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A look at the sometimes ark troubled history of Rochester, a truly historic Kentish stronghold
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A look at the sometimes ark troubled history of Rochester, a truly historic Kentish stronghold
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A look at the sometimes ark troubled history of Rochester, a truly historic Kentish stronghold
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The Darkantium Podcast takes us to the historical city of Rochester, known for its Roman walls and mighty castle. The castle has a dark past, being involved in rebellions and sieges, with stories of betrayal and tragic love. The castle is now a popular tourist spot and hosts the Rochester Christmas Market. However, there are still reports of paranormal activity, including sightings of Lady Blanche, a ghost who relives her final moments on the battlements. The castle holds a mix of history, romance, and eerie tales. Welcome to the home of lost stories. Welcome to a home for ghosts, monsters, rebels and rogues. Welcome to the darkness and welcome to Darkantium Podcast. Today we slip north, staying in the shadows and moving from the smuggler's paradise of sleepy old Ordington until we happen upon the huge towering protective walls of our next destination. And in front of those walls, a wide expanse of water passes the immense city gates. Neighbouring the river is the intimidating presence of the castle and its keep. Behind that, the beautiful cathedral towers over the other buildings in all its glory. A truly impressive sight is before us, because after our arduous journey, we have reached the grand old city of Rochester. Let me take you back in time so we can discover the history and stories of this amazing old place. Because sure, it has a romantic Dickensian vibe at times, but be in no doubt, this place has been a site of great torment and suffering, and that is what we are really here for. The city walls that greet you upon your arrival are actually mostly Roman and were built here to protect the river and the crossing, which would have also been key to the trade that was brought into the streets and markets here. It's a bustling place with great energy. Even today, you can sense the history from just walking its streets. The mighty castle is built into the highest part of the city's Roman curtain wall, astride the London Road and menacingly overlooking the river and crossing, which at one stage was the most important bridge across the mighty River Medway. This is a formidable looking fortress and boasts one of the tallest keeps in all England, a truly impressive sight for people entering the city, or for approaching baddies looking to do naughty things. It has some interesting stories to tell, does this old place? It all begins just after the conquest of Britain, when a castle was built here to protect not only the city, but Britain's southeast coast. The original fortress was gifted to no other than Bishop Odo, and we've met him before. I guess we've had a few episodes without him, but he's come storming back into this one. During the rebellion of 1088, with succession to the English throne at stake, Odo backed William's eldest son against William Rufus, who was William the Conqueror's third son. They made Rochester and its castle the centre of the rebellion. After the city and castle were besieged and retaken, the fortress was abandoned. Rufus then asked Gundolf, Bishop of Rochester, to build a new stone castle. Now, I know this guy sounds like he straight had a lot of the rings, but he has quite a track record, you know. He was also responsible for the mighty Tower of London, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you what an important historical building that is, or what a bloody and storied history it has. Much of what he has built at Rochester can still be seen today. Rufus, or William II, was King of England from 1087 until his death in 1100. This William was said to be a complex figure, capable of great drivality and flamboyance, but also aggression and violence. Bugger me, he sounds like a right pabula of laughs. He never married and had no children, which has led some historians to speculate on his possible homosexuality. Either way, he died after being hit by an arrow whilst out hunting. There are some who have speculated that this might not have been an accident, owing to his behaviour and the actions of those around him. Included in that group was in fact his younger brother Henry, who hurriedly succeeded him as King. Certainly sounds like a dramatic life he lived, but was he betrayed? It seems we will never now know. Around a hundred years later, in the year 1215, in the First Barons War during the reign of King John. Yes, that King John. The castle was taken by the Barons and held against the King. The siege that took place to get it back was brutal and has stained the castle and its grounds with the blood of those who held out against him for so long. John's forces first undermine the castle walls, which doesn't mean talking disparagingly about them. It is in fact the practice of digging a tunnel beneath the strong castle wall, packing the end of it with flammables and lighting fire to the tunnel's timbers. When the tunnel then collapsed, it would bring down the wall