Berkhamsted Castle Berkhamsted Castle is a Norman motte - and - bailey castle at Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire , England . The castle was built during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century to control a key route between London and the Midlands . Robert of Mortain , William the Conqueror ' s half brother , was probably responsible for the construction and became the subsequent owner of the fortification . A motte and bailey design , the castle was surrounded by extensive protective earthworks and a deer park for hunting . The future town of Berkhamsted grew up alongside it . Subsequent kings granted the castle to their chancellors and it was substantially extended in the mid - 12th century , probably by Thomas Becket . The castle was besieged in 1216 during the civil war between King John and rebel barons , backed by France . It was successfully taken after Prince Louis , the future Louis VIII , attacked it with siege engines for twenty days , leading the garrison to surrender . Reclaimed by royal forces the subsequent year , it was passed to Richard the Earl of Cornwall , beginning a long associate with the earldom and the later duchy . Richard redeveloped the castle as a palatial residence and the centre of his administration of the Earldom of Cornwall . Edward III further developed the castle in the 14th century and gave it to his son , Edward , the Black Prince , who extended the hunting grounds . It was used to hold royal prisoners , including John II of France and rival claimants to the English throne . In the late - 15th century , Berkhamsted Castle became increasingly unfashionable and was left to fall into decline . By the middle of the 16th century it was described as being in ruins and was unsuitable for royal use . Stone was taken from the castle to build neighbouring houses and parts of the town . The castle narrowly escaped destruction during the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway in the 1830s , becoming the first building in Britain to receive statutory protection from Parliament . In 1930 it passed from the Duchy of Cornwall to the control of the state and in the 21st century is run as a tourist attraction by English Heritage . History . 1066 - 1217 . Berkhamsted Castle was built during the Norman conquest of England in 1066 . After William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo - Saxons at the battle of Hastings he advanced from the coast , across the Thames Valley and north into Hertfordshire . Chroniclers suggest that the Archbishop of York surrendered to William in Berkhamsted , and William probably ordered the construction of the castle before proceeding south into London . Berkhamsted was strategically significant , as it lay on a key route into the Midlands from London through the Chiltern Hills . The actual construction work was probably overseen by William ' s half - brother , Robert of Mortain , who owned it by the time of the writing of the Domesday Book . The castle was located slightly away from the main road , to give additional space for the earthworks involved , and was positioned as to benefit from natural springs running down from under the hill . It had a motte and bailey design , with a high motte , and a bailey around by , enclosing acres . A double bank and ditch ran around the whole castle , with both sets of ditches filled with water . In total , the wider earthworks occupy around . A " fossarius " - a specialised ditch digger - was recorded as being employed maintained at the castle in 1086 . A large deer park , owned by the Crown , was established around the castle to provide hunting grounds . The castle was carefully positioned next to the park , which was overlooked by the motte . A vineyard was also maintained alongside the castle . A new settlement , the future Berkhamsted , grew up near the castle and several mills , essential for grinding flour , were present there in 1086 . Robert ' s son , William rebelled against Henry I and the castle was confiscated . Henry granted Berkhamsted to his chancellor , Ranulf . In 1123 , however , when Ranulf was travelling to the castle with Henry , the chancellor rode over the nearby hill , became overly excited at the view ahead of him and fell off his horse , dying from his injuries . The castle was subsequently given by Henry II to Thomas Becket when he became chancellor in 1155 . Becket extended the castle to accommodate his large household , but fell from favour in 1164 and the castle was confiscated by the king . Henry II liked Berkhamsted and subsequently used it extensively himself . By mid - 12th century , the castle had been rebuilt in stone , probably by Becket , with a shell keep and an outer stone wall ; the bailey was divided in two by a wall to form an inner and an outer bailey . A gatehouse led down into the town , meeting with Castle Street . Henry II also officially recognised the surrounding settlement of Berkhamsted as a town in 1156 . Under King John the castle was part of the lands forming the jointure of his second wife Isabella . John entrusted the castle to Geoffrey Fitz Peter in 1206 , who rebuilt much of the town . Geoffrey died in 1213 and the castle passed to his son , John Fitzgeoffrey . Political tensions in England began to rise , however , and a potential conflict between King John and an alliance of rebel barons opposed to his rule began to look likely . In early 1215 , King John installed a trusted German mercenary called Ranulph in charge of Berkhamsted Castle and reviewed the defensive arrangements there that April . Civil war broke out later that same year . Initially , the rebels were hampered by a lack of equipment - in particular , siege engines - but in May 1216 the future Louis VIII crossed over the English Channel and joined the rebel cause , bringing with him heavy siege equipment . King John died in October , and in December Louis besieged Berkhamsted Castle . The prince deployed his siege engines , probably trebuchet s , and attacked the castle repeatedly for twenty days , throwing what chroniclers termed innumerable " damnable stones " at the defenders . During the 13th century , a set of earthworks were built around the outside of the walls , which may have been the firing platforms for these trebuchets . Having put up a strong defence , the garrison was allowed to surrender and to leave with their weapons and armour . When the forces loyal to the young Henry III defeated the rebels the following year , the castle was returned to royal hands . 