The New Castles of Henry de Blois as Bishop of Winchester: The Case against Farnham, Surrey

Abstract

FARNHAM CASTLE, like other castles of the bishops of Winchester, has traditionally been dated to the period of the Anarchy, a tradition that is based upon the documentary evidence and the limited excavation by Dr M. W. Thompson within the area of the castle keep. This view is challenged on the grounds of historiographical problems with the documentary evidence, the archaeological examination of other de Blois castles which suggest construction before his episcopate, and finally because it is chronologically incompatible with the soil mechanics of the molle.