with it, providing the opposing forces with a breach through which they can launch an attack. The defenders, now all contained in the castle's mighty keep, endured great hardship and suffering with little food and the enemy at their very door. The same tactic was then employed against the keep itself. A tunnel was run under the corner of the fortress and the fat of 40 pigs is said to have been used to burn the tunnel fire fierce enough to bring down one corner of the keep. But even then, there was no surrender from the garrison inside, no doubt knowing what awaited them if they did. They in fact resisted for an amazing seven weeks before eventually starvation saw them give up the castle. John, however, did not have it back for long as it was captured by the French Prince Louis, who was by now leader of the baronal forces. Upon John's death and the succession of his son King Henry, the castle was eventually returned to royal hands, but it was forever stained with the blood of what had happened there in the years before. Now, there were other sieges at Rochester. In 1264, during the second baron's war, the castle's royal constable, Roger de Laborn, held the castle in support of Henry III. Now, if you have listened to our episode, Heart-Shaped Box, you might remember what a fearsome, formidable warrior Roger was. He was good friends with the royals and had quite the reputation. Not a man to pick a fight with, I think. At this siege, the rebel armies entered the city and set about trying to capture the castle, but this time they had picked a fight with the wrong man. The outcome was very different. After a week, Henry's forces arrived and the siege was lifted. It has not all been bloody sieges and battles here, though. There is a love story associated with this place, so here is something for the romantics amongst you. Although I should add, it is a love story with a grisly murder at the end of it, and a ghost story too. What a treat. It's a tragic story, and it goes just a little something like this. During the siege of Rochester in 1264, by the forces of Simon de Montfort, one of the castle's defenders was a chap by the name of Ralph de Capo. Ralph fought as part of a strong, spirited defense, and he battled that hard for a good reason, because inside the castle was Ralph's future bride, the reputedly very beautiful Lady Blanche de Warren. After much fighting, it eventually became clear that the siege was over, and even with the attackers in full retreat, Ralph was not finished with them just yet, and he left the castle in pursuit. It was just too much to watch them walk away. They must pay for their crimes. He was gunning for their leader, de Montfort, but little did he know that one of the attackers, a chap called Gilbert, just so happened to also have a thing for Lady Blanche. He had been given the cold shoulder in favor of old Ralph, so seeing that old Ralphie boy had left his post, Gilbert, who had found the whole love triangle situation, and ultimately his rejection, a touch tough to handle, thought he might ask again. Why not have another crack? I'm sure this time she will see reason. Now remember chaps, no means no. Anyway, Gilbert managed to sneak into the castle grounds, and soon located Lady Blanche. The good lady was on the battlements, and feeling quite faint by all accounts, having witnessed what had occurred below. Gilbert, seeing his opportunity, took Blanche in his arms, and fully expected her to yield to him. Sadly for old Gilbert, and we've all been there lads, she recoiled in disgust and pushed him away from her. Now it was at this point that Ralph looked up to the battlements, and spotted what he thought was his lover and Gilbert in a passionate embrace. Well I'm not standing for that he thinks, and whilst no doubt trying really hard not to overreact, grabbed his crossbow. Oh dear, I'm sure you can tell which way this is going. He fired at Gilbert, and his aim was good, but not great, and Gilbert received a glancing blow for his trouble. Sadly though, the bolt then veered off, and plunged into Lady Blanche's heart. She fell at the feet of Gilbert, already dead before she hit the ground, with the dark red blood staining her beautiful white dress. Men eh, the poor cow just minding her own business watching the battle, and wallop. It would seem that she had paid the price for their inability to accept rejection, and their jealousy. And the tragic Lady Blanche obviously couldn't move on from this herself, because she is reputedly still seen to this very day, up on the battlements, peering over to observe the phantom battle below, fated to forever relive her final moments and the horrors that she no doubt witnessed just before her own tragic death. The beautiful lady in white is also seen being struck by an arrow, and then falling from the keep, disappearing only before she hits the ground. It is a horrible story really, but it could have been worse. I had feared a gushy romantic story. It turns out the moral of the story is not to wear white to a battle. It has also been said that mysterious footsteps have been heard within the remains of the castle. Whether these are the footfall of Lady Blanche, or some other former occupant, only the castle will know. I have some great photos of this place, and of course I will upload them to our socials. These days the castle is