to take control of the castle and they allowed Lady Bankes to leave. Once the castle was captured it was ordered that it should be demolished. So well built was the castle that it couldn't be destroyed completely. Stone from the castle was used afterwards to build houses in the village below. The Bankes family never returned to the castle instead deciding to build a new home at Kingston Lacy. It was kept in the family until 1982 when it was bequeathed to the National Trust.

It is thought that Enid Blyton based Kirrin Castle in her Famous Five books on this castle. She visited the castle in 1941 – a year before the first of the books, Five on Treasure Island, was published. She describes Kirrin Castle (located on a small island off Dorset) as, "On a low hill rose the ruined castle. It had been built of big white stones. Broken archways, tumbledown towers, ruined walls - that was all there was left of a once beautiful castle, proud and strong. Now the jackdaws nested in it." This week's question is

What is the name of the castle?

We were joined last week by Susan and writing in the sky. Lisa enjoyed a birthday trip away. It was harvest time for Soma as she guided us through painting with water soluble oils. A day trip out for Anne meant a trip to Baddsley Clinton. Paula's kids have been zipping about. Kara has had fun at Studland with some paddleboarding. Finally, Jesh is feeling overpowered with fires in California.

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Sunday Snap

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3 comments:

  1. I have no idea unfortunately. I do like the look of it and would love to visit one day x

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  2. Corfe Castle - one of our favourite places to visit, especially when they put on the teddy zipwire!

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  3. I don't know, but if Kara says it's Corfe Castle I'm really disappointed we didn't get to see it on our visit to Dorset last year. thanks for hosting x

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