The Keep
Conisbrough’s massive stone keep was built around the 1170s by Hamelin of Anjou. Hamelin acquired the castle in 1159 after he married the heiress Isabel de Warrenne, whose great grandfather built the original castle. Hamelin and Isabel visited Conisbrough on a regular basis.
It is June 1176 and Hamelin and Isabel are in residence at Conisbrough preparing for a visit from King Henry II. Hear from the Lord and Lady, and their chief steward, Otes de Tilly, as they speak about their lives at the castle and make ready for the royal arrival.
Meet Lord Hamelin
Hamelin of Anjou built Conisbrough keep in around 1170 as a symbol of his power. He was an illegitimate half-brother of King Henry II and grew up in Anjou, a powerful duchy in modern-day France. After marrying Isabel de Warenne he became the Earl of Surrey and one of the richest men in the kingdom.
Meet Countess Isabel
Countess Isabel de Warenne came from an important and powerful family and was very rich. She could afford expensive dresses worn with silk belts and a fur cloak called a pelisse. She would have worn a golden circlet with precious stones and her hair in two long plaits bound with a silk ribbon. It was fashionable for the plaits to be as long as possible, and just as today, some women used extensions for extra length.
Meet Otes de Tilly
Otes de Tilly served as the chief steward at Conisbrough from 1174 to 1178. He married into an important local family of William son of Raven (Sheriff of Wakefield) and together with his wife Mabel lived in the nearby manor of Hatfield.
The steward (also called seneschal) was an important servant who came from a good family. He managed the lord’s household offices and departments, such as the stores, kitchens, chandlery and wood-house.