Tickhill Castle
Tickhill Castle is a motte and bailey castle with its fortifications recently upgraded at the orders of King Henry II.
Tickhill is a royal castle, but was seized by John, Count of Mortain during his dispute with the justiciar William Longchamp in 1191. It is held for him by Roger de la Mare.
History
The castle was built on Tica's Hill for Roger de Busli, lord of the Honour of Blyth, before 1100 CE. It quickly became the caput of his holdings, which then became known as the Honour of Tickhill. After Roger's death in 1098, the honour and castle of Tickhill passed to his son Roger II de Busli, then a child of 2 or 3 years old.
Henry I appointed the infamously cruel Robert de Bellême as ward to Roger II, essentially allowing Robert to control and exploit the honour. When Roger II died in 1101, at the age of 5 or 6, de Bellême attempted to retain control over the honour and the castle, but they were stripped from him after he supported Robert Curthose against Henry I in 1102. De Bellême did not give up Tickhill readily; King Henry dispatched Robert Bloett, Bishop of Lincoln, to lay siege to the castle, and by June 1102 King Henry himself joined the siege.
Though there was potentially a Busli heir - Jordan de Busli (born c. 1070) was the eldest son of Roger I's younger brother Ernulf, Lord of Maltby and Kimberworth, and cousin to the young Roger II - the rules of inheritance were vague about estates passing though brothers, rather than children. Rather than go to Jordan, the castle and the honour then escheated (reverted) to the crown. Henry I had the defences strengthened by replacing the wooden outer curtain wall with stone, flooding its outer ditch on south and east, building an embankment to north and west, and constructing a stone gatehouse with a great hall above the gate.
In 1139 King Stephen granted the castle to the counts of Eu in return for their support against Empress Matilda - Roger I's daughter Beatrix had married William, Count of Eu, before 1095 - but it was captured by Ranulf, Earl of Chester, following the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, and held by him until his death in 1153. From King Henry II's accession in 1154 it remained in royal hands until Count John's seizure, held for the crown by the de Lacy family of Pontefract.
Between 1178 and 1182 King Henry spent £138 substantially upgrading its defences. These improvements include replacing the outer curtain wall, building a stone bridge over the moat, and building a new, 11-sided and buttressed stone keep atop Tica's Hill. Within the bailey a new chapel was dedicated to St Nicholas by Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Wouldn't like to think how it got it's name though.
Actually mentioned in the article. It was built on Tica's Hill. ;)
Ahh, didn't make that connection for some reason. Brain fog kicking in.