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The Manor was held by the de Newburghs in the reign of King 

 John. The estate passed by marriage to the Howard family and 

 in 1603 to the Earl of Suffolk, from whom it was purchased in 

 1641 by Mr. Humphrey Weld. The present castle was erected 

 between 1588 and 1609 by Henry, eldest son of Thomas, Viscount 

 Howard of Bindon, the stone from Bindon Abbey and Poynings 

 Castle being used for the purpose. The terrace was constructed 

 from the Abbey cloisters, and the beautiful old door now at the 

 servants' entrance is also believed to have come from the Abbey. 



Inigo Jones is said to have been the architect ; the shape is 

 peculiar. A cube of 80ft. with a circular tower of 30ft. in diameter 

 at each corner, the walls are 6ft. to 7ft. thick. 



During the Civil War it was first garrisoned for King Charles, 

 but in 1643-4 it was held by the Parliamentarians as a base of 

 operations against Corfe Castle. 



The Weld family is an ancient one, tracing its descent as far 

 back as the reign of King Ethelred. One of the family was 

 Sheriff of London in the reign of Edward III., and another, Sir 

 Humphrey Weld, was Lord Mayor in 1 539, and was buried in 

 King Henry VIII. 's Chapel in Westminster Abbey. A widow 

 of an Edward Weld married Thomas FitzHerbert, survived him, 

 and married the Prince of Wales, who became King George IV. 

 Her portrait and pearl necklace are among the treasures of the 

 castle, which also possesses the original seal of the Order of 

 Cistercians. The famous Louterell Psalter is in the possession 

 of the Weld family; it was at one time kept at the castle, but is 

 now in the British Museum. 



Thomas Weld was a friend of King George III., from whom 

 he obtained permission to build the Roman Catholic Chapel in 

 1786, the first since the Reformation; he was made a Cardinal in 

 1830 and was the first Englishman since the Pontificate of 

 Clement IX. to take part in the election of a Pope. 



The castle was visited by several Kings, including King 

 Edward VII. in 1902. 



The party went through all the rooms, examined the priest's 

 hiding hole in the " Study," and from the roof enjoyed a fine 

 view of the park. After visiting the Roman Catholic Chapel and 

 walking through the gardens, they drove to the " Black / Bear" 

 at Wool for tea and reached Bournemouth about 7 o'clock. 



