Rougemont Castle. S. Read. 1869. Source: the 1869 Illustrated London News. Click on image to enlarge it
“The ruined gate-way, or gate-house, of Rougemont Castle, by which the “Castle Yard” is entered, is a picturesque fragment overgrown with ivy, represented by one of our Artist’s minor sketches. This castle was built by William the Conqueror, after his eighteen-days’ siege of Exeter, where the mother of Harold had taken refuge when her son was killed at Hastings. It is believed, however, that there was a more ancient fortress on the site, erected by King Athelstan, about the year 927, when Athelstan drove out the Cornish Britons, and protected the Saxon city with ramparts around it. The Norman name of “Rougemont” was obviously derived from the red colour of the soil, which has been alluded to” (169).
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Bibliography
"Leaves from a Sketchbook: Exeter." Illustrated London News 55 (1869): 169-70. Hathi Trust online version of a copy in the Princeton University Library. Web. 25 May 2021.
Last modified 27 May 2021