Bolsover Castle

Bolsover Castle was constructed on the site of an ancient burial ground and the remains of an 11^th-century fortress built by the famous medieval knight, William Peveril. The original castle had sat as a neglected and dilapidated ruin from the 13^th century until it was eventually purchased by aristocrat Sir George Talbot in 1553. Sir George (pictured below) then sold the site to his stepbrother, Sir Charles Cavendish, son of eminent Elizabethan businesswoman Bess of Hardwick.

Sir Charles Cavendish instructed the services of notable architect Robert Smythson, and together with Robert’s son, John, ambitious plans were devised to replace the derelict fortress with a stately, refined, and luxuriant residence. Works commenced on the site in 1612, but unfortunately, Robert Smythson died in 1614, and Sir Charles passed away just three years later before the building was completed. Sir Charles Cavendish is buried in St. Mary Old Church, Bolsover, less than half a mile away from the castle site.

Following the death of Sir Charles, his son, 25-year-old William, who would later become Duke of Newcastle, took on the mantle and continued his father’s project at Bolsover. Working with John Smythson, Sir William remained dedicated to the Bolsover property known as Little Castle, overseeing its development and filling it with elegant furniture and paintings. He and his wife Elizabeth threw lavish parties there for local dignitaries, entertaining them with plays and shows.

Sir William was a committed and skilled horseman with a particular passion for the art of training and riding horses and the craft of ceremonial dressage. In around 1630, an impressive riding school and equestrian ring were added to the Bolsover grounds, where Sir William fully indulged his passion, training his horses to deftly move around vertical posts and perform sets of controlled movements.

At the declaration of the civil war in 1642, all activity at Bolsover Castle ceased, and the then-49-year-old staunch Royalist, Sir William, loyally fought for King Charles. Against his advice, the 1643 Battle of Marston Moor was fought with significant losses. Sir William's wife, Elizabeth, had also unexpectedly died just two months earlier, and he fled the country, remaining in exile until 1660, returning only after the monarchy was restored.

During the war, the Parliamentarians caused significant damage to William’s beloved Little Castle, and together with his second wife, Margaret, whom he'd met and married during exile in Paris, he set about restoring the estate and gradually returned it to its former glory.

Throughout his life, Sir William wrote a number of plays, poems, and works on horsemanship. He also encouraged and supported his wife, Margaret, in her career as a published poet and writer. Margaret died at Welbeck in December 1673, at just 50 years of age. At the age of 84 and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Sir William died just a few years later, on Christmas Day in 1676, with all works at Bolsover Castle complete.

Regrettably, William’s son and heir, Henry, failed to show the same dedicated care for Bolsover Castle as his father, dismantling the state apartments and allowing the place to fall into disrepair. Henry Cavendish died in 1691 without a male heir, and the Bolsover estate passed to the Dukes of Portland via the marriage of his daughter. Under the Dukes’ ownership, Little Castle spent most of the 19^th century tenanted and used as a vicarage.

In 1945, the Duke of Portland gifted Bolsover Castle to the state. Following the threat of subsidence that had been caused by mining practices at nearby Bolsover Colliery, substantial works were carried out to secure and protect the site. The care and management of the property were taken over by English Heritage in 1984.