Berkeley castle family history. Aug 19, 2024 · Charles Berkeley, the current guardian of Gloucestershire’s historic Berkeley Castle, invites us into a world steeped in nearly a millennium of family heritage. The Castle is the oldest building in the country to be inhabited by the same family who built it. Built by William FitzOsbern in 1067, Berkeley Castle was one of many motte-and-bailey castles constructed by the Normans shortly after the Conquest of 1066. Mar 12, 2025 · From its Norman origins to the infamous murder of King Edward II within its walls, Berkeley Castle has witnessed key moments in English history while serving as the ancestral seat of the Berkeley family through 28 generations. For centuries, the Berkeleys were close to the throne, able administrators and fighters who supported their king or queen (as long as they could), backed the winning side, and married well. . This lineage continues for 13 generations of male descendants to the present -day Berkeleys who own the Berkeley Castle in 1993, Robert John Grantley Berkeley and his wife, Georgine. Jul 21, 2024 · They are one of the longest-living families in English history, were responsible for the longest case of litigation in English law (1417-1609), have been the outstanding county name for centuries, and continue to occupy the castle of their ancestors”. Though only the marriage of Maurice FitzHarding and Alice de Berkeley was completed, the heirs of Robert Fitzharding thus adopted the surname "de Berkeley" and established this line as the feudal barons of Berkeley Castle. Before long it passed into the hands of the Berkeley family and was rebuilt by them in the 12th century. The oldest building in England to be inhabited by the family who built it, the Berkeley Castle dates back to the 12th century. ouum zahk udtc wgqcqnn dep hpw dqcp vto kebxl ycxayeq