Bolingbroke Castle

Old Bolingbroke is a quiet village in Lincolnshire, near Spilsby, once an important gateway to the Wolds from the Fens.

The village church of St Peter and St Paul has existed on its site continuously for nearly a thousand years. Interesting graffiti, left by Medieval visitors, including mason’s marks, font inscriptions and marks to discourage demons from entering the church, is worth looking for and there is information around the church to guide your search. It was probably here that the future Henry IV, son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Blanche of Lancaster was christened shortly after his birth. According to the church website, the font dates from this era and may have been used for this ceremony.

Henry was born at Bolingbroke Castle in 1367. It was built around 1220 by Randulph de Blundevill, Earl of Lincoln and after his death, the castle remained in the ownership of the Earls of Lincoln and was later inherited through marriage by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who became the guardian of Richard II when, at the age of 10, the young king succeeded to the throne.

All that remains of this castle today are ruins. During the Civil War of 1642–1648, the castle became base for a Royalist garrison and was besieged by Parliamentarian forces in 1643. The Royalists surrendered that winter, and the entire castle was destroyed. 

The site is now managed by English Heritage. Open to the public at ‘any reasonable time during daylight hours’, there is a very small car park on Moat Lane with space for two or three cars. Both entrances offer wheelchair access, but the ground is very uneven and when we visited, very wet, which would not make manoeuvring a chair easy. Notice boards offer plenty of information about the site so even those visiting with no knowledge of the periods or peoples involved will gain an understanding of the events which took place here.

Wandering about this site, I wondered about Henry IV. Not one of my favourite monarchs, I know far less about him than I do about his father, John of Gaunt or John’s third wife, Katherine Swynford from all the historical fiction I read when much younger. Both of these are fascinating people, but Henry has never really appealed to me, although I like his cousin and predecessor on the throne, Richard II, even less! Still, visiting his birthplace has made me determined to find out more about him- perhaps starting with Ian Mortimer’s ‘The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King’.

The castle is a beautifully peaceful spot- the only other visitors were leaving as we arrived- and it is easy to see why they would have chosen to build a castle here. Using the information boards as a guide, it is easy to imagine the ruins as they once were and spend as much time as you like, wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere and reflecting on the past.

Henry IV is buried with his second wife, Joan of Navarre, at Canterbury Cathedral, near the Shrine of St Thomas a Becket, the only tomb of a monarch in the cathedral.

Bolingbroke Castle,

Moat Lane,

Old Bolingbroke,

Spilsby,

Lincolnshire PE23 4HH