Reprieve for Magna Carta Siege Site

One of the 25 sites of national historic importance to Magna Carta has gained a reprieve from development thanks to the intervention of Berkhamsted Castle Trust.

Fields to the East of Berkhamsted Castle — an 11th-century motte and bailey castle, in Hertfordshire (where William the Conqueror was offered the crown in 1066) — were used by the English Barons and Prince Louis of France to besiege the Castle in December 1216, during the uprising following King John’s annulment of Magna Carta. In what is believed to have been the first use of a counterweight trebuchet in England, Prince Louis’s forces hurled ‘innumerable damnable stones’ at the castle walls for two weeks until the defending garrison was ordered by the young King Henry III to surrender.

The fields — identified as being part of one of the earliest royal deer parks — had been under threat of sale for housing development over recent years but matters came to a head when they were put up for public auction in March this year. However, with the assistance of a philanthropic loan from a former local resident, Berkhamsted Castle Trust is stepping in to buy the fields (around 30 acres / 12 hectares in size) to protect them for the public. The Trust, a registered charity set up by local residents to help look after the Castle and help with visitor welcome and interpretation, now needs to raise the money necessary to repay the loan.

Chairman of Berkhamsted Castle Trust, Adrian Barham, comments: ‘The role and significance of the siege of Berkhamsted Castle in the story of the fight for Magna Carta meant that we could not run the risk of these fields being bought by property developers. We will work with the local community to protect the site, improve the environment and provide public access, and help people to understand the historical significance of the landscape around the Castle. But our first challenge is to raise the £500,000 needed to repay the loan we have taken out to buy the fields.’

Berkhamsted Castle Trust is seeking donations to help it repay the philanthropic loan it has taken out to purchase the fields. It needs to raise £500,000 within two years to cover the purchase costs, as well as further sums towards land management and environmental improvement works. Anyone wishing to donate can do so via the Trust’s website at www.berkhamstedcastle.org.uk/donate or find out more by
emailing jamesmgmoir@aol.com.

The Trust’s intervention builds on the crucial work of the Castle Fields Interest Group, a community pressure group which has been lobbying hard and continuously over the past year for returning public access to the fields, registering rights of way, ensuring trees are protected and keeping public attention focused on the vulnerability of the fields.

Simon Lewis, spokesperson for the group, says: ‘This is great news for everyone in Berkhamsted! By securing the land, the fences and gates will be removed, public access will be restored and the risk of housing development in this environmentally sensitive and beautiful landscape is negated. It’s been a victory for resolute, determined and committed community action.

‘But our job is not done – we now need to help Berkhamsted Castle Trust raise the funds to pay back this generous loan and ensure Castle Fields remains open and accessible for the enjoyment of future generations.’