a quiet place, a place you can visit with your family. You can even visit the popular Rochester Christmas Market, which is held within the castle walls each year. But if you thought that the suffering was a distant memory, you'd be very much mistaken. For in the summer of 2023, I'm sorry to report that the Sugar Babes played there, and this year it's UB40. My God, is there no end to the horror? Haven't the good people of Rochester suffered enough? Now, just across from the castle is the amazing Rochester Cathedral, which as you might expect from a cathedral, is a rather beautiful building. The current building dates from the Norman era, and is Grade I listed, but this site has been a place of Christian worship and pilgrimage since the 7th century. During the siege of the castle in 1264, the cathedral was desecrated, with gold and silver stolen, and armed knights entering the building, and dragging away Christian pilgrims from within its walls. Clearly, these men had no respect for the church, and no fear of God, and so I fear for the fate of these poor pilgrims. I worry that their faith may not have been enough to protect them, but I guess may have offered them some comfort in the darkest of times. Just to finish off the complete lack of respect shown here, some of the surrounding monastic buildings were even used to stable the knights' horses. The leader of these men that committed these outrages was our friend from earlier, Simon de Montfort, and he met his end on the battlefield at Evesham in the year that followed. It was the 4th of August, and Montfort led his army up a hill at Evesham against superior numbers. In reality, it was less of a battle, and more of a massacre. It is said that when he heard of the death of his son on the battlefield, his only response was, then it is time to die. Sounds like it's straight out of a movie. And upon being eventually cornered, and killed via a spear to the neck, his final words were thank God. The Royalists are said to have brutally mutilated his body, removing his hands and feet and sending them to his various enemies across the country. His head was also removed and sent to his killer's wife as a present. I find myself wondering if he misread his wife's birthday present list, because that must have been quite a shock when she unwrapped it. But maybe, might have made a nice vase, or a candle holder, or even a slightly macabre hat stand. It might even pop up on an episode of Find It Fix It, Flog It Fairly Soon. Who knows? Long and short of it was that he was as dead as something that's recently died, having previously been dead. He was proper, proper dead. Now, rolling the clocks forward slightly, in times closer to our own, a certain Mr Charles Dickens moved into the area. You see, his father was a clerk in the Royal Navy, and was transferred to Chatham Dockyard in 1817. Dickens was just a wee lad at this point, and growing up around Chatham and Rochester, is said to have had a great impact on the young man, and his writings. The area is quite rightly very proud of its association with Dickens, and he has a permanent museum at the Rochester Guild Hall. And for many years, Dickens' world was a very popular attraction at Chatham as well. Rochester, with other towns in the area, still hold Dickensian festivals throughout the year, and they are always a great thing to behold, with all sorts of people descending on the town in their various paraphernalia. I know I always feel very underdressed when I'm walking through them. Rochester really is a fascinating place, but the truth of it is that it's actually lost its right to be called a city. The local authority of Medway was formed, and therefore Rochester became part of Medway City. The rules state that only places with a local authority can be a city, and so this has actually been a visit to the town of Rochester. What a load of tripe! It has a cathedral, and the local footy team is still called Rochester City, and so I reckon that settles it. It'll always be a city to me, and I will add this, if you get the chance to visit Rochester, absolutely do it. You will have to be prepared to scratch away the modern day hustle and bustle, the busy roads and the noises I like, but once you do that, it is a great visit. The High Street still has a very Victorian feel to it, and then of course you have the ancient castle and cathedral. It's all well worth a look. Now, as usual, I have uploaded some photos of the various places we have discussed today to our socials. You can find us at DarkKantiumPod on both Twitter and Insta. If you do not use them, and you want to make contact, feel free to email darkkantiumpod at outlet.com, and also feel free to share and like us if you can. It'll help others join our growing tribe of listeners. Thank you, and so our visit comes to an end. I would like you to remember this though, if you are likely to be under siege in a castle, always remember to pack a lunch. If you're going to shoot a love rival, always take a second to aim correctly, and if you are going to oppose the king, be careful, because it might end up costing you an arm and a leg. Now, as always, in the words of Rochester's much-loved Charles Dickens, Charles Dickens, the pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again. Goodbye, my friends.
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