The Berkeley Castle
Gloucestershire, after 850 years still remains the home of the Berkeley family who gave name to various places from Berkeley Square in London to Berkeley University in California; a Norman… Read More »The Berkeley Castle
berkeley family
Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire at About Britain
In 1153 Maurice Berkeley completed this fortress by the Severn Estuary at the command of Henry II, and ever since it has been the home of the Berkeley family – one of England’s oldest families who have given their name to numerous locations all over the world, from Berkeley Square in London to Berkeley Hundred in Virginia and Berkeley University in California. This ancient castle has been preserved and gradually transformed from a savage Norman fortress into a truly stately home with a wealth of treasures, 
paintings by English and Dutch masters, tapestries, furniture of an interesting diversity, silver and porcelain. Highlights of the castle are the massive Norman Keep with the Dungeon and the cell where King Edward II was murdered in 1327, the Picture Gallery, the Dining Room, the medieval Buttery and Kitchens, the Historic Great Hall and the magnificent State Apartments.
Read More »Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire at About Britain
Berkeley Castle
Continuously occupied by the Berkeley family since the 12th century, Berkeley Castle consists of a Norman, sandstone Keep with three semi-cylindrical turrets, and an Inner Ward surrounded by low-lying, 14ft thick walls. At one time there was a moat and the traditional Outer Ward to provide a defence strategy to the Inner Ward. The huge, round Keep is over sixty feet high, and is one of the oldest parts of the surviving castle.
Robert Fitzharding was in occupation during the mid-12th century when he was given permission by Henry II to construct a castle made of stone, to replace the former timber construction. It was from the descendants of Robert Fitzharding, who liked to describe themselves as ‘of Berkeley’, that lead to the family name still used today.