Page:Medieval Military Architecture in England (volume 1).djvu/75

Castles under the Sttccessors of the Conqueror. 59 Rockingham. In 1152 occurred the celebrated siege of Wallingford, held for Matilda by Brian Fitz-Count. Enough of Wallingford remains to show how strong it must formerly have been ; and the temporal was fully equalled by the spiritual power, for the town, always small, contained just twice as many churches as apostolic Asia. Stephen, unable to approach the Castle from its landward side, threw up a work still to be traced at Crowmarsh, on the left bank of the river, and there posted his engines. Young Henry, holding Malmesbury, Warwick, and about thirty other not very distant castles, marched to the relief of Wallingford, and invested the lines of Crowmarsh, besieging the besiegers. Stephen advanced to their aid from London, and Henry seems to have moved into the town, holding the passage of the river at the bridge by a special work. Wallingford was thus saved, and Henry, early in 1 153, laid siege to Stamford, where, as at York, Hertford, and Buckingham, two mounds commanded the river ; and stormed Nottingham, where were similar works upon the Trent. Stephen, falling back into the eastern coun- ties, took Ipswich, a castle of which even the site is lost. The death of Eustace, Stephen's son, in August, 1153, paved the way to an arrangement between the rivals. Stephen was to remain King, and Henry became his acknowledged successor. William, Stephen's surviving son, was to retain the Warenne castles and estates, which included Ryegate, of which traces remain ; Castle-Acre, with its mound and other earthworks, placed within a Roman encampment ; Castle- Rising, one of the least injured and most remarkable Norman keeps in England ; Lewes, with its double mound and strong natural position ; and Coningsburgh, an English site of excessive strength, though not then as yet celebrated for its noble tower. He also had the castles of Wirmegay and Bungay, Norwich, and the castle and honour of Pevensey. It was also agreed that the garrisons of the royal castles generally should swear allegiance to Henry and to Stephen ; and the castellans of Lincoln, London, Oxford, Southampton, and Windsor gave hostages that on Stephen's death they would give them over to Henry. It was also agreed at a conference at Dunstable in 11 54, that all castles built since the death of Henry I. should be destroyed (a clause which may be taken to show that no absolutely new castles of very great importance had been built by Matilda or Stephen) ; and that all mercenary troops should be sent back to their own countries. The office of sheriff, as representing the crown in the counties, was to be strengthened. Stephen died in October, 11 54, and his rival ascended the throne as Henry II. without opposition.