Hertford Castle
The House of Cecil
The death of Elizabeth brought to the throne James I 1603-25, the first Stuart King. From this point on Hertford Castle ceased to be a Royal Residence and fell into decay. James had little interest in, or knowledge of English Tradition and for the first years of his reign relied greatly on the guidance of Sir Robert Cecil, an elder statesman of Elizabeth's reign, who he elevated to the peerage as Earl of Salisbury, Viscount Cranbourne.
Three years after Charles I 1625-49 came to the throne, The Castle was granted to William Cecil, second Earl of Salisbury. Much of the castle was now in ruins, not having been used since Tudor times. The castle was leased to Sir William Harrington of Hertingfordbury Park, who carried out work to restore the buildings. He then assigned his lease to Sir William Cowper, Collector of Customs at The Port Of London.
| | The Tower School |
From this point on The Castle remained in the ownership of the Cecil family, who leased it out to a succession of occupiers, many of them successors to William Cowper. In the 18th Century, one of these leasees, Edward Cox, built The Tower School.
Around 1790 the South Wing was added to the gatehouse.
Around 1800 a new gateway and lodge were built in Castle Street (now Longmores solicitors) by The Marquis of Downshire.
In 1806 The Castle became the home of Haileybury College for three years prior to their installation at their current site in Hertford Heath. However, the prep school remained for a further nine years.
In 1822, a general dispensary was established at The Castle by the Rev.Thomas Lloyd, who was a prime mover in charitable work in the town.
In 1911 the Hertford Corporation leased the gatehouse of the Castle (for that was all that remained) from The Earl of Salisbury for a miniscule rent to house its' administration. Shortly afterwards the current Castle Gates in The Wash were presented to the town by Osmond McMullen and the grounds became a public pleasure garden.
In the 1930s the North Wing was added to The Gatehouse.
The late 20th century saw The Castle given to the town as a generous gift by the Earl.
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