28 May 2026 Ludlow and Acton Burnell Castles

 Two Castles on the menu today. Ancestors associated with this castle include de Lacy, de Geneville, and Mortimer. The inhabitants of this castle were very active during the 2nd Barons War, as well as the War of the Roses, and Ludlow was appointed the seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches, effectively making it the Capitol of Wales. 

 

Prince Arthur, son of Henry VII, spent part of his honeymoon here with Catherine of Aragon, and Simon de Montfort captured Ludlow for a brief time during the Second Barons War. 

Elizabeth I appointed Sir Henry Sidney in charge of the council of Wales in 1560, and the castle passed out of  the family's hands for good. Still, there is a great deal of history with this castle, and I am sure that I have had more than just a few ancestors who either visited Ludlow, or lived in it for a period of time. It's a beautiful castle, and even though technically a ruin, it's still in pretty good shape. Here are a few more pictures from today.
This tower is actually a church. Gilbert de Lacy was very passionate about the crusades, and went to Jerusalem on one during his lifetime. He designed this tower into the church of St Mary Magdalene after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which supposedly housed the remains of Jesus Christ. 


The inner keep of the castle was surrounded by a ditch, not a moat. The ditch was never intended to hold water. It was designed to make it harder for an invading force to get to the castle walls.

Here's another picture of the round church, from on top of the keep tower. I was a little winded by the time I got to the top to get this beautiful view.

This is also from atop the keep, looking at the village of Ludlow.

The second castle was Acton Burnell Castle. Acton Burnett was actually a fortified manor house built by Robert Burnell, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, in 1284. He also built the Church next to it, which is still in use today. 

Robert Burnell was a close friend and advisor to Edward I, and as such, the license to crenellate  was reserved for only highly trusted people. A lot of castles back in the day actually started out as Manor houses, and the owners then requested permission from the King to fortify the defenses of these Manor houses, thus Crenellating them. This also provided a source of income for the Crown, because if you want something, you have give something up in return. 


Here is the Church next door. 

my ancestors who are associated with this castle include a few of the Burnell descendants, Sir Hugh Burnell, Roger Burnell, and Philip Burnell, all born there, but born in the manor House that previously stood on this land, before the Castle was built.


After the last surviving heir to the castle died, the Castle fell into the hands of the Lovel family, who were the barons of Titchmarsh. Sir John Lovel was married to Maud Burnell, so the castle passed into her husband's family.

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