The History of Dover Castle

Photograph Details: Nikon D7000 Focal length 18mm ISO-200 exp: 1/400 f10

Originally the site may have been fortified with earthworks in the Iron Age or earlier, before the Romans invaded in AD43. This is suggested on the basis of the unusual pattern of the earthworks which does not seem to be a perfect fit for the medieval castle, excavations have provided evidence of Iron Age occupation within the locality of the castle, but it is not certain whether this is associated with the hillfort. There have also been excavations on the mound which the church and Roman Pharos are situated on and has been discovered to be a Bronze Age mound.

The site also contained one of Dover's two 80-foot (24 m) Roman lighthouses (or Pharoses), one of which still survives, whilst the remains of the other is located on the opposing Western Heights, across the city of Dover. On the site is a classic montrol (campsite) where the Normans landed after their victorious conquest.

The Evolution of Charles Darwin

Down House - The Home of Charles Darwin

Photograph Details: Nikon D7000 Focal length 24mm ISO-320 exp: 1/500 f11

Charles Darwin (12/02/1809 - 19/04/1882) is known throughout the world as the man who figured out evolution. He published his most famous work "On The Origin Of Species" in 1859. He got his inspiration from his global sea journey of 4 years onboard HMS Beagle which set sail on 27th December 183 and returned to England on 2nd October 1836.

Darwin stated that natural selection is instrumental in the creation of new species. Natural Selection is essentially survival of the fittest, stating that the weaker of a species will loose out to the stronger as a result of being able to fight for food and survival. In 1871 Darwin updated his ideas and included sexual selection.
This addendum was included to explain the presence of features in animals which could be seen to hinder survival and he used the idea of peacock's tail feathers.

Scotney Castle, Lamberhurst

Photograph Details: Nikon D7000 Focal length 45mm ISO-100 exp: 1/320 f5.6

I mentioned the origins of the name Scotney in this post, but what about the name Lamberhurst? Well it comes from the anglo-saxon Lambra hurst, which means the wooded hill where lambs are found. Easy! It is first recorded around the year 1100 as Lamburherste


After the Darrell family had owned the estate from 1411, the grounds of Scotney Castle passed to the Hussey family after Edward Hussey bought it in 1778. His grandson (Edward III) began building the new manor house after commissioning Anthony Salvin. It was build out of sandstone quarried from nearby. The quarry then subsequently formed the "quarry garden" where a 1 million year old iguanadon footprint can be seen. 


The new manor house was completed in 1843, and the older elements of the estate (the old castle) were left to create a feature of the garden. The Eastern wing was left for the bailiffs accommodation until 1905. Edward Hussey I committed suicide close by the old castle with a blunderbuss.


The grandson of Edward III was called Christopher Edward Clive Hussey and it was he who inherited the castle in 1952. Along with Elizabeth (his wife) he set about further improvements of the grounds to provide more colour year round. Upon Christopher's death in 1970, the house and estate passed to the National Trust although Betty lived in the house until her death in 2006. She was 99 years old.


See part I of my basic history of Scotney Castle here:



For many grete benefetis by hym done in dyverse wises to the same John Assheburnham



Useful links:
National Trust Website
Scotney Castle on the National Trust Website
Scotney Castle on Twitter
Scotney Castle on Facebook


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As ever, thanks for reading.

Some additional photos from Ightham Mote

Here are a few more photographs taken at Ightham Mote as requested by Gem from Ighthammote.co.uk who's "blog was conceived as a place to collect reliable and accurate information about the early history of Ightham Mote and its inhabitants, to revise some oft-repeated errors, and to offer new insights which could be shared for the benefit of anyone interested in the building, and in medieval history in general."


It's a great website, full of the history of Ightham Mote and is run by Gemma Minihan, a PhD student reading medieval history and archaeology at the University of Southampton. I'd highly recommend having a browse through the blog - it's great! You can also follow her on twitter (@IghthamMoteHist).

For many grete benefetis by hym done in dyverse wises to the same John Assheburnham

The Old Castle

Photograph Details: 

Nikon D7000 Focal length 24mm ISO-100 exp: 1/160 f11

Scotney Castle, near Lamberhurst, can refer to either the old castle or the new castle within the estate once owned by the De Scoteni family (hence the name). Scotney Castle is now owned and maintained by The National Trust

The Old Castle:

The Old Castle was reputedly built by a Mr Roger Ashburnham in about 1378. Roger was an important administrator of Sussex during the reign of Richard II who ruled from 1377 (at the tender age of 10) to 1399 when he was deposed. During his work for the King, Roger was able to gain 5 manors within the counties of Sussex and Kent.