Historic Hampshire castle boasts link to Magna Carta
stopover. The King’s rule is not remembered fondly by most historians – after all, he did imprison his former wife, starve his opponents and may have murdered his own nephew.
But it is his signature on the Magna Carta for which King John is remembered and it is speculated that Odiham Castle was the place he stayed before signing the historical document.
King John had subjected his barons to high taxation to fund his foreign wars and punished them if they refused.
This led to the barons taking over London and in 1215 the king was forced to meet them at Runnymede.
It was either from Odiham or Windsor that the disgraced monarch rode out from to sign the Magna Carta, a document that declared: “No man shall be arrested or imprisoned except by the judgment of their equals and by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.”
The clause remains part of law today and is regarded as an international symbol of liberty that was the stepping stone for many of the rights we have today.
However, despite the agreement in 1215 the Magna Carta failed to bring peace between King John and his barons which led to Odiham Castle being seized soon after its completion in 1216. French knights took over the castle in support the barons in their rebellion.
When King John’s son King Henry III reigned, the ownership of Odiham Castle was transferred to Simon de Montfort who was married to Henry’s sister Eleanor.
During this time changes were made to the castle, with a second building constructed over the moat and a new hall added.
De Montfort’s attempt at usurping his brother-in-law eventually ended in his death and Eleanor’s exile, with Odiham Castle once again returned to the crown.
In 1303 it was chosen to host Parliament and it later operated as a prison for King David II of Scotland.
The surrounding defensive ditches, three-storey stone keep and surrounding moat ensured the Scottish king was imprisoned in the Hampshire castle for 11 years.
However, by the 15th century the castle lost its status as a royal residence and became a hunting lodge.
The following 200 years saw the once royal residence disintegrate and by 1603 it was classed as being a ruin.
But for those interested in its fascinating past, the Odiham Castle ruins are open to the public, although little remains of its former glory.
The only visible remains are part of the octagonal keep and outlying earthworks. Hampshire County Council went on to restore the shell keep in 2007 under guidance from English Heritage.
Meanwhile, the most southerly corner of the moat also survives in the form of a small overgrown pond.
There is no on-site parking, but Colt Hill car park is a mile and half away down the towpath from where the castle is accessible.
Admission to the ruins is free and signs around the site tell the story of its history, making it an ideal place to explore without breaking the bank.