| Someries Castle | |
|---|---|
| Near Hyde, Bedfordshire in England | |
 | |
  Someries Castle Shown within Bedfordshire | |
| Coordinates | 51°52′08″N000°22′33″W / 51.86889°N 0.37583°W grid reference TL539387 |
| Type | Fortified manor house |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1400 |
| In use | 1400–Present |
| Materials | Brick |
Someries Castle (sometimes spelt Summeries castle) [1] is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in the Parish of Hyde, near the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England.
It was built in the 15th century by Sir John Wenlock, whose ghost is reputed to haunt the castle. [2] Although always referred to as a castle it was actually a fortified manor house.
The name "Someries Castle" is derived from William de Someries (or Somerys), [3] who had a residence on this site, but the title "castle" is contentious since it hardly describes the structure to which it is applied.
The site was acquired by Wenlock in 1430 and building the mansion commenced. The house is regarded as one of the first brick buildings in England. [4] The house was not completed by Wenlock, as the Tudor historian John Leland noted. Work was halted after Wenlock's death at the battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. The site passed to the Rotheram family. The mansion was partly demolished in the 18th century. The brickwork can still be seen in the remains of the gatehouse, incorporating the chapel and lodge, which still stands. [5]
Earthworks previously thought to originate from an earlier manor house are now considered to relate to the 15th-century mansion's formal garden. Bricks from the mansion have been utilised in nearby 19th-century farm buildings. [6] [7]
The castle closed to the public in February 2007 in order to make the structure safe and was surrounded by scaffolding, which damaged the original brickwork. It reopened in 2008.
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John Wenlock, 1st Baron Wenlock was an English politician, diplomat, soldier and courtier. He fought on the sides of both the Yorkists and the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses. He has been called "the prince of turncoats", although some historians suggest the label may not be fair as this behavior was commonplace during the Wars of the Roses. Others contend that even when Wenlock was not actually changing sides, he was engaged in "fence sitting par excellence."
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Wardown House Museum and Gallery, formerly Wardown Park Museum and, before that, the Luton Museum & Art Gallery, in Luton, is housed in a large Victorian mansion in Wardown Park on the outskirts of the town centre. The museum collection focuses on the traditional crafts of Bedfordshire, notably lace-making and hat-making. There are samples of Bedfordshire lace from as early as the 17th century.
St Mary's Church is an Anglican Church in the centre of the town of Luton, England. The church has a rich and long history, being over 900 years old and has been rebuilt and refurbished constantly over the centuries. The Church is one of the largest in Bedfordshire and considered a fine example of medieval architecture. The Church is part of the St Albans Diocese. The church is grade-I listed and the only one to be a grade-I listed building in the whole of Luton.
Luton is a town located in the south of Bedfordshire, England.
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Newton St Loe Castle was a fortified manor house in the village of Newton St Loe, Somerset, England. Parts of it survive: a 14th-century keep and 15th-century gatehouse, both Grade I listed buildings.
The Wenlok jug or Wenlock jug is a rare surviving example of an English bronze jug from the 15th century, with great significance for the study of bronze working in medieval England. Only two similar jugs are known in the UK. The Wenlok jug is the smallest of the three, but bears the earliest maker's mark for the English founder - possibly a bell founder - who cast it. The other examples are the Asante Ewer, which retains its lid and is held by the British Museum having been found at Kumasi in the Gold Coast in 1896 during the Anglo-Ashanti wars, and the Robinson jug, which was found in a farmhouse in Norfolk in the 1879 and is now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. All bear inscriptions in English and were made from leaded bronze, an alloy of copper, tin and lead, cast in a two-part mould in a similar manner using bronze spacers to separate the inner and outer moulds, with similar decorative motifs.
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