The Castle Builders. Part I. The “embattled walls” of Hartshill (original) (raw)

In 2016, the restitution of the medieval ruin of Hartshill Castle in north Warwickshire entered its eleventh year: an unusual independently-undertaken project. Throughout the 12th and 14th centuries, Hartshill Castle had been the fortified residence of a prominent noble Norman family, the De Hardreshulls. A decade ago, few but those in the locality knew of the castle’s existence. The crumbling ruin seemed like a lost cause. The project’s success may be measured by Hartshill Castle’s recognition this year as one of the highly-prized jewels in the county’s box of Cultural Heritage Assets. The repair and restoration project presented me with a unique opportunity to conduct a detailed analytical archaeological study of the castle, to explore its chronological development and to uncover the various characters who have contributed the castle’s fortunes and misfortunes over the centuries. Since all projects need a title of some sort, I thought ‘Demystifying Hartshill Castle’ would just about capture all of the aims of the study. The CADAS Bulletin presents me with the opportunity to provide a somewhat alternative form of interim summary of the results of archaeological recording and research, while at the same time proffering some insight and appreciation of the restoration project. In this first paper I take look at the De Hardreshull lords who contributed to the construction of the castle, and I draw attention to the unsung heroine of Hartshill Castle, whose life ambition this past 11 years has been to restore the ruin.