The inner ward of Beeston Castle from the air. The uneven surface of the interior suggests that there were never many permanent buildings here

A Royal Castle

Ranulf died in 1232 and Beeston, together with the Earldom of Chester, was granted to Ranulf’s nephew, John le Scot. On John’s death in 1237 Henry III seized the earl’s estates, including Beeston.

There are no documentary records of building expenses before the Crown took possession, but the amount spent on works in the 1240s – mostly connected with the royal campaign against Wales in 1245 – suggests that the castle was incomplete before this date.

Understanding what exactly was built at Beeston at this time is not easy, as many payments in royal records also refer to concurrent work at other castles. In 1241–2, for example, £410 12d was spent on repairing and fortifying Beeston and Rhuddlan (Denbighshire). In 1245 a total of £242 17s 10½d was spent on finishing two turrets, which might refer to the completion of the defences in the outer ward.

Even after this programme of works, Beeston probably never received a full suite of domestic buildings. Instead, all the accommodation and services were concentrated in the gatehouses and curtain-wall towers.

In 1254 Henry III granted Beeston and the Earldom of Chester to his son, the future Edward I (r.1272–1307), and so Cheshire became part of the royal lands.

Throughout the late Middle Ages Beeston was overshadowed in importance by the castle at Chester, which was the base for English military expeditions against the Welsh. Intermittent payments for knights and sergeants and references to prisoners suggest that it may have functioned as a secure place in which to retain hostages. Edward I visited the castle in 1264, for example, with prisoners taken after the Battle of Evesham.