Siege of Wallingford Castle (1139)
Who Fought
History & Significance
Wallingford Castle is a medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire), adjacent to the River Thames. Established in the 11th century as a motte-and-bailey design within an Anglo-Saxon burgh, it grew to become what historian Nicholas Brooks has described as "one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries". Held for the Empress Matilda during the civil war years of the Anarchy, it survived multiple sieges and was never taken. Over the next two centuries it became a luxurious castle, used by royalty and their immediate family. After being abandoned as a royal residence by Henry VIII, the castle fell into decline. Refortified during the English Civil War, it was eventually slighted, i.e. deliberately destroyed, after being captured by Parliamentary forces after a long siege. The site was subsequently left relatively undeveloped, and the limited remains of the castle walls and the considerable earthworks are now open to the public.
Prosperous with its own mint and an important regional town overlooking a key crossing point on the River Thames, the town of Wallingford had been defended by an Anglo-Saxon burgh, or town wall, prior to the Norman invasion of 1066. Wigod of Wallingford, who controlled the town, supported William the Conqueror's invasion and entertained the king when he arrived in Wallingford. Immediately after the end of the initial invasion, the king set about establishing control over the Thames Valley through constructing three key castles, the royal castles of Windsor and Wallingford, and the baronial castle, later transferred to royal hands, built at Oxford.
Wallingford Castle was probably built by Robert D'Oyly between 1067 and 1071. Robert had married Wigod's daughter Ealdgyth, and ultimately inherited many of his father-in-law's lands. The wooden castle was built in the north-east corner of the town, taking advantage of the old Anglo-Saxon ramparts, with the motte close to the river overlooking the ford, and required substantial demolition work to make room for the new motte-and-bailey structure. Unusually, it appears that the castle was constructed on top of high-status Anglo-Saxon housing, probably belonging to former housecarls. The motte today is 60 metres (197 feet) across and 13 metres (43 feet) high. Robert endowed a sixteen-strong college of priests within the castle, which he named St Nicholas College.
Wallingford Castle passed from Robert to first his son-in-law Miles Crispin, and then Brien FitzCount, who married Robert's daughter, Matilda, after Miles died. Brien, an important supporter of Henry I, was the son of the Duke of Brittany, and strengthened the castle in stone, probably in the 1130s. He produced a very powerful fortification, including a shell keep and a curtain wall around the bailey, that, combined with the extensive earthworks, has been described by historian Nicholas Brooks as "one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries".
The ground they fought on
The site of Siege of Wallingford Castle (1139) lies on Grey Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is chalk.
Perhaps the most striking detail from the 1139 confrontation is that Stephen arrived intending to besiege the castle but quickly concluded the walls were simply impregnable to assault. Brien FitzCount had stocked Wallingford so thoroughly that contemporaries believed it could survive a siege lasting several years without relief. Faced with that reality, Stephen abandoned his siege plan and instead erected two counter-castles along the road to Bristol to contain the garrison, then continued his march westward. The castle thus effectively defeated an army by its mere reputation, never requiring its defenders to fight in the open field.
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