| Kimbolton Castle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The castle in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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  Location of Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat of the Earls and Dukes of Manchester from 1615 until 1950. It now houses Kimbolton School.
The castle was built by Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex, in the late 12th century. [1] The inner court was rebuilt by Anne, Duchess of Buckingham, in the late 15th century. [1]
The castle was acquired by Sir Richard Wingfield in 1522. [1] Catherine of Aragon was sent here in April 1534 for refusing to give up her status or deny the validity of her marriage. [1] In July 1534, a fool in the retinue of the diplomat Eustache Chapuys tried to swim the moat, drawing attention to her imprisonment. [2] The fenland climate damaged her health, and she died in the castle on 7 January 1536. [3] [4]
The castle was bought by Sir Henry Montagu, later created 1st Earl of Manchester, in 1615. [1] The 4th Earl of Manchester, who was created 1st Duke of Manchester in 1719, had many works of reconstruction carried out between 1690 and 1720. [1] These works included the rebuilding of the south wing, which had fallen down, to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh. [1] The 4th Duke of Manchester commissioned Robert Adam to design the gatehouse which was constructed in 1766. [1]
Many members of the Montagu family (Earls and Dukes of Manchester) are buried at St Andrew's Church in Kimbolton. Several Montagu monuments still exist in the South Chapel, while the Montagu vault (extended in 1853) is located beneath the North Chapel. [5]
The 10th Duke of Manchester sold the contents in 1949, and the castle and 50 acres were sold to Kimbolton School in 1951. [6]
On the grounds of the castle is Warren House, where the warrener (estate's rabbit gamekeeper) used to live, converted into a late 18th-century folly on command of one of the castle's inhabitants to add interest to his horizon, complete with a single decorative facade facing the castle; it is Grade II* listed and owned by the Landmark Trust. The Trust renovated the house, under a design from architect Oliver Caroe, between 2011 and 2012. [7] [8]
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester, KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.
Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester was an English judge, politician and peer. He is mainly remembered today as the judge who sentenced Sir Walter Raleigh to death.
Kimbolton is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. Kimbolton is about 9 miles (14 km) west of Huntingdon and 14 miles (23 km) north of Bedford.
Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named after the 5th Duke, while its capital Mandeville was named after his son and heir. The current Duke is Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester, a controversial British and Australian citizen who lives in the United States and has served several prison sentences. He succeeded to the peerage in 2002 following the death of his father Angus Montagu, 12th Duke of Manchester, the last of the dukes to hold a seat in the House of Lords.
George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny KG, PC, the family name often written Neville, was an English nobleman and courtier who held the office of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.
Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 12th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG, of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, was created Earl of Rutland by King Henry VIII in 1525.
Louisa Frederica Augusta Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, formerly Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester, was a German-born British aristocrat sometimes referred to as the "Double Duchess" due to her marriages, firstly to the 7th Duke of Manchester and then to the 8th Duke of Devonshire.
Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, was an English nobleman and courtier.
Sir Richard WingfieldKG of Kimbolton Castle was an influential courtier and diplomat in the early years of the Tudor dynasty of England.
Kimbolton School is a British HMC co-educational private day and boarding school in the village of Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England.
Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester JP was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1671 when he inherited the peerage as Earl of Manchester.
George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester PC was a British politician and diplomat.
Colonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester, styled Viscount Mandeville until 1788, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician. He was Governor of Jamaica from 1808 to 1827, and Manchester Parish was named after him.
George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester DL, known as Viscount Mandeville from 1799 to 1843, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament.
William Drogo Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester KP, known as Lord Kimbolton from 1823 to 1843 and as Viscount Mandeville from 1843 to 1855, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.
Events from the 1530s in England.
Events from the 1510s in England.
Angus Charles Drogo Montagu, 12th Duke of Manchester, was a British hereditary peer. He inherited the Dukedom of Manchester in 1985 and was a member of the House of Lords until the House of Lords Act 1999. Until he inherited the dukedom, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Angus Montagu.
Sir Charles Montagu of Cranbrook Hall in the parish of Barking, Essex, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1614 to 1625.
Helena Keith-Falconer, Countess of Kintore, formerly Helena Montagu, Duchess of Manchester, was an American heiress who twice married into the British aristocracy, firstly to the 9th Duke of Manchester and then to the 10th Earl of Kintore.