Huntingdon Castle

Huntingdon Castle stands in the market town of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. A Norman motte and bailey castle was built there in 1068 for William the Conqueror. The castle later passed to David, King of Scotland, through his marriage to Maud, the second countess of Huntingdon. During the Anarchy it was much damaged in a war of succession. After peace returned, David’s son Henry received the borough of Huntingdon along with the castle. The castle remained in Scottish hands until 1173, when William the Lion backed Henry, the king’s rebellious son. The castle was besieged by Richard de Luci and later by Simon de St. Lis. Henry II arrived, ended the siege and ordered the castle dismantled. The Pipe Rolls show seven shillings and eightpence spent on pulling down the palisade. Historians like Sidney Painter list Huntingdon among at least twenty-one castles destroyed on Henry’s orders. Today only earthworks remain of the castle itself. The chapel survived for centuries and the mound was later used for a windmill. During the Civil War the site was refortified and served as the county gaol. Nothing now stands above ground except grass-covered banks, yet the scheduled ancient monument marks where kings once ruled and wars were fought.