» Home » Places » Sherborne Old Castle - [Castle] (ST 6480 1680)
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Sherborne Old Castle was built by Roger, the Bishop of Salisbury, and Abbot of Sherborne. Robert needed a secure home and a small hill surrounded by a lake was chosen as a suitably defendable site. The layout of the castle is roughly rectangular and has four corner towers. The main entrance to the castle is via the gatehouse in the southwest corner.
King Stephen arrested Roger, the Bishop of Salisbury. Bishop Roger was a powerful landowner and had several castles. Stephen also arrested Alexander, the bishop of Lincoln and had him imprisoned. Stephen wanted to take control to bishop Roger's castles and the bishop was taken to his castle at Devizes where he was held captive outside the walls and starved until the castle surrendered. Roger's son was also captured and tortured until the castle finally fell to the King. Roger's castle at Sherborne was also captured by Stephen. The castles at Newark and Sleaford in Lincolnshire belonging to bishop Alexander were forced to surrender to the King using the same underhand tactics.
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