https://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/, https://friendsofdudleycastle.co.uk/

The Friends of Dudley Castle, Dudley (2026)

02/09/2026

🏰🔥🐴 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒: 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 “𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐃𝐎 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆”

Alright my glorious FoDC gremlins, gather ye round, because today we’re diving into the 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 — the building that has lived more lives than a medieval monarch with a good lawyers

Once upon a soggy Norman morning (c. 1070), this wasn’t a stable at all.
It was a 𝐌𝐎𝐀𝐓.
A big wet trench of doom.
A medieval “keep out” sign filled with water and regret. 💦😬

But Dudley Castle looked at that moat and said:
“𝗡𝗮𝗵. 𝗜’𝗺 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱. 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗚𝗘.”

And then:
“Let’s add 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒"
And then:
“Let’s slap on a
𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 because we’re EXTRA.”
And finally:
“𝑫𝑹𝑶𝑷 𝑷𝑰𝑻. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 ✨𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒆✨.”
Honestly, the architects were giving chaotic neutral energy.
🧱➡️🏹➡️🕳️

A whole timeline of “what if we made it scarier?”

Then the Civil War arrived like an unwanted relative at Christmas.

Parliament rocked up and said:
“Dudley Castle, babe… you’re too powerful. We’re knocking bits off.”
🪓😑
Moat filled.
Walls slighted.
Drama everywhere.

But the Stables?

Oh, they rose from the rubble before 1700 like a sandstone phoenix with attitude. 🔥🦅

Inside, it’s giving split personality:

North side: stone flags — ancient, moody, probably judges you. 😤🪨

South side: brickwork — newer, eager, trying its best. 😇🧱

Separated by a kerb like two medieval siblings who cannot share toys.

Ground floor: horses. 🐴
First floor: lodgings. 🛏️

A glamorous combo of hay, hoofbeats, and someone snoring above you while you shovel muck.

Peak Dudley luxury.

Then the 1750 fire said “SURPRISE 🔥🔥🔥” and the Stables went quiet…

Until the zoo era, when it became home to water tanks feeding animal enclosures.

Because apparently the building hadn’t suffered enough.
💧🐒💧

Today, the Stables stand there like:
“I’ve been a moat, a bridge, a tower, a stable, a flat, AND a water tank.

What have YOU done lately?”

😏🏰✨Weatherproofed. Restored.

Ready to serve medieval attitude with a side of architectural chaos

31/08/2026

🏰💀 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐔𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄 — 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐘, 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐇𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑
It’s Bank Holiday, bab.
Which means three things:

1.The weather’s having a meltdown.
2.Everyone’s arguing over whether to go to Merry Hill or not.
3.And Dudley Castle’s most famous ghost, Dorothy Beaumont, is out doing her rounds like she’s on overtime.

So let’s give her the spotlight — she’s earned it.

👶💔 𝑫𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒚’𝒔 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 — 𝑨𝑲𝑨 “𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑮𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑯𝒂𝒔 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑻𝒐 𝑩𝒆 𝑰𝒏 𝑨 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒅
Dorothy loses her baby.
Dorothy dies.
Dorothy asks to be buried with her child.

The universe:
“Bank Holiday rules apply — nothing goes to plan.”

Bottom Church?
Flattened.
Gone.
Turned into rubble quicker than yow can say “I’ll just nip to Greggs.”

So her dying wish?
Denied.
And now she’s haunting the castle like a woman who’s STILL waiting for someone to sort this mess out.

🏃‍♂️💨 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗥𝗨𝗡

Six soldiers.
Twenty minutes.
A co**se.

A hill that feels twice as steep on a Bank Holiday.

This weren’t a funeral — this was 𝗮 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲

They sprinted Dorothy to Top Church faster than yow sprint when yow hear the ice cream van.
And they DID IT.
But she still weren’t buried with her baby.
So now she’s wandering the castle like:
“𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅… 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅.”

👻 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 — 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐑

If you’re up the castle today, expect:
A ghost giving yow the full Dudley glare
A cold breeze that’s definitely not the weather
A shadow that moves even when yow don’t
A feeling of “someone’s watching me” that’s NOT the pigeons

She’s not scary.
She’s not evil.
She’s just 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 and honestly, who isn’t on a Bank Holiday?
📸 𝗧𝗛𝗘 2014 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢 — 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗜𝗗 “𝗚𝗢 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗡, 𝗧𝗘𝗞 𝗠𝗘 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘, 𝗜𝗧’𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬”

Dean and Amy Harper take a photo.
Zoom in.
There she is — Dorothy — stood there like:

“𝑺𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆, 𝒃𝒂𝒃. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔.”

