William De Broase

Bramber Castle whose name was taken from the Saxon ‘ Brymmburh ‘ meaning fortified plate and is alsomentioned in the doomsday book .

Bramber Castle was built shortly after shortly after the Norman Conquest around 1070 along with the Church being built in 1075 as chapel for the castle by William De Braose.William De Broase had five

children, three boys and two girls. Reginald the heir, some years older than the rest, lived in a castle in Ireland. The rest of the family lived in grandeur at Bramber.

In due course the wealth and popularity of the Lord of Bramber aroused the Jealous Hatred of King John, who now waited for an opportunity to ruin De Braose.

The Lord of Bramber was one of the confederate barons who had taken an active part
In obtaining a redress of public grievances and a fairer administration of laws, and King John was determined to make an example of him to others.

King John could have seized De Braose in person but knew the man’s great popularity would have resulted in all of Sussex taking arms against him, so he devised another plan. He sent Sir Peter Maulue (who had assisted in the murder of Prince Arthur). to Bramber to demand De Braose;s children as hostages for his good behaviour in the future. When De Braose sternly refused such a barbarous request, King John swore he would be revenged and ordered his army to march against Bramber Castle.

Willam De Braose and his family on hearing the news of an army sent by King John against Bramber Castle which was ill prepared decided flee to Ireland and make their escape.

Somehow the King obtained word of what was happening, and no sooner had De Braose and his family landed in Ireland than they were seized and brought back to England and taken to Windsor Castle where King John was then.

Jubilant at the success of his plan , King John saw at last the opportunity of making an example of all rebellious barons and he commanded that the whole family should be imprisoned in one of the towers at Windsor and there starved to death .
Another version of the story, King John’s own in fact, tells of an arrangement that was broken by De Braose, who escaped to France and that only Lady De Braose and her four children were starved to death.

Except for the period of confiscation during the reign of King John, Bramber Castle remained in the ownership of the De Braose family until the line died out in 1324.