History of Bodiam Castle

A castle for an age of upheaval

The late 14th century was a time of significant unrest and transformation in England. In the decades before Bodiam Castle was built, the Black Death had drastically reduced the population, leading to labour shortages, shifting economic power, and growing demands for social reform. These pressures culminated in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, an event that, although quickly suppressed, exposed the fragility of the existing social order. 

Bodiam Castle was conceived in the aftermath of these disruptions and amid the ongoing conflict of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). Its construction reflects both the real threat of invasion and the shifting values of an ambitious landowning class increasingly interested in architectural display and symbolic authority.

A Knight’s Tale 

Sir Edward Dallingridge (c.1346-1393/94), the man who built Bodiam Castle, was a soldier, landowner and politician whose career reflects the ambitions of the rising gentry in late medieval England. Born into a Sussex family whose status had grown over several generations, he first made his name through military service in France during the reign of Edward III. Early records link him to the retinue of Sir Robert Knollys (c.1325-1407), one of the most notable English commanders of the period. Military service, patronage and the rewards of war helped him become a knight and build the wealth and connections that underpinned his later standing. On returning to Sussex he became an influential figure in local government, representing Sussex several times in Parliament. 

His marriage to Elizabeth Wardieu (c. 1346- after 1383), daughter and heiress of John Wardieu of Bodiam, expanded his estates. It was on her inherited land that he built Bodiam Castle. In 1385 he received royal permission from Richard II to fortify his manor: 

‘That he may strengthen with a wall of stone and lime, and crenellate and may construct and make into a castle his manor house of Bodiam, near the sea, in the County of Sussex, for the defence of the adjacent country, and the resistance to our enemies.’ 

The finished castle combined strong defensive features with the comfort expected in a high status home. Battlements, towers, a wide moat and early gunloops reflected changes in warfare. At the same time, the castle’s great hall, private apartments and chapel created a setting that expressed the ambition and status of its owner. 

Architecture and meaning 

From the outside, Bodiam Castle appears as a formidable fortress with high stone walls and a circular moat. Inside, however, the layout was designed to support domestic life as well as defence. The main rooms were arranged around a central courtyard, a form typical of manor houses in the later medieval period. 

Recent studies have recorded extensive mason’s marks left by the craftsmen who built the castle. A significant number of ritual protection marks have also been found near windows, doors and other thresholds, suggesting the inhabitants valued spiritual protection alongside physical security. 

Decline and rediscovery 

After Sir Edward Dalyngrigge’s death and the extinction of his male line, Bodiam Castle passed by marriage into the Lewknor family and subsequently through various other owners. During the Wars of the Roses, Sir Thomas Lewknor supported the Lancastrian cause, and in 1483 a royal force was dispatched against Bodiam. A formal siege is not recorded, however, and the castle appears to have surrendered with little resistance. In the ensuing centuries the castle was often held by absentee landlords, and by the early modern period it had begun to fall into decline. 

During the English Civil War it belonged to John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (1608-1664), a supporter of King Charles I. In 1645 he sold the castle to a group led by Nathaniel Powell to pay Parliament’s fines placed on Royalist estates. Earlier writers believed that Parliament ordered Bodiam to be slighted, but no such instruction survives. Instead, its internal buildings appear to have been gradually dismantled as stone and timber were removed for reuse. 

In 1723 the estate was bought by Sir Thomas Webster (1676 -1751), owner of Battle Abbey. The Websters kept Bodiam for more than a century. During this time the castle became well known as a picturesque ruin visited by artists and travellers, including J. M. W. Turner. Its striking form reflected in the moat made it a celebrated feature of the Sussex landscape. 

Preservation under John ‘Mad Jack’ Fuller 

By the early nineteenth century Bodiam Castle was admired as a romantic ruin but remained in a fragile state. In 1829 it was purchased by John ‘Mad Jack’ Fuller (1757 -1834) of Brightling, a Sussex squire and Member of Parliament known for his eccentric interests. Fuller carried out limited repairs, stabilising parts of the castle and clearing structures that had been built within the ruins. Although modest, his work helped prevent further dismantling and ensured the castle’s distinctive silhouette survived. Fuller's wealth, derived in part from a Jamaican plantation reliant on enslaved labour, connects the castle’s history to wider colonial and economic networks.  

In 1864 the estate was acquired by George Cubitt (1828-1917), later Baron Ashcombe, who oversaw further repairs and supported the first detailed architectural survey of the castle.