Possibly with little Frances too, both of ‘em looking like they’re waiting for the bus that never comes.

🗣️ 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗪 𝗟𝗢𝗧 — 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦?

Seen her?
Heard her?
Felt her judging yow for wearing shorts in this weather?

Drop your stories — the more Black Country, the better.

30/08/2026

🔥 𝘿𝙪𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀 𝙤𝙣 17𝙩𝙝 & 18𝙩𝙝 𝙎𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧, 5𝙥𝙢–7𝙥𝙢 (𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 6𝙥𝙢).

🎟️ 𝙋𝙧𝙚‑𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙗𝙮 16𝙩𝙝 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞.

🏰 Explore the Courtyard, Keep, Undercroft and Castle Creatures — all for FREE.

🚫🦁 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐙𝐎𝐎 𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃.

No lions. No lemurs. No penguins. No “just a quick look at the giraffes.

𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆. 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀.

🎟️ Book thy place:

https://onlineshop.dudleyzoo.org.uk/DudleyZoo/sessions.aspx?tid

30/08/2026

𝗪𝗘𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗘:𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄, 𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐍, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖-𝐔𝐏 🌾🏚️

After centuries of drama, Weoley Castle gets tired.

By the 1600s it’s like:
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞.”

A farmhouse wall still survives today—one last whisper of its post-medieval life.

Then the canals arrive in 1798 and mess with the water supply.
The moat dries.
The buildings collapse.

Weoley Castle becomes the gorgeous ruin we see today—still dramatic, still moated, still giving
:“𝑰 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.”

Archaeologists lose their minds (again):

One of the best-preserved medieval kitchens in England

◦Stone foundations of hall and solar
◦Chapel remains
◦Moat structure
◦Pottery,
◦coins,
◦tools
◦Architectural fragments
◦Domestic chaos galore

Weoley Castle today is run by Birmingham Museums Trust, with interpretation boards, community events, and a visitor centre full of finds.

🏰💅 𝗗𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗬 & 𝗪𝗘𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗬: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗢 💅🏰

Together they form:

◦𝗔 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗤 (𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲)
◦𝗔 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 (𝗪𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲)
◦𝗔 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆–𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆–𝗧𝘂𝗱𝗼𝗿–
𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁
◦𝗔 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀

𝐃𝐮𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞:
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫.”

𝐖𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞:
“𝐈’𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧-𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬.”

29/08/2026

🏰💥𝗪𝗘𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗘: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗩𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗢𝗔𝗣 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔 💥🏰

(𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒚𝒔, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒚𝒔, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒖𝒅𝒐𝒓 𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕)
By the 1270s, Weoley Castle is thriving.

It’s got a 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 described as “well stocked,” which is medieval code for:
“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉, 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒏.”

Dudley Castle: “.𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲”
Weoley Castle: “𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧.”

Then comes the 1424 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘆–𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 feud, which is basically medieval EastEnders.Maurice Berkeley and Lady Bergavenny start arguing over who owns what.

The result?
A full architectural survey of Weoley Castle—one of the best medieval building inventories ever recorded.

It lists:

Great hall
▪ Chapel
▪ Solar (posh private rooms)
▪ Kitchen block
▪ Service rooms
▪ Towers
▪ Moat
▪ Enough domestic chaos to fill a Netflix series.

Archaeologists today
“𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳.”

Then the Tudors crash the party.
⚔️ 1485: Henry VII wins at Bosworth.

👑 1486: Jasper Tudor gets Weoley Castle.

💸𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑: He sells it to John, Lord Dudley.TEN. DAYS.

Dudley Castle:
“Get in, loser, we’re doing medieval politics.”

Weoley Castle:
“Do I get a room with a view?”

By 1495, the king officially confirms Dudley ownership.
The Somery–Dudley–Tudor–Berkeley crossover is complete.
It’s basically the medieval Avengers.

28/08/2026

🏰🔥 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐔𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈-𝐌𝐄 🔥🏰
(𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒔, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒐-𝑺𝒂𝒙𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝑼𝒑)

Dudley Castle: “𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒔𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆.”

Weoley Castle:“𝑰’𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.”

Long before Birmingham existed, before the Black Country had even invented sarcasm, Weoley Castle began life as an 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐨-𝐒𝐚𝐱𝐨𝐧 timber building on a raised earth platform.

Owned by a chap called 𝐖𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐰𝐢𝐧, who probably had no idea his little homestead would one day become a fortified drama magnet.

🔥 c. 1000: Timber building goes up.

🔥 c. 1100: Hearths added—because even medieval people wanted central heating.

🔥 c. 1200: The whole thing burns down in a blaze of “oops”.

But Weoley Castle doesn’t do quiet comebacks.

