Corfe Castle
High on the cliff tops above the Dorset shores, guarding the isle of Purbeck, famous for its valuable stone quarries, sits the romantic ruin of Corfe Castle. Nearby is the dramatic geological feature known as Lulworth Cove. Both featured as backdrops in the classic Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks.
Corfe Castle was originally built in the 10th century. In 978AD the young king Edward was killed here by his stepmother and her son, Ethelred the Unready. By the 16th century it was under royal ownership. Queen Elizabeth, passed it onto one of her favourite courtiers, Christopher Hatton. The queen (reputed to have a thing for men-in-tights!) spotted Hatton at a banquet and was impressed by his dancing style – a kind of Tudor John Travolta! He was soon a powerful member of her entourage rising to become Lord Chancellor.
The 'dancing Chancellor' got into debt and the Hatton family was forced to sell the castle in 1635 to Chief Justice John Bankes. During the English Civil War, the castle was stoutly defended by his wife Lady Bankes for six weeks from Parliamentarian attack. She was allowed to keep the castle for her brave act, although it was ‘slighted’ (purposefully ruined) afterwards.