Through the Ages - Saxons & Danes

King Athelbert - AD 857

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle

The beautiful country house known as Leeds Castle rises up from an island in a lake in the Kent countryside. The first house was built in Saxon times and a residence has remained here for more than 1,000 years. Today it is beautifully preserved and open for the public to enjoy.

Its name is believed to have derived from its Anglo-Saxon origins. The castle is set on a lake in the River Len, which was known as Hlyde at this particular point. The name was also possibly taken from Ledian, the chief adviser to King Athelbert, who ordered the first building (a fortress) to be constructed here in AD 857.

Leeds Castle (right) started out as a fortress, probably built by King Athelbert in 857. This developed into a Saxon manor house but in 1116 it was knocked down and replaced with a stone castle, home of the Norman Crevecoeur family.

The old Saxon manor house stood here until 1116, when it was replaced by a stone castle. This became the home of the Norman Crevecoeur family for the next century and a half. Then, during the Barons' Wars between Simon de Montfort and Henry III, the Crevecoeurs backed the barons and when de Montfort and his followers were defeated in 1265 their castle was seized by the Crown.

A Crown Possession

Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I, was the first of many English queens to fall in love with the castle's magical surroundings and in 1278 she persuaded the king to grant her it. Edward happily agreed and under her direction Leeds was lovingly expanded, becoming a fine royal residence.

In contrast to the prosperous time Leeds enjoyed under Edward I, in the reign of Edward II it was seized by his enemies during a rebellion. When his wife, Isabella of France, attempted to enter the castle she was refused admission. Consequently Edward sent his troops to recapture the castle. A siege ensued, but the king's supporters won the day and Edward ordered that the castellan should be hanged from the castle battlements as a warning to future rebels.

Leeds Castle remained a royal residence for many centuries and also served briefly as a prison for the unfortunate Richard II, before his final incarceration at Pontefract Castle. After this time it gained a reputation as the home of many a dowager queen. The widowed wife of Henry V, Catherine de Valois, stayed here before eloping with her future second husband, Owen Tudor.

Throughout the early Tudor period, Leeds became ever-more popular with the monarchs. Henry VIII in particular was very fond of the castle, despite Greenwich and Hampton Court being more palatial. He ordered many improvements to the castle, such as the hundreds of Tudor windows. Leeds was also the place from which Henry decided to embark on his historic trip to meet the French king at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Back in Noble Hands

Eleanor of Castile

Eleanor of Castile (left) queen of Edward I, saw the potential of the Castle, with its enchanting surroundings. She talked the king into giving her the castle, and then set about improving the place, turning it into a grand residence.

In 1552 the castle passed out of royal hands and was granted to Sir Anthony St Leger, the Lord Deputy of Ireland. The Smyth family acquired the castle on Sir Anthony's death and set about building another house on a nearby island, in which they were to live. This they sold to the Culpeper family in 1632, as the English Civil War loomed. The 1st Lord Culpeper was responsible for conducting the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, to safety in exile, for which he later received great favour from the king. Despite this Royalist loyalty, the Culpepers were parliamentarians throughout the war and permitted Leeds Castle to be used as a temporary arsenal. It was only after the Restoration that they astutely switched sides.

Leeds Today

Passing through many other noble hands, including those of the famous Fairfax family, who were responsible for the Gothic additions, Leeds Castle was eventually bought by Lady Olive Baillie in 1926. Although she left the fine exterior untouched, she filled the interior with magnificent portraits charting its illustrious history, beautiful furniture and ceramics. She wanted the public to take pleasure from the castle and so, in her will, she established the Leeds Castle Foundation, which allowed the castle and its grounds to be maintained for all to enjoy.