Farnham Castle Trust

18/05/2026

Of all the dramatic moments across its 900-year history — 1348 may have been Farnham Castle's darkest year.
The Black Death swept into Farnham. William Edington, only consecrated just two years earlier as Bishop of Wi******er, watched the population die around him. Over 130 “heriot” payments were collected in a single year. The heriot tax demanded that families gave their most valuable livestock animal on the death of the head of the household to their feudal landlord; for Farnham's and many of the surrounding villages, this meant the Bishop of Wi******er.

William Waryn, of Elstead, the reeve (a well respected peasant who acted on behalf of his lord), succumbed early to the pestilence. His replacement, Jack Runwick, turned out to be an inspired appointment as he went on to manage the Bishop's estates to great acclaim in these challenging times.

As a result of the heriot, so many animals came into the possession of Bishop Edington that their carcasses were salted and stored in the Great Hall of the Palace, keeping the Bishop’s household supplied during the rest of the chaos.

By 1350, the plague had finally eased — but Farnham, and indeed England, would never be quite the same again. This was a watershed moment in our history.

To read more about Farnham during the Black Death of 1348 click: https://www.farnham-castle.com/post/farnham-s-deadliest-year

https://www.farnham-castle.com/

21/04/2026

Another gorgeous Wednesday is on the cards 🌞
Farnham's Bishop's Palace looking forward to seeing you 😊
Farnham Castle Trust

12/04/2026

£5 these days … what does it get you?
A takeaway coffee … ☕️
Maybe a slice of cake… 🍰
A teaspoon of unleaded 😂....

Or this 👇

A guided tour around Farnham's Bishop's Palace 😊
Over 900 years of history
Kings, queens, bishops…♟️
And quite possibly the best view in Farnham 👀
All for the price of a flat white ☕

Could well be the best £5 you'll spend this or any Wednesday!

For further information see www.farnham-castle.com

Explore Farnham Castle with our guided tours! Discover the rich history of the Bishop’s Palace and enjoy the stunning views from the Keep. Tours available on select Wednesday afternoons.

03/04/2026

In 2026 — the centenary year of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth — we look back at one of her earliest decisions: one that reshaped the Church… and gently closed one of Farnham’s chapters. The Castle ceased to be a bishop’s residence — ending a tradition that had lasted for centuries.

Who was Montgomery Campbell, the last resident bishop of Farnham Castle?

In 1956, Campbell — then Bishop of Guildford — was chosen as Bishop of London.

He didn’t expect it. He had already told his family he was sure he wouldn’t be chosen — too old, he thought, and Guildford too new a diocese.

Yet the call came.

A former army officer and WW1 chaplain — he won the Military Cross for exceptional bravery at Gallipoli — Montgomery-Campbell was a man of presence, independence and wit. Later described as “very popular with the laity, not so popular with the clergy,” the young queen's choice hinted at a young monarch willing to make her own judgments but, undoubtedly, influenced by Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

For Farnham, the consequences were profound:

Bishop’s Palace guide Mavis Standing, who grew up at Farnham Castle, recalled: “I don’t think anyone was more surprised than our bishop'.

Mavis’s father — a WW2 veteran, and the Castle’s caretaker — formed a close bond with him:
“Dad had a great deal of affection for ‘his’ Bishop… I think they understood each other. He always called him ‘the wise and witty bishop’ — not a bad combination!” He is often remembered more for his "wicked" sense of humour than for his administrative work! a local example:

A young clergyman on a religious retreat at Farnham Castle tried to sneak into town but was spotted by the bishop . the young man thought as fast as he could and responded “The Holy Spirit has told me to do some shopping,” the Bishop quickly replied: “One of you is mistaken — it’s early closing day.”

Campbell worked closely with local clergy, lifting morale in a grey post-war Britain, and hosted regular garden parties at Farnham Castle.

