Hopton Castle is situated in the village of the same name which lies approximately half way between Knighton and Craven Arms, in the English county of Shropshire (grid reference SO367779).
Hopton Castle is situated in the village of the same name which lies approximately half way between Knighton and Craven Arms, in the English county of Shropshire (grid reference SO367779).
It would seem likely that the castle was founded in the 12th century as a motte and bailey by one of the Hoptons as a mesne lord of the Says of Clun Castle. It would seem likely that Walter de Hopton built the stone castle during the Barons' War of the 1260s. The bailey was fortified in stone and an impressive rectangular two storey keep was built. The last Walter Hopton died during the Wars of the Roses and the castle passed by marriage to the Corbet family of Moreton Corbet castle.
During the Civil War Hopton Castle was one of the few castles to be held for the Parliament in the west. Sir Michael Woodhouse laid siege to the castle, with a force of about 500, which was defended by about 30 Roundheads under the command of John Moore. Moore eventually agreed terms and surrendered. However the Cavaliers reneged on the agreement, and all the defenders except Moore were massacred and thrown into the moat.
Other accounts vary on how the siege ended. They state that after a three week siege, Moore delayed surrendering until the bailey had been taken and the entrance to the keep was on fire, at which point he surrendered at the discretion of the Sir Michael Woodhouse, who under the laws of war as they were practised at that time, choose not to accept the surrender and ordered the killings.
The castle was still habitable in 1700 but fell into disrepair soon afterwards. Substantial remnants of the much altered keep remain.
In November 2008 the Hopton Castle Preservation Trust took ownership of the castle. The trust, that has raised one million pounds have of which was a grant from the National Lottery, hope to restore the castle and open it to the public.
