Editing Kimbolton Castle (section)

==History==
[[File:Kimboltonmorris edited.jpg|250px|thumb|Kimbolton Castle in 1880. This illustration shows the present mansion as rebuilt between 1690 and 1720]]
[[File:Gatehouse to Kimbolton School - geograph.org.uk - 2522516.jpg|250px|thumb|Kimbolton School, Gatehouse]]
The castle was built by [[Geoffrey Fitz Peter, 1st Earl of Essex]], in the late 12th century.<ref name=bho>{{cite web|title='Parishes: Kimbolton', in A History of the County of Huntingdon: Volume 3, ed. William Page, Granville Proby and S Inskip Ladds|location=London|year=1936|pages=75–86|publisher=British History Online |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hunts/vol3/pp75-86 |access-date= 14 December 2019}}</ref> The inner court was rebuilt by [[Anne Neville, Duchess of Buckingham|Anne, Duchess of Buckingham]], in the late 15th century.<ref name=bho/>

The castle was acquired by Sir [[Richard Wingfield]] in 1522 but after his death in 1525, was inherited by his eldest son, Charles.<ref name=bho/> The Wingfield family reconstructed the medieval castle as a Tudor manor house, parts of which survive to this present day. [[Catherine of Aragon]] was sent here in April 1534 for refusing to give up her status or deny the validity of her marriage.<ref name=bho/> In July 1534, a [[Jester|fool]] in the retinue of the diplomat [[Eustache Chapuys]] tried to swim the moat, drawing attention to her imprisonment.<ref>Nadia T. van Pelt, ''Intercultural Explorations and the Court of Henry VIII'' (Oxford, 2024), p. 65.</ref> The [[fen]]land climate damaged her health, and she died in the castle on 7 January 1536.<ref>{{cite book|last=Eagles|first=Robin|title=The Rough Guide History of England |year=2002|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-799-7|page=202}}</ref><ref>Courtney Herber, 'Katherine of Aragon: Diligent Diplomat and learned Queen', Aidan Norrie, ''Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), p. 58.</ref>

The castle was bought by Sir [[John Popham (judge)|John Popham]] in 1600 and was later purchased by Sir [[Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester|Sir Henry Montagu]], later created 1st Earl of Manchester, in 1615.<ref name=bho/> [[Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester|Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester]], who was created 1st [[Duke of Manchester]] in 1719, had many works of reconstruction carried out between 1690 and 1720.<ref name=bho/> These works included the rebuilding of the south wing, which had fallen down, to a design by Sir [[John Vanbrugh]]<ref name=bho/> who was assisted by another great architect of the time, [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kimboltoncastle.com/history-of-the-castle/|title=History of Kimbolton Castle|access-date=27 January 2025}}</ref> [[George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester]] commissioned [[Robert Adam]] to design the gatehouse which was constructed in 1766.<ref name=bho/>

Many members of the Montagu family (Earls and Dukes of Manchester) are buried at St Andrew's Church in Kimbolton. Several Montagu monuments still exist in the South Chapel, while the Montagu vault (extended in 1853) is located beneath the North Chapel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://standrew-kimbolton.org.uk/?page_id=12 |title=Guided Tour |publisher= St Andrew’s Church, Kimbolton| access-date=27 July 2015}}</ref>

[[Alexander Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester]] sold the contents in 1949, and the castle and {{convert|50|acre|ha|0|abbr=off}} were sold to [[Kimbolton School]] in 1951.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Splendor and Squalor: The Disgrace and Disintegration of Three Aristocratic Dynasties|last = Scriven|first = Marcus|year = 2009|pages = 163}}</ref>