Campbell died on Boxing Day 1970, aged 83. Obituaries praised his "pastoral empathy," noting him as "a wise and discerning administrator who could quickly grasp the essentials of a situation," and a "man of prayer and great dedication"

Tours of the Bishop's Palace take place most Wednesday afternoons at 2pm. Last entry 3:15pm. £5 per person. Free to students and members of Historic Houses
Always check our website for up to date information:
https://www.farnham-castle.com/

16/03/2026

Wednesday is set fair! Why not visit Farnham's Bishop's Palace to explore this beautiful building and find out more about its part in our national story?
Perfect weather for photographs 📷🤞
Guided tours from 2pm. No need to book.
Further information here
Www.farnham-castle.com

28/02/2026

27/02/2026

Most people know Magna Carta as the foundation of English liberty. Far fewer know what happened next and the part Farnham played in its resurrection.

As historian Dan Jones has observed, Magna Carta, reluctantly signed by King John in June 1215, began as a fragile peace deal — one that collapsed almost immediately. What followed was a full-scale civil war, foreign invasion, and a moment when England came perilously close to becoming a French kingdom.

By the time King John died of dysentery in October 1216, the French, taking advantage of the chaos and division John had created, invaded and conquered most of the south of England, including Farnham, occupying the Castle.

Around 7 March 1217, John's son and heir, crowned king Henry lll at just 9 years old by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Wi******er, along with arguably the most powerful man in England, the boy king's regent, William Marshall, laid a five day siege to Farnham Castle and defeated the French occupiers.

Peter des Roches was by the standards of any age, a quite remarkable character. After the siege of Farnham, he accompanied William Marshall in the decisive battle of Lincoln in May 1217 where the French invasion was finally ended and in which Bishop Peter led a division of the victorious English army.
This extraordinary and little-known story — from Magna Carta’s collapse to the siege of Farnham and the end of the war at the decisive Battle of Lincoln — is explored more fully here
👉 Read the full blog here:
🔗 ]https://www.farnham-castle.com/blog

24/02/2026

Visit Farnham's Bishop's Palace. Guides tours available this Wednesday afternoon 2pm. 900 years of history - fame, wealth and power encapsulated here in Farnham.
Just £5 per person (students free). See our website for further information
https://www.farnham-castle.com/

Historic Houses

Explore Farnham Castle with our guided tours! Discover the rich history of the Bishop’s Palace and enjoy the stunning views from the Keep. Tours available on select Wednesday afternoons.

01/02/2026

‘His head was displayed on a spike in Farnham, and parts of his body were sent to Guildford, Kingston, Odiham and Alton’

That's right… here in our town 😱
The man who met this gruesome fate was Farnham weaver and Lollard, Adam Mulward.

Founded at Oxford University by John Wycliffe, the Lollards were associated with:
criticism of church wealth and authority,
opposition to religious images
a demand that the Bible be translated into English.
allowing priests to marry

The King and the Church considered these treasonous ideas which had to be stamped out.

In 1440 Mulward and other Lollards met in and around Farnham and Thursley. Mulward had a substantial cloth business. He and others were accused of planning to destroy a statue of the Virgin Mary at Southwick Priory near Portsmouth.

Mulward was arrested, convicted and executed with the full traitor’s punishment. Other alleged members of the group fled; some were still being pursued more than a decade later.

It seems Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Wi******er, and some time resident at Farnham Castle, may have chosen to absent himself from the gory proceedings. Perhaps the fact that his father, John of Gaunt, had been a protector of John Wycliffe left an impression on him? Mulward's looms, wool, dyes and large stocks of fabric - were all forfeited to Beaufort, after his ex*****on.

👉 A fuller article is now available via the Farnham Castle Trust blog.
https://www.farnham-castle.com/blog
Historic Houses

30/01/2026

King Charles l was executed in Whitehall, London on January 30 1649 following his defeat in the Civil War, between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians.

In the years before the English Civil War, Charles I was a regular guest at Farnham Castle, home of the powerful Bishops of Wi******er. He had assumed the throne in 1625 and like his father, James l, he enjoyed the countryside pleasures found in Farnham.

When civil war broke out in 1642, Farnham Castle was occupied in the King’s name, captured by Parliament, briefly retaken, and finally deliberately damaged in 1648 so it could never fall into royalist hands again.

The town of Farnham felt the consequences too — soldiers quartered in homes, supplies seized, and trade disrupted.

Just a year later, Charles I was executed. The ruined castle we see today is a lasting reminder of how the collapse of royal authority played out, not just in London, but right here in Farnham.

Guided tours of Farnham's Bishop's Palace take place every Wednesday from 2pm

www.farnham-castle.com