Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

Last year I convinced my husband to take a trip to England. After spending 5 days in London we decided to spend our last couple of days in southeast Wales roaming around old castles. One of the things I get excited about when reading historical fiction (or even some non-fiction) is reading about a place and saying to myself ,”hey, I’ve been there and seen that!” (I know, I’m a geeky history nerd…).


So I was excited to discover that two of the places we visited featured in Mahelt Marhsall’s life – Chepstow Castle and Tintern Abbey. I thought I would share some of the pictures I took of each as well as some information.



Chepstow Castle

Perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the river Wye, Chepstow Castle was first established in the late 11th century, as a castle in this location is referenced in the 1086 Doomesday Book as being built by William fitz Osbern. After a failed rebellion by William’s son, the land was confiscated by the crown who held it until 1115 when Henry I granted it to the de Clare family. Following the death of Richard de Clare (“Strongbow”) in 1176, the lands became the inheritance of his young daughter Isabel who became the wife of the great William Marshal in 1189.

After passing through the hands of Marshal’s sons, in 1245 Chepstow became the property of William’s eldest daughter Maud (Mahelt) and her husband, Hugh Bigod, the third earl of Norfolk (that would be our Mahelt and Roger from To Defy a King!). Roger Bigod, the fifth earl of Norfolk, used the castle as his main residence and accounts from the period indicate that he made extensive and lavish improvements. When Roger died in 1306, the land again reverted to the crown and over the next several hundred years it belonged to a variety of monarchs and nobles, including the infamous Hugh Despenser the younger (in 1324), and Charles Somerset, first earl of Worcester (in 1507). During the late 19th century the overgrown interior of the castle was cleared out, paths laid and some conservation efforts were underway by the Beaufort estate. In 1953 the castle was put under the guardianship of the state.




This was the first time in my life I had ever seen a real castle (Indiana is not known for its castles)! Walking up to the gate tower and seeing how tall and massive the walls were, I was in total awe that something like this could have been built so long ago – and still stands! There were winding staircases, arched windows and awesome views of the surrounding valley. Having been totally bummed out at not being to see William Marshall’s tomb at the Temple Church (it was closed while we were in London), I was compensated somewhat by Chepstow’s “Marshall Tower” (picture below - and I do have a closeup picture of the plaque that says "Marshall Tower"!). My husband just rolled his eyes at my excitement!




Tintern Abbey



Just north of Chepstow is Tintern Abbey. The Abbey was founded in 1131 by the Lord of Chepstow and its early inhabitants were Cistercian monks from France. As the community of monks grew, so did the Abbey and the great gothic church that dominates the site was begun in 1269, patronized by Roger Bigod, fifth earl of Norfolk. The Abbey was surrendered to the crown during the early period of the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. At that time many of the Abbey’s valuables – silver, glass, timber and lead (from the roof) was either sent directly to the king’s treasury or sold. After that, Tintern was largely forgotten until it was “rediscovered” during the late 18th century by the “Romantic” poets and artists. In 1901 it was purchased by the crown and a massive conservation effort took place over the next 25 years.



When William Marshall became Lord of Chepstow in 1189, he also became a patron of Tintern. Several members of the Marshall family were buried at Tintern – his wife Isabel and three of his children, Walter, Anselm and Maud (Mahelt). Unfortunately, due to a delay in getting to the abbey the morning of our visit and a steady drizzle which kept me from reading the guidebook until after our visit, I did not realize this at the time and do not recall seeing the information posted on the abbey grounds – but it is very possible that I overlooked it.



We visited Tiintern on a cool, drizzly morning which gave the abbey a mystical feeling. I was once again totally amazed at the size of the structure – especially the pillars and the arches. My favorite part was standing inside of the massive chapel with my head back gawking at the peaceful beauty around me with raindrops falling on my face. This would be a gorgeous place to have a wedding!  The below picture is a shot of my husband (he didn't know I was taking it) in front of one of the pillars which gives you an idea of how large they are.





For more information on these two sites, including additional pictures, you can check out related posts on Chepstow and Tintern on my blog to commemorate our trip.