1218 - 1461 . In subsequent years , Berkhamsted then became closely associated with the Earls and Dukes of Cornwall . Henry III ' s brother , Richard , became the Earl of Cornwall and inherited the castle from his mother Isabella , and it became a permanent part of the earldom . Berkhamsted was Richard ' s favourite castle , partially because it was conveniently close to London . Richard had an impressive , three - storey tower built onto the property in 1254 , and restored much of the rest of the castle ; the chroniclers of nearby Dunstable complained that his building works required so many carts to carry the timber that local trade in other goods was badly effected . The castle was used for the central administration of the earldom and Richard ' s nine stewards would submit their annual financial reports there . Meanwhile , the town of Berkhamsted itself became rich as a result of the growing wool trade . Richard died at the castle in 1272 , and it passed to his son Edmund . The castle passed on through Edward I , who found the castle in an apparently poor condition , and his second wife , Margaret , to Edward II . Edward II gave it to his royal favourite , Piers Gaveston , whom he made Earl of Cornwall . Gaveston was married there in 1307 , with Edward in attendance . Edward II and Gaveston fell from power in 1327 and John , Edward ' s second son , took possession as the new Earl of Cornwall . When John died , Edward III reclaimed Berkhamsted Castle ; a survey showed it to be in need of substantial repairs . Edward had not yet improved Windsor Castle , so used Berkhamsted as his main property , investing considerable sums in renovating it . His son , Edward , the Black Prince , was created Duke of Cornwall and also made extensive use of the castle , which formed part of the new duchy . The Black Prince took advantage of the aftermath of the Black Death to extend the castle ' s park by , including some woodland pasture stretching over the Chilterns , eventually producing a park covering . The castle was used to hold John II of France after he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Poitiers . When the Black Prince fell ill following his campaigning in France , he retired to Berkhamsted and died there in 1376 . Richard II inherited Berkamsted Castle in 1377 ; initially the use of it was given to his favourite , Robert de Vere and , after de Vere ' s fall from power and exile in 1388 , to John Holland . Henry IV lived in the castle after he deposed Richard in 1400 , and he used the property to detain rival applicants to the throne . During this period Geoffrey Chaucer , later famous for his " Canterbury Tales " , oversaw renovation work on the castle in his role as a clerk . Both Henry V and Henry VI owned the castle , the latter making use of it until his overthrow in 1461 . 1462 - 1900 . Berkhamsted was confiscated by Edward IV when he came to power during Wars of the Roses . In the late 15th century , the castle was occupied by his mother , Cecily Nevill , the Duchess of York . By now the castle had become increasingly unfashionable , however , and was abandoned after her death in 1495 . By the time that antiquarian John Leland visited in the mid - 16th century , it was in " much ruine " and was unsuitable for royal use . In 1580 , the estate , including the ruins and the park , was leased from Elizabeth I by Sir Edward Carey , for the nominal rent of one red rose each year . Stone from the castle was used to build Berkhamsted Place , a local school and other buildings in the late 16th century . The castle ' s park , which had reached in size by 1627 , was broken up in the next two decades , shrinking to only . The English Civil War of the 1640s largely passed Berkhamsted by , with the castle apparently playing no part in the conflict . In 1761 the wider estate and the castle were separated , the former being leased to the Duke of Bridgewater while the latter remained in the direct control of the Duchy of Cornwall . In 1863 , the surrounding estates and park were sold off altogether by the duchy to Earl Brownlow ; Brownlow also agreed to rent the castle from the duchy for a nominal rent . In the 1830s , plans were drawn up to build the new London and Birmingham Railway . From an engineering perspective , the ideal route for the railway ran through the site of the castle , but concerns over the need to protect ancient monuments and buildings had been growing for several years , and the local Bridgwater estate were also keen to protect the local view from their buildings . The castle was ultimately specifically protected in the 1833 act that sanctioned the railway , forcing the track to take a route across the valley floor . Berkhamsted was the first building in Britain to receive statutory protection from development in this way . Nonetheless , the route still required the track to pass through the outer fortifications of the castle , a major engineering operation which was carried out in 1834 , destroying the castle gatehouse in the process . 20th - 21st centuries . The Office of Works acquired Berkhamsted Castle from the Duchy of Cornwall in 1930 . The inner ditch was subsequently drained of water in the 1950s . In the 21st century it is operated as a tourist attraction by English Heritage , and historian Isobel Thompson considers it " one of the best surviving motte and bailey castles " in England . The castle is protected by law as an ancient monument .