Wigmore Castle

Wigmore was one of many castles built close to the England–Wales border after the Norman Conquest. Founded in 1067 by William Fitz Osbern, it was a major centre of power for over 500 years, and played host to several kings and queens. It was held by the Mortimer family from about 1075 to 1425, when it passed to the Crown. Roger Mortimer is perhaps the family’s best-known figure. He became virtual ruler of England after he and his lover, Isabella, Edward II’s estranged queen, had engineered the king’s deposition and murder in 1327. In 1329 Mortimer held a lavish tournament at Wigmore, attended by the young King Edward III and his mother. His influence was shortlived, however: in 1330 Edward III asserted his authority, arrested Mortimer and had him executed for treason. The castle fell into ruin after the Civil War and remained an untouched ruin until the 1990s, when English Heritage conserved it in a way that ensured the castle’s natural environment was preserved.

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