It returns with:
•𝐀 𝐦𝐨𝐚𝐭
•𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥
•𝐀 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧
,𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭
•𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 “𝐈’𝐦 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞”

Meanwhile, Dudley Castle is watching from its limestone throne like:
“𝑪𝒖𝒕𝒆. 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅.”

Then the Somerys arrive.
Roger de Somery—Baron of Dudley, lover of fortifications, collector of medieval real estate—gets 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 Weoley in 1264.

Translation:“𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗽 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚.”

Weoley Castle suddenly upgrades from “nice manor” to “moated power pad” with:

▪ Deepened moat
▪ Stone curtain wall
▪ Six towers
▪ A hall complex fit for medieval flexing

Dudley Castle:
"𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆, 𝗯𝗮𝗯.”

27/08/2026

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗟 𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗔

Alright my castle‑loving comrades, buckle your metaphorical armour straps because today we’re diving into the medieval equivalent of
“𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒐𝒏 𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑯 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎?”
The one, the only, the 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑹𝑶𝑩𝑬𝑹𝑻𝑶 𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑵𝑬𝑳 😤📜

This man appears in the records like a 12th‑century jump scare.
He pops up, signs a charter, and then vanishes like he’s late for his shift at medieval Greggs.
Honestly, the audacity.

🤨✨ 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗞𝗘?

Roberto Painel shows up witnessing a land grant at Kinver, signed by our favourite lion‑seal‑flexing lord, 𝗥𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗵 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆 🦁💅

His surname ties him to the Paganel clan, the previous lords of Dudley — but does he fit into their family tree?

𝐀𝐁𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘 𝐍𝐎𝐓.
Not as a brother.
Not as a cousin.
Not even as “that lad who once borrowed Gervase’s horse and never returned it.”
He’s just… THERE.
Like medieval glitter.
Impossible to remove and nobody knows where it came from.
📜🕵️‍♂️ 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥?

Because this random man helps us date one of the earliest surviving Somery documents — a tiny scrap of parchment found in 1929 at Cookhill Priory.
Ralph slaps his lion seal (one of the oldest seals ) on it like he’s signing merch, and who’s standing there witnessing it?
𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐎
Just vibing.
Just existing.
Just confusing every historian from 1929 to 2026.
We love that for him.

🧩💥 𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗧𝗥𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗛𝗜𝗠:

• 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞‑𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 — maybe he’s from the“discount Paganel” line.

• 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 —maybe he’s the medieval equivalent of “I’m just here for the paperwork.”

•𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞— maybe he’s the human version of a loading screen between the Paganels and Somerys.

Honestly?
He’s giving NPC energy and I adore it.

🏰⚔️ 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗠𝗘𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗗𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗘

It means the Somery takeover wasn’t a dramatic “TA‑DA!” moment — it 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆, 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘂𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲, witnessed by men like Roberto who probably didn’t realise they were helping future historians lose sleep.

It also proves Dudley’s history isn’t just kings, queens, and big flashy names — it’s full of these half‑forgotten weirdos who quietly shaped the castle’s destiny.

Roberto Painel didn’t build towers.
He didn’t lead armies.
He didn’t marry into royalty.

But he DID stand there, quill in hand, watching Dudley’s power shift from Paganel to Somery like:
“Yeah alright, crack on.”
And honestly?
That’s iconic behaviour. 💅🔥

26/08/2026

And... it's Ride + Stride day too! 🚲🥾☕

There's another reason to pop along to our Coffee Morning on Saturday 12th September – it also happens to be Ride and Stride Staffordshire day too!

Never heard of Ride + Stride? It's a brilliant annual event that sees people walking and cycling between churches, raising money to help preserve and support our wonderful historic church buildings along the way.

It's a chance to get out and about, discover churches you may never have visited before and help ensure these special places remain at the heart of their communities for years to come.

And if your Ride + Stride route happens to bring you to St Michael and All Angels, Himley... well, you've chosen a very good day to visit! 😄

We'll have the kettle on, homemade cakes at the ready and a warm welcome waiting for you. ☕🍰

📅 When: Saturday 12th September
🕙 Time: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
📍 Where: St Michael and All Angels, Himley (DY3 4LF)
🚗 Parking: outside the church or at Himley House Hotel

Whether you're riding, striding or simply coming for the cake, we'd love to welcome you! ❤️

26/08/2026

🏰 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗬: 𝗔 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗦, 𝗙𝗨𝗥𝗬 & 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗬 🌲⚔️✨

Gather ye, noble citizens of Dudley and beyond, for today we plunge head‑first into the 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 from which our beloved hill arose.

