Official Site : Hedingham Castle home page
Hedingham Castle was built in around 1140 by Aubrey de Vere an Essex land owner. The castle is rectangular in plan and stands to a height of 110 feet. The walls are in places 12 feet thick. The castle originally had a fore-building that acted as the main entrance, but like many of the other existing Keep Towers, this section has been removed. On the second floor of the castle is a huge Norman semi-circular arch with a span of 28 feet, one of the largest of its kind. The keep is similar to Rochester and could have been designed and built by the same architect. The de Veres earned the title of Earls of Oxford by assisting the Empress Matilda with her cause against King Stephen during the Civil War.
Mini Timeline
| 1140 | | Construction of Hedingham Castle
| | | Built by the de Vere family, land owners in Essex. | | 1174 | Jul 7 | Whipping of Henry II
| | | Henry II accepted his part, even though indirect, in the killing of Thomas Becket. He was whipped by the monks of Canterbury as punishment. | | 1220 | Jul 7 | Stephen Langton returns to England
| | | Stephen Langton returned to England and resumed the role of Archbishop of Canterbury. He performed a ceremony in Canterbury in which relics from St. Thomas Becket were put in a tomb. The 7th of July became St. Thomas of Canterbury's Day; a major holy day. |
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