Defensive Innovations

Although primarily built for defense, Bodiam Castle incorporates features indicating a shift towards status symbols:

• Arrow slits and gunports reflect adaptations to evolving military technology.
   

• The castle’s rounded towers improved defense against siege engines.
   

• The castle’s design allows defenders to cover every approach with overlapping fields of fire.
   

Despite these, some historians argue Bodiam was more a showpiece than a military stronghold, designed to impress visitors and affirm Dalyngrigge’s status.

  Early Years and the Hundred Years’ War

Bodiam Castle was completed in the late 14th century, during heightened tensions with France. Although the castle was strategically placed near the English Channel, there is no recorded evidence of it ever being attacked or besieged.

Its presence, however, would have served as a deterrent to French raiders and local unrest.

 Ownership Changes and the Tudor Period

After Sir Edward Dalyngrigge’s death, Bodiam Castle passed through various hands, including the Lewknor and Levett families. During the Tudor period, as England became more politically stable and artillery made castles less effective militarily, Bodiam’s defensive importance declined.

The castle was partially adapted for residential use, and parts fell into disrepair.

 The English Civil War and Its Aftermath

In the 17th century, Bodiam Castle again played a role during the English Civil War (1642-1651). The castle was seized by Parliamentary forces and slighted—deliberately damaged—to prevent its future military use.

The slighting left parts of the castle in ruins, which contributed to its picturesque romantic decay in later centuries. shutdown123