William of Normandy rewarded his trusted kinsman Roger De Montgomery lands in Wales, Shropshire and a third of Sussex on the condition that he build a feudal Castle to form part of a chain of defences along the South Coast of England.
A motte & bailey castle of timber and earth was errected in Arundel.
The gatehouse was made from Pulborough stone which was carried down the river Arun 15 miles by boat to the castle.
Roger's son Robert de Belleme rebelled against the crown. While Robert was away fighting, Arundel was besieged and after 3 months the castle surrendered, Robert was banished for life.
Arundel Castle was in the ownership of Henry I for 30 years until his death.
After Henry I died Queen Adeliza re-married William De Albini II. The descendants of William & Adeliza are the Dukes of Norfolk & the Arundel Earls.
William constructed a stone shell keep made from Caen stone from Normandy & Quarr Abbey stone from the Isle of Wight.
The Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I visited the castle on her way to claim the throne from her cousin Stephen. Stephen threatened to besiege Arundel and so safe passage was negotiated for her to leave peacefully.
When Adeliza died, Henry II granted William a charter to keep the castle & Earldom of Arundel for life.
After Williams death the castle reverted to the crown. Henry II stayed at the castle and carried out various architectural works building a great hall and King's chamber with an undercroft. Henrys two stories survive to this day at Arundel Castle. They are now the Dining Room & Drawing Room.
After Henry II died the castle was passed onto his son King Richard I.
William d'Albini bought the castle for 2000 marks from Richard the Lionheart and paid fines to the crown from then on.
The male line of the Aubignys came to an end upon the death of William. The castle and honour of Arundel went to Williams nephew, John Fitzalan.
Richard at the age of 5 inherited Arundel from his father John and became the first Earl of Arundel. He was close to Edward I and fought with him at Scotland. He was described as a handsome & well loved knight, richly armed in red with a gold lion rampant.
Edmund Fitzalan the second Earl of Arundel was caught up with Edward II & the Queen Isabella. He was caputured by Isabellas lover Mortimer who beheaded him without trial in 1326.
Richard inherited from his Uncle John de Warenne large estates and the Earldom of Surrey. He became the richest man in England at that time. Much of his money was kept in the keep at Arundel which was used as his treasury.
He built a new range on the west side of the bailey and a great hall with a steep pitched roof. There were several chambers, domestic offices, kitchens, a buttery and a pantry as well as private rooms for servants as well as for family & royal visitors. A new well tower was added and a new barbican with two square towers.
The 4th Earl Richard Fitzalan petitioned Richard II to dissolve the priory at Arundel and attach the revenues to a new college with a chantry. It comprised of a parish church dedicated to St Nicholas for the Arundel townspeople with an iron grille separating the collegiate chapel, which is now known as the Fitzalan Chapel. He built accommodation for 12 priests and a house for the Master. Arundel became an important centre for music with a choir of boys & men.
Richard Fitzalan fell out with the king and became his political opponent. He was seized in London and beheaded for treason. The castle reverted to the crown once again.
When Henry IV seized the throne he executed the Duke of Exeter whom Richard had given Arundel to and the castle was given back to the Earls son Thomas Fitzalan. He was involved in the hundred years war fighting alongside Henry V. He died after the siege of Harfleur and was buried in the Fitzalan Chapel where his finely carved alabaster tomb resides.
Henry VIII was godfather to the 12th Earl of Arundel who was his namesake. His father had been a confidant of Henry VIII. Henry Fitzalan petitioned his godfather to save the Fitzalan Chapel from destruction in 1544. He bought the chapel, college and endowments for 1000 marks.
He built a Tudor mansion in the grounds of the castle and a fourth range which formed the quadrangle including a new long gallery to the east wing
Henry Fitzalan, the grandfather of St Philip Howard made an agreement with his son in law, the 4th Duke of Norfolk, that Arundel and all its estates would be entailed on Philip and his heirs. Philips mother had died shortly after his birth and his father was later executed by Elizabeth I for treason. Because of this Philip could not inherit the Dukedom but his Fitzalan inheritance was unaffected as it had come to him through his mother.
The 14th ‘Collector Earl’ had left for the Low Countries with Mary the daughter of Charles I and her husband William of Orange in the year of the Civil War. There he went on to Padua never to return to Arundel although he is buried in the Fitzalan Chapel. In his will he asked for a bronze statue and elaborate tomb but because of the unsettled times this did not happen.
The castle was first besieged by a Royalist force under Hopton and then by the Parliamentarians under General Waller. The Royalists held out for 17 days before surrendering. The castle sustained damage to the keep and residential buildings.
Charles II reinstated the Fitzalan Howards as Dukes of Norfolk after the Restoration in 1660. The Collector Earls grandson, little Tom became the 5th Duke of Norfolk.
The 11 the Duke of Norfolk, Charles Howard wanted Arundel Castle to become the principal ducal seat. He rebuilt the residential part of the castle, including a magnificent library in gothic style and created the present park we see today, Arundel Park. Swanbourne Mill was enlarged to form a lake.
In 1800 the 11th Duke opened up part of the castle to the public with the proceeds going to the poor. Tickets could be bought from the Nofolk Arms Hotel in Arundel.
G.J. Morant, the fashionable interior designer was employed to re-decorate & furnish the castle rooms ready for Queen Victoria’s 3 day visit. The 13th Duke had 2 years notice to prepare and at that time was Master of Horse. The Duchess was one of the Queen's most favourite ladies in waiting. The visit was a tremendous success for everyone.
The 15th Duke of Norfolk Henry Howard had plans drawn up for a great Catholic Church. The building began the following year. Originally dedicated to St Philip Neri but now dedicated to Our Lady & St Philip Howard, the Cathedral was designed by J.A. Hansom and officially opened by Cardinal Manning in 1873. The cost of the building at that time was £65,000.
The 15th Duke chose the architect Charles Alban Buckler for the restoration of the castle. The detail and craftsmanship was to an extremely high standard. A new kitchen was installed and the Drawing Room remodelled. The Barons Hall was rebuilt and a private chapel for the family added as well as many fine architechtural works around the castle.
Buckler designed the gunmetal radiators which are still in use at the castle. These were powered by huge coal fired boilers in the basements of the castle.
Arundel was one of the first places to be built with electric lighting, this cost £36,169 and was installed by the Brush Electrical Engineering Company of Loughborough.
The Duke was keen to preserve as much as the original Keep as possible, this was done under the supervision of John Morley of Cambridge
During WW2 the castle was occupied by troops. The keep was used as a lookout post manned by the Royal Observer Corps. The East Wing was taken over by the army and occupied by various units. These were the 7th Guards Brigade, 16th-5th Royal Lancers, Royal Sussex Regiment, R.A.S.C., Pioneer Corps, Canadian Army and the American Army who were the last to leave. The Barons Hall was used to entertain the troops with performances of shows, dances & concerts.
In August 1940 a German Junkers 88 plane was shot down overhead & plunged into nearby Swanbourne Lake. It wasn’t discovered until the drought of 1989. The bomb disposal experts were called to make the explosives safe. You can see one of the 500lb bombs in the green passage at Arundel Castle.
The Collector Earls garden was opened by Prince Charles on the 14th May. The garden is based on the original designs of Inigo Jones for Thomas Howard the 14th Earl who was one of the country’s first great art collectors.