The Gatehouse
Seen here is the view from the Castle looking towards the gatehouse and the Church.
The gatehouse, probably built by William of Wykeham at the end of the fourteenth Century, was damaged in the Civil War and later repaired by William 8th Lord Saye and Sele and bears his initials W.S. and the date 1655. The oak gates have the date 1617 inscribed upon them .
The battlements on top of the walls are called crenellations. A Royal licence was needed to crenellate a building even if only for decoration. In 1406, Sir Thomas Wykeham received a licence and began fortifications.
Though the crenellated walls were primarily decorative, they could, if necessary, be used as a means of defence. Inside the gatehouse are narrow slits that would have been used by archers.
During the Civil War between the Royalists (Cavaliers) of Charles I and the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) led by Cromwell, William Fiennes the Lord Saye and Sele of the time, and his four sons raised troops to support Parliament.
After the nearby battle of Edgehill in 1642, the Royalists lay siege to the castle which was captured and occupied. You can see cannonballs from this adventure on the table in the Council Chamber - recovered when the moat was dredged in the second half of the eighteenth century.
Top picture from the Broughton Castle Guidebook (Photographs © the estate of Mark Fiennes and Andrew Lawson); other photographs © P Fiennes
