description Corfe Castle Overview
Corfe Castle is a ruined Dorset fortress begun by William the Conqueror and destroyed by Parliamentarian forces after a Civil War siege in 1646.
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Who defended Corfe Castle during the English Civil War?
Lady Mary Bankes led the royalist defense while her husband Sir John Bankes was away. Parliamentarian forces besieged Corfe Castle, and it eventually fell after betrayal and was slighted in the 1640s.
Did William the Conqueror build Corfe Castle?
Corfe Castle began as an 11th-century Norman fortress associated with William the Conqueror. Its later stone keep is strongly linked with Henry I, who built major royal apartments there.
Why is Corfe Castle ruined today?
After the royalist stronghold fell in the English Civil War, Parliament ordered the castle to be slighted. The ruined walls seen above the Dorset village are the result of that deliberate destruction.
Who owns Corfe Castle now?
Corfe Castle is now managed by the National Trust. It stands above the village of Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck, between Wareham and Swanage.
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