© The British Library Board
THE LORD AND LADY OF THE CASTLE
The most important person in a castle was the owner —the king, lord, knight or lady. But they didn't live there all the time. Kings of England owned dozens of castles, and could never have visited them all.
Countess Joan de Valence, a widow, often travelled between her four castles and many manor houses, but Goodrich Castle seems to have been a favourite. There was great excitement (and a rapid clean-up) in 1296 when she arrived there with a long procession of carts and waggons, over 50 horses and 194 followers.
Castle owners always had private 'apartments', or at least a bedroom with an en-suite loo and a chamber where they welcomed visitors. There was often a private chapel too. These were usually in the safest part of the castle, and only trusted servants or honoured guests were allowed in.
Some castles had their lordly living rooms in a completely separate building; a castle within a castle, which could be defended even if the rest of the fortress fell. The Earls of Northumberland's Great Tower within Warkworth Castle had its own wine-cellars, kitchens, hall, chapel and bedrooms.
For the best experience of lordly life in a castle, go to Henry II's royal palace in the keep of Dover Castle, colourfully recreated as it looked in about 1185.
