Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
The Manor of Berkeley was once held by Earl Godwin, father of
King Harold II, but it was
not until after the Norman Conquest that the first fortification was built
here by
William FitzOsbern, Earl
of Hereford. FitzOsbern built up the natural hill, surrounded it by a ditch
and set
up a wooden stockade on
the summit. The site was later granted to Robert Fitzharding, a wealthy
merchant,
by King Henry II. It was
Fitzharding who built the first stone keep at Berkeley, which was completed
in
1153. King Edward II was
murdered at Berkeley in 1327 shortly after being forced to abdicate. The
castle is still in the possession
of the descendants of Robert Fitzharding.