PORTLAND. 117 



These matters are referred to as probably giving the reasons and 

 showing the necessity for building the Castle which tradition has 

 assigned to William Rufus. The circumstances point to this 

 tradition as being probably correct, for in Anno 1142, only about 

 40 years later, it is recorded that Robert, Earl of Gloucester, took 

 this Castle from King Stephen for the Empress Maud. 



The Castle may have been one of those, having regard to 

 Portland's history and particularly to turbulent times, so well 

 described by the Monk of Peterborough in the Old English 

 Chronicle. He says of the English Lords 



"They foreswore themselves and broke their troth, for every 

 "Nobleman made him a Castle and held it against the 

 " King and filled the land full of Castles. They put the 

 "wretched Countryfolk to sore toil with their Castle 

 " building, and when the Castles were made they filled them 

 " " with devils and evil men. Then they took all those that 

 " they deemed had any goods, both by night and day, men 

 " arid women alike, and put them in prison to get their gold 

 " and silver and tortured them with tortures unspeakable, 

 " for never were martyrs so tortured as they were. And 

 " this lasted nineteen winters while Stephen was King and 

 " ever it was worse and worse." 



I can find no other direct record of it later than that of 1142. It 

 most likely devolved with the Royal Manor of Portland, of which 

 Her Gracious Majesty is now the Lady. 



King George III. gave Rufus Castle to Governor Penn. 



The following extracts from the Public Records may be here 

 introduced in connection with the History of the Island and the 

 Castle : 



DOMESDAY BOOK. Dorset. Land of the King. The King holds the 

 island which is called Portland. King Edward held it in 

 his lifetime, &c. 



