History of Jersey Island, Pre-History, (Volume 11) by Eric Woehler

Author:Eric Woehler [Woehler, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jersey;Jersey Island;Jersey History;Jersey Pre-history;Jersey eBook;Jersey invasion;English Civil War
Publisher: Jean Marc Bertrand
Published: 2017-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Main defences and defenders

Mont Orgueil

Mont Orgueil is located overlooking the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle and lé Vièr Châté (the Old Castle) by Jèrriais speakers.

Origins of names

The promontory on which the castle is built was referred to as Gorroic in 1180 by the writer of the Great Roll of the Norman Exchequer while a century later the Extente of 1274 refers to it as Gorryk. The more familiar name of Gorey first appears in the 1330s when French manuscripts refer to the site as Gorri, Gurri and sometimes as Château de Gouray. For most of the medieval period the castle was simply referred to as Gorey or the King’s Castle – it seems to have acquired the name Mont Orgueil (Mount Pride) in the early 15th century, traditionally from Thomas, the Duke of Clarence, a brother of Henry V, although the first written reference dates from the French occupation of the castle in 1462. Once Elizabeth Castle had been built in the 1590s, it was simply referred to as le vieux château.

Work starts

The castle is built on a rocky promontory facing the coast of Normandy and overlooking the Bay of Grouville. There are steep slopes and high cliffs on three sides giving an almost impregnable position. In 1204, King Philip of France took Normandy back but King John of England kept the administration of the islands. The Channel Islands became the front line between England and France and work began on Mont Orgueil under the Warden of the Isles, Hasculf du Suligny.

The site chosen had been used as a defensive place since the Iron Age and possibly as early as the Neolithic period. The earth rampart and ditch would have been degraded but would have provided a good start for the new fortress which was built on the rocky ridge. The shape of the stone buildings was determined by the narrowness of the ridge, with a hall being connected to two square towers by long passageways. Access to the hall was through an enclosed staircase. The area inside the ramparts below was further strengthened in 1224-5 when 1,000 tree trunks were sent to the islands from the New Forest to make palisades for the two new castles. In addition Jersey also received five cartloads of lead, the timber from 20 oak trees and 60 bags of nails to assist with the building.

Historical references

The Close Rolls of Henry III contain many references to arms, shields and coats of mail being shipped to the castle garrison from Southampton and the Tower of London along with mention of cargoes of timber, beams and lead. There are also numerous entries made by the English Treasury for work and repairs carried out in the castle. The castle acquired a circuit of walls and round towers at this time and in the 1250s the “bridge of the King’s Castle” is repaired.

Castle at war

There were frequent raids from France and the castle was extended and improved throughout the 13th century. The Great Hall and crypt formed the Ancient Keep on the cliff edge at the highest point of the site.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.