Rockingham Castle – Home to kings and queens, fairies and dinosaurs

Like most places in Northamptonshire, the story of Rockingham goes back into the mists of time, writes Laura Malpas. Gaze at the view from the castle’s curtain wall and you can see why the location was so sought after. The view goes on for miles, standing on the edge of the high rocky outcrop looking out over the Welland valley, you can see Rutland, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. Dense forests, plentiful water, fertile land, and a strategic position, everything needed for survival is present.

The Iron Age tribes, Romans and Saxons have left traces of their time here. A Saxon named Hroca gave his name to Rockingham, ‘the home of Hroca’s people’. Over a thousand years ago Rockingham was held by a Saxon lord, but William the Conqueror seized control and ordered the construction of a castle to control the passage of travellers between the north and south, acting as a regional administrative centre.

A major attraction was the superb hunting available in the forest. Hunting was an essential occupation to provide food, but it was also used as an enjoyable social activity, beloved by medieval monarchs and their courts. The Royal Forest of Rockingham was vast, bounded by the River Welland to the River Nene, stretching 33 miles from Northampton to Stamford and contained many valuable resources in addition to the favoured deer and wild boar.

Rockingham Castle was built following a standard Norman design, and was one of the largest in England, with a similar footprint to Windsor, Arundel and Carisbrooke. The design featured two separate baileys (outer walls) bounding the motte (an artificial mound with the keep built on top). At Rockingham, one of the baileys surrounded the Tilting Field, jousting being another great passion of medieval nobility.

Favoured by medieval royalty, the castle was kept updated and well maintained as the court stayed regularly. Queen Eleanor of Castille even had her own bedroom built for privacy during frequent visits with her husband Henry III.

Rockingham was well used up to the end of the Edward III’s reign. But as the government of the kingdom became centred in London, the Castle’s use declined, and it was last used as a royal residence in 1375, then simply as a hunting lodge. By 1485 it was so rundown that Henry VII had another more modern lodge built, and the castle was considered so shabby that stone was robbed to build other houses. Henry VIII was so shocked by the state of the royal residence that in 1544 he leased the castle and estate to Edward Watson, thus beginning the connection between Rockingham and the Watson family which remains to this day.

Edward Watson had lost his wealthy father when he was still a child. Under the protection of two powerful men, Thomas Cromwell, and Sir Edward Montagu of Boughton, Edward had influential connections at court and jumped at the chance to obtain the lease of the old castle from Henry VIII. Edward Watson spent the rest of his life and fortune on expanding his estate and upgrading the castle.

His son, also Edward, inherited, and continued his father’s work, both as a courtier, and within Northamptonshire, becoming High Sheriff in 1591, and knighted by King James I in 1603. The following year the King visited, subsequently knighting Edward’s son and heir, Lewis.
Lewis maintained this Royalist relationship, was able to buy the freehold of the Castle and Park from the King. He was made baronet in 1621and made a successful political career, marrying well to the Earl of Rutland’s daughter.

But then the Civil Wars overturned everything, and Lewis as a Royalist was compromised.

Lewis’s wife was from a Parliamentarian family, and he risked losing everything unless he was careful. He sent all his portable wealth to his wife’s family at Belvoir Castle, and when that fell to the Royalists, he lost his valuables. Then Rockingham Castle was taken by the Parliamentarians, and the Royalists claimed that Lewis had not fought hard enough to keep it.

Lewis was arrested by the King and imprisoned in his wife’s former home at Belvoir. He was eventually pardoned and created Lord Rockingham in 1645 by the King. But after the wars, the Lord Protector Cromwell eventually ordered Rockingham to be slighted, pulling down walls and filling in the moat. Heavily fined, and poorly treated, Lewis eventually returned to Rockingham, finding it empty and very damaged.

Following the Restoration of King Charles II, Lewis spent his remaining short years trying to win compensation to restore the castle and his fortunes.

Lewis’s son Edward inherited and married into the Wentworth family, but much needed surviving male heirs were in short supply leading to the Watson legacy being carried through the female line. Shrewd marriages and careful investment enriched the family, who mainly lived elsewhere. For a while Rockingham was managed by an agent and mainly used for hunting.

However, in 1836 a younger brother, the Hon Richard Watson decided to make Rockingham his family home along with his wife Lavinia, granddaughter of Earl Spencer. They were a progressive couple, modernising the Castle and getting involved with the local community and politics. They also enjoyed continental travel, meeting and making lifelong friends of Charles Dickens, who dedicated David Copperfield to them and based Bleak House on Rockingham.

Lack of male heirs again left Rockingham with an unclear future, eventually passing to a young great nephew, Sir Michael Culme-Seymour a naval cadet. So in 1925 the Castle was let to American millionaire Victor Emmanuel.

He loved Rockingham, installed modern heating and plumbing and offered a blank cheque to buy it from the family. He was refused and after World War II, Sir Michael retired from the Navy and married Lady Faith Montagu, a direct descendent of the father-in-law of the first Edward Watson. They moved into Rockingham, continuously modernising both the castle and the estate, eventually passing it on to their nephew Commander Michael Saunders-Watson.

His son James, with his wife and family live at Rockingham today. James maintains his family traditions and is currently serving the King and Northamptonshire as Lord Lieutenant and continues to manage the estate and the historic Castle.

Today Rockingham is seasonally open for visitors to wander through the ancient gatehouse and explore over 1000 years of history. Every era has left its impact on the castle, and you can either take an excellent guided tour, or discover the interior at your own pace.

The views over the Welland Valley are outstanding and the formal gardens spectacular. The heady scent of roses and beautiful formal planting surrounded by yews contrast with the Wild Garden. There’s over 18 acres to explore. A lively family friendly events programme includes artisanal markets, openair concerts and theatre. I visited on ‘Fairy Day’ and was enchanted to see countless small fairies and their families having a great time. In August it’s ‘Dinosaur Day’ and I am tempted to return…

There’s a tearoom with great cake and friendly staff, and you’re welcome to pack a picnic too, and bring your well-behaved dog. It’s a proper Northamptonshire day out, history, beauty, good food and fun, open until the end of September.
Don’t miss it!

> For opening times and more information about visiting, go to www.rockinghamcastle.com

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