The first building on the site was a medieval hunting lodge in the Deer Park belonging to Sherborne Old Castle. Sir Walter Raleigh fell in love with the Castle when he was travelling to Plymouth and petitioned Queen Elizabeth to persuade the Church, who owned it, to relinquish the estate to the Crown. The lease of 99 years was transferred to Raleigh and he tried to modernise the 12th century Old Castle but decided to build a new home on the site of the hunting lodge in the deer park

Sir Walter Raleigh erected his new house in 1594, which he called "Sherborne Lodge" to distinguish it from the Old Castle. A stained glass window bearing his initials and coat of arms and the date 1594 survived in the Tudor building until the last century. The rectangular, four storey house with its hexagonal corner turrets, forms the core of the current castle. Sir Walter Raleigh died on the block accused of treason and his estates were forfeited to the crown. Sir Walter lived in the house for little more than ten years. King James I allowed Sir John Digby to purchase Sherborne Castle in 1617 and his family has lived here ever since

The four wings were added in the 1620's in a similar style. During the Civil War the old castle was reduced to a ruin by the Parliamentary forces and the name "Sherborne Castle" came to be applied to the new building. Prince William of Orange was entertained here in November 1688 by the Digby Family. In 1724 the poet Alexander Pope visited the gardens laid out by Robert Digby

Lancelot "Capability" Brown was called in to create the lake in 1753. The work took two years and gave Sherborne the very latest in landscape gardening. George III visited in 1789 and the following year honoured Henry by creating him Earl Digby. In the 19th century the last Earl Digby died without heirs and Sherborne Castle was left to his Wingfield Digby nephew. It is still in the care of Wingfield Digby Family today

During World War I the castle became a Red Cross hospital for wounded soldiers
During World War II it was used as the HQ for the Commandos of the D-day landings

The Castle was opened to the public in 1969 and hosts a variety of events in the Gardens during the summer season details of which can be found on the Events page

Enquiries to the Archivist

The Archivist will answer general enquiries about the archives, the history of Sherborne Castle Estates and the Digby family. Please address your enquiry to :

Mrs Ann Smith, Curator and Archivist
Sherborne Castle
New Road
Sherborne
Dorset DT9 5NR

or fill in our online Enquiry Form by clicking here

Research

Detailed research into the archives is charged at
£25.00 per enquiry, and is at the Archvist's discretion

Visitors to the Archives

Visitors may consult the archives by prior appointment, with the permission of the owner. It is advisable to get in touch at least one month in advance of your proposed visit to allow time for arrangements to be made

Please state the nature of your research and its purpose (eg. academic qualification, private research, publication)

Write in the first instance to the Archivist at the address above. (You may also use the online Enquiry Form (below), but please include your postal address)

A charge is made of £15.00 an hour for supervision

Papers relating to the Digby family

These include pedigrees, correspondence, diaries (mainly 19th century), personal bills and accounts, photographs, probate records

Diplomatic correspondence of Sir John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol and correspondence of the 2nd and 3rd Earls (17th century)

Correspondence of Henry Fox, 1st Lord Holland and his brother Stephen, 1st Earl of Ilchester with members of the Digby family (18th century)

There is a small collection of printed pamphlets relating to the Civil War in Sherborne and the Digby family's part in it

The working papers relating to running a landed estate

These include title deeds, leases and tenancy agreements, rent books, account books, game books, maps and plans, surveys. These date principally from the 18th and 19th centuries

There are some records relating to the Digby estates at Coleshill, Warwickshire and the Geashill estate in Kings County, Ireland
(Birmingham Central Library, Archives Division, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3HQ holds the principal papers relating to the Digby estate at Coleshill)

Papers relating to Sir Walter Raleigh

A small collection of title deeds relating to the legal tenure of Sherborne Castle and its estates

The unproved will of Sir Walter Raleigh

The indentation made by Sir Walter Raleigh's signet ring in the wax seal of the document surrendering the Castle back to the Crown is still clearly visible today as the five diamonds on his coat of arms