Hever Castle Timeline - Saxon England - The building on the original site of Hever castle was occupied by a farmhouse
- 1066 - Following the Norman Conquest by William the Conqueror the land was given to a Norman noble called Walter de Hevere (d’evere)
- 1270 - The farmhouse was converted into a Manor House and was fortified as a stone quadrangular moated castle by William De Hevere c1270 during the reigns of the great English castle builders King Henry III 1216-1272 and Edward I 1272-1307
- It consisted of a massive gatehouse and a walled bailey, approached by a wooden drawbridge
- 1459 - Sir Geoffrey Bullen of Norfolk, Lord Mayor of London in 1459, was the first of the Bullen ( Boleyn ) family to own Hever Castle
- Sir Geoffrey Bullen had made a good marriage to Anne, heiress of Lord Hoo and Hastings, and - through her - acquired Hever Castle in Kent and Blickling Hall in Norfolk
- Used as a hunting lodge at this point in history
- Sir Geoffrey Boleyn transformed and rebuilt the castle into a comfortable family residence
- The estate was later inherited by his son William
- 1505 William Bullen bequeathed Hever Castle to one of his sons, Thomas Bullen - the father of Anne
- 1498 Thomas Bullen married the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth Howard
- They had three children:
- Mary Bullen
- George Bullen
- Anne Bullen
- Henry visits Hever Castle during his courtship of Anne Boleyn
- During this period the Bullen family changed the family name to Boleyn
- 1533 - Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn
- 1536 - Queen Anne Boleyn is executed together with her brother George
- 1538 - Thomas Boleyn dies and the castle is passed to his brother, James
- 1539 - King Henry VIII seizes ownership of the castle
- 1540 - King Henry VIII divorces Anne of Cleves and grants her the property of Hever Castle
- 1540 - 1557 - Anne of Cleves owns Hever during this period
- 1547 - King Henry VIII dies
- 1547-1553 The reign of King Edward Vl
- 1553-1558 Reign of Queen Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary)
- 1557 - Sir Edward Waldegrave (1517-61) a fervent Catholic was granted the castle by the daughter of Henry VIII - the Catholic Bloody Mary
- 1558 - 1603 - Queen Elizabeth I, the Protestant daughter of Anne Boleyn reigns over England
- 1561 - Sir Edward Waldegrave was imprisoned, and died, in the Tower of London accused of plotting against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth. He was also imprisoned for his strong Catholic beliefs and celebrating secret mass
- A Secret room had been added as an Oratory Chapel and is well concealed behind panels - this allowed for the concealment of Catholic Priests
- The Waldegrave famly continued to hold Hever Castle
- 1607 - another Edward Waldegrave, a loyal Royalist and supporter of King Charles I (1625-1649) was knighted
- 1643 - Sir Edward Waldegrave was made a baronet
- Hever Castle was a Royalist stronghold - possibly hiding prominent Royalists in the secret chapel
- 1649 King Charles I was beheaded
- 1649 - 1659 - The Commonwealth ruled England under the Cromwells
- 1660 - the Royal House of Stuart was Restored
- 1660 - King Charles II reigned 1660-1685
- 1684 - Henry Waldegrave 1st Baron inherited Hever. He was accountant to the household of King James II and married the Kings illegitimate daughter Henrietta Fitz James.
- 1749 - 1903 Hever was owned by the Meade-Waldos
- During this period the property fell into serious neglect
- 1903 - William Waldorf (1879 - 1952), 1st Viscount of Astor, purchased the castle and commenced an extensive restoration of the castle, the creation of the lake and gardens and the construction of a Tudor style village to providing more accommodation for his many guests
- Mr F.L.Peason was the architect employed by William Wardorf
- 1983 - Broadland Properties Ltd acquired Hever Castle which is now open to the public
Hever Castle Timeline |
