Baynard's Castle - Tudors

Tudors

In 1501 Henry VII "repayred or rather new builded this house, not imbattoled, or so strongly fortified Castle like, but farre more beautiful and commodious for the entertainement of any Prince or greate Estate". Henry's alterations included five projecting towers between two existing polygonal corner towers on the riverfront. Henry is recorded as staying at the castle when attending functions at St Paul's. His son gave the castle to Catherine of Aragon on 10 June 1509, the day before their wedding, and the queen took up residence there. Later one of Henry's favourite courtiers, Sir William Sidney (1482?–1554), tutor to the future Edward VI, lived in the castle and made his will there in 1548.

The house passed to William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke by 1551, the year in which this influential courtier was made Earl of Pembroke. Thus it was at Baynard's Castle that the Privy Council met to end the reign of Lady Jane Grey and proclaim Mary as Queen of England. Pembroke's wife Anne Parr, the sister of Henry VIII's queen Catherine Parr, died in the castle in 1552. The house was extended to the west around 1550 with three wings of brick, faced with stone on the riverfront. The second courtyard formed by this extension is clearly visible on Hollar's view of London before the Great Fire. Old prints show a large gateway in the middle of the south side, a bridge of two arches and steps down to the river.

The house remained in the Pembroke family until the 4th Earl, Philip Herbert, who was appointed Chancellor of the University of Oxford there in 1641. Herbert preferred to live in Whitehall while his wife Anne (1590–1676) took up residence in Baynard's Castle, describing it in her memoirs as "a house full of riches, and more secured by my lying there". Pembroke sided with the parliamentarians in the First English Civil War and died in 1650. By the time of the Restoration, the house was occupied by the Earl of Shrewsbury, who had fought with the Royalist army in their defeat at Worcester in 1651. Samuel Pepys records that on 19 June 1660 "My Lord went at night with the King to Baynard's Castle to supper... lay long in bed this day, because he came home late from supper with the King". Charles II had only arrived in London on 29 May, and would appoint Pepys' "lord", Edward Montagu as Earl of Sandwich a few weeks later.