The Domesday Book records the manor of Holt as being in the possession Urse d'Abetot, a Norman knight who came to England as an important follower of William the Conqueror and was made Sheriff of Worcester in around 1069.[1][a] D'Abetot constructed a castle at Holt in around 1086.[3] Nothing of this early castle remains. The oldest portion of the present building is the main central tower, dating from the 14th century.[4] This was likely built by John Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Kidderminster who was executed for treason in 1388.[3] In the very early 17th century, Henry Jetto is recorded as living as a servant at the castle, the first known instance of a black man resident in Worcestershire. Jetto's will and testament is the earliest such document authored by an African in the United Kingdom.[5][6]
Further developments to the castle occurred in the 16th, 18th and 19th centuries, at which point it had passed into the ownership of the Ward family, Earls of Dudley, whose principal residence was the nearby Witley Court.[7] By the 20th century, the castle had been sold, and in the 21st it remains a private residence, that has served as a wedding and events venue.[8][9]
Architecture and description
The castle's central tower is square, of four storeys, with a castellated parapet. It is roughly 16 ft. by 14 ft. in diameter, with walls to a thickness of four ft. at the base.[7] The main building material is local sandstonerubble.[4] To the east, stands a large great hall of the 16th century, although with some earlier elements.[3] In the 19th century, a joined service wing was added to the north. Terraced gardens to the east of the house overlook the River Severn,[7] and date from the 18th century, although it is possible they replicate an earlier layout.[3]
↑ Urse d'Abetot displayed a capacity for greed and avarice notable even by the standards of the Norman invaders.[2] His repeated efforts to appropriate church lands saw him cursed by his great rival in the west of England, Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester.
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