Oswestry Castle

About

Oswestry Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Oswestry, Shropshire, England. The castle has also been known as, or recorded in historical documents as: Album Monasterium; Blancminster; Blankmouster; Blancmustier; Croes Oswald; L'Oeuvre; L'uvre; Castle Loure; Luure; Luvre; Lvvre: Castle Philip; Oswaldestre; Meresberie.

The first reference to the castle in Oswestry was in 1086, when castelle Lurve (or castle L’oeuvre) is recorded in the Domesday Book as being built by Rainald, Sheriff of Shropshire in the Hundred of Meresberie. No town was recorded until around 1272 when references appear to the settlement of Blancminster (named after its white stone church). The Welsh were already referring to Croes Oswallt (Cross of Oswald) in 1254, regarding St Oswald, the Northumbrian king killed at the Battle of Maserfield (reputed to have taken place near Oswestry) in 641 AD. After Rainald the castle passed to Alan fitz Flaad. The civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda (1135–54) saw the Marcher Lord of Oswestry, William FitzAlan, join forces with Matilda. As a consequence he was deprived of his lands, including the castle and its area, and titles by Stephen after 1138, when he fled...