Forget the castle ruins, forget the Tudor tantrums, forget the ghost who throws stones at tourists — we’re going back to the moment when Dudley was nothing but 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬,𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.

His name?
𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗮
A man so iconic he didn’t need a surname. A man who looked at a dense Mercian forest and said:
“Absolutely not.”
🪓🌳💅

🌟 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗫𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗥: 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗡 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗗

It’s the 7th century. Mercia is expanding like a toddler grabbing snacks.

King Penda is stomping around being aggressively pagan — sacrificing, shouting, probably fighting a bear for fun.

While his son Wulfhere is trying to convert everyone to Christianity with the enthusiasm of a medieval influencer.

Into this chaos strides Dudda, armed with an axe, a dream, and the kind of chaotic energy that would one day give us a castle, a zoo, and that one peacock who thinks he owns the place.

He finds a patch of forest.
He clears it.
He claims it.
He names it.
Dudda’s leah — Dudda’s clearing.

The birthplace of Dudley.
🌲🔥👑

This wasn’t a gentle clearing. Oh no. This was a 𝗦𝗮𝘅𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲.
A declaration.
A territorial flex
A “this is mine now, go away” A moment so strong it echoed through 1,400 years of history.

📜 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊: 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐓

Fast‑forward to 1070. The Normans have arrived, wearing chainmail and bad attitudes. They take one look at Dudda’s hill and say:

“We shall build a castle here.
For vibes.”

And thus, In 1086, Dudley enters the Domesday Book, officially graduating from “forest clearing” to “place worth taxing.”

The hill becomes a fortress.
The fortress becomes a symbol.
The symbol becomes a drama magnet.

👑 1261: 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐘 𝐈𝐈𝐈 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐘𝐓𝐇, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑

Enter King Henry III — a monarch so fond of paperwork he basically turned England into a medieval admin office with a crown.In 1261, Henry decides Dudley is ready for an upgrade and grants the town its market charter, officially transforming it into the 13th‑century equivalent of Merry Hill… but with more mud, more shouting, and absolutely no sausage rolls.

Dudley becomes a buzzing hub of trade, gossip, scandal, and hygiene choices that would make a modern health inspector weep.
💰🧼❌

🏰 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗖𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗘
Every stone of the castle.
Every ghost story whispered at dusk.
Every peacock plotting a coup.
Every child running up the hill pretending to be a knight.
Every visitor staring at the keep like it’s about to reveal ancient secrets.
All of it is— 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐓 — began with Dudda.
A man.
A clearing.
A moment of pure, unfiltered Saxon audacity.

Dudley wasn’t built.
𝗜𝘁 𝗲𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱.
𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.
𝗜𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆.
🔥🦅🌲

25/08/2026

“𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐅 & 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐗𝐈𝐂 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 11𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐘 ”

Welcome back, my medieval mischief‑makers 😈📜

Today we’re dissecting the relationship between 𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫, which can best be described as
"𝗜 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.”
— 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 😤💕

⚔️ 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮

William didn’t want polite men.
He wanted 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬.
He wanted 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬.

He wanted men who could 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦.

Enter Ansculf. 😎🔥
He was:
loyal 🫡
brutal 💀
efficient ⚙️
and absolutely unbothered by Anglo‑Saxon tears 😢🚫

So William handed him Dudley — not as a treat, but as a 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

The Midlands were:
rebellious 😡
chaotic 😵
full of angry Mercians 😤
and occasionally on fire 🔥

William basically said:
“𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆.
𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘁.
𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗲.” 😤

🛡️ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗺

Ansculf:
never rebelled 🙅‍♂️
never backed a rival 🙅‍♂️
never lost territory 🏰
never failed a mission 🎯
never stopped being terrifying 😈

He was the medieval equivalent of a reliable IT guy —
except instead of fixing printers, he fixed rebellions.

💔 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚
William Fitz‑Ansculf, inherited the lot.
But then — plot twist — well actually we don't know what happened did he back 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗹ê𝗺𝗲, the medieval chaos gremlin of all chaos gremlins.

Did Henry I take one look at this disaster and say:

"Absolutely not.
Hand Dudley over to the Paganels" ? 😤👑

Did Fulk Paganel marry Beatrix,"the Dame of Dudley" William Fitz Ansculf 's daughter? 💍

🧩 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆

But here’s the truth that still slaps:

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗳,
𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆.

He is the origin point of EVERYTHING.

So raise a tankard 🍺 to:
the Norman menace
the frontier enforcer
the man who turned a hill into a fortress
and Dudley’s original problem child 😈

🔥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗙 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗬:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀’ 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀. 👑

The Friends of Dudley Castle

02/09/2026

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30/08/2026

29/08/2026

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25/08/2026

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