The Friends of Dudley Castle

16/09/2026

⚔️🔥 𝗛𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗘

“𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐮𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐝 ‘𝐒𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧.’”

Before Dudley Castle became the moody, magnificent ruin we all adore 🌅, it belonged to a world where kings stuck their noses into everything 👑, nobles argued like toddlers 🤦‍♂️, and marriage was basically a medieval hostage negotiation 💍➡️😬.

Into this delightful chaos steps 𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐮𝐧— a woman who didn’t just survive medieval life… she out‑bossed it 💅⚔️.

Born into serious power, Rohese was married off young in a classic political alliance 🤝 — and here’s where Dudley enters the chat 👀🏰.

Her first husband was 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆, soon to be Baron Dudley

This marriage plugged Rohese straight into the Dudley lordship network, making her part of the same noble web that shaped our castle’s early medieval story 🧵✨.

Together, they had a son: 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆.
He inherited… and then vanished.
No records.
No charters.
No land transfers.
No “he died” note.
Just p**f — medieval disappearing act 🫥💨.

With William gone and Nicholas missing from history, Rohese found herself widowed, powerful, and still tied to Dudley’s noble sphere.

Cue Husband #2: 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 — an Irish political heavyweight 🇮🇪.

This marriage was a political upgrade, a dynasty‑level alliance… and she had children

And here’s the part that makes historians blink twice 👁️👁️:

Her children with Theobald kept HER name — de Verdun — not his.

Medieval life expectancy was still “good luck” 🍀, and Theobald also died — leaving Rohese twice widowed, twice politically upgraded, and sitting on enough land to make the Crown twitch 👀.

And twitch it DID.

Because a twice‑widowed heiress with estates across England AND Ireland was basically medieval TNT 💣.

So naturally, the king tried to pick her a third husband like he was choosing a new court jester 🤡.
Rohese’s response?
A medieval “absolutely not” 🙅‍♀️.

She marched up to the Crown, dropped 700 marks 💰💰💰 like she was paying for VIP seats at a jousting tournament 🏇, and declared herself legally independent. No husband. No royal meddling. No drama she didn’t personally approve 😌.

From that moment on, Rohese wasn’t just an heiress — she was a 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗲, running her lands with the confidence of someone who could silence a room just by raising an eyebrow 👁️.

And trust us… this is only the warm‑up 🔥.

16/09/2026

⚔️🔥 𝗛𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗘
“𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝.”

Noble followers, history gremlins, castle lurkers and lovers of medieval chaos 👑🔥🏰 — gather round.

This morning, at 7:00, we unleash a brand‑new series: Hidden Faces of Dudley Castle.

For centuries, Dudley Castle has been associated with the big names — the lords, the ladies, the rebels, the royals. But behind every political meltdown, every land dispute, every dramatic medieval tantrum… there were people whose stories were just as wild, powerful, and downright iconic.

And we’re kicking things off with a woman who didn’t just bend the medieval rulebook — she snapped it clean in half 💅⚔️.

A woman tied directly into the Dudley noble network through her first husband 🧵🏰.

A woman who levelled up politically through her second husband 🇮🇪.

A woman who looked at the Crown’s attempt to control her life and said,

“Absolutely not, babes” 🙅‍♀️💰.A woman who built a fortress.

Founded a priory.
Defied kings.

And may or may not have yeeted a mason out of a window (allegedly) 🪟🪂😱.

And she is the perfect storm to begin this series.

Later this morning at 7:00, Part One drops — the marriages, the drama, the power moves, the sass
Tomorrow,

Part Two brings the castle, the legends, and the chaos.
Sharpen your quills.
Brace your goblets.
The Hidden Faces are rising.

15/09/2026

🎭🤣 𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗬: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗪𝗧… 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚

🏰💀 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗜𝗜 — 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗗 𝗬𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗨𝗗𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘

Nicholas’s death is the medieval equivalent of pulling the wrong Jenga block.

Because suddenly…

👉 𝐑𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐈 inherits Dudley.

And Roger?
Roger is a walking medieval disaster movie.

🧱💥 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲

Roger takes one look at Dudley Castle and goes:
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔… 𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑹𝑰𝑭𝒀𝑰𝑵𝑮?”

He then:
◘Refuses knighthood (1233)
◘Gets Dudley confiscated
◘Gets it back because he’s too stubborn to defeat
◘Secures licence to crenellate (1264)
◘Begins the stone rebuilding programme
◘Creates the keep, walls, and layout we still see today

Roger is Dudley Castle’s chaotic uncle who shows up, ignores the rules, and builds a fortress out of spite.

🦋💀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁

If Nicholas had lived:

❌ No Roger ruling
❌ No stone keep
❌ No curtain walls
❌ No Somery dynasty continuation
❌ No Sutton takeover
❌ No Tudor era
❌ No John Dudley
❌ No Grey Lady
❌ No Friends of Dudley Castle

Nicholas is the medieval equivalent of a child who sneezes and accidentally changes the timeline.

Nicholas: “𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.”

History: “𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐄𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆.”

14/09/2026

🔥📣 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗬𝗘, 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗬𝗘, 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗦! 📣🔥

The castle is calling, the ghosts are pacing, and this is your 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 to join the medieval madness.
𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: 17𝐭𝐡 & 18𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫
Book your place, stride through the gates, and soak up the castle at sunset.
🚫🦁 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍:
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐳𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧.

No lions. No lemurs.
No “just a quick peek at the giraffes.”

𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆.

Pure medieval chaos.

🏰✨ 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗬𝗘 — 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗡𝗢𝗪, 𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗦𝗧𝗦 𝗚𝗥𝗢𝗪 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗦. ✨🏰

DM for more details on how to book

14/09/2026

🎭🤣 𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗬: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗡𝗢𝗪𝗧… 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚

🏰🔥 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈 — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐀

Nicholas de Somery wasn’t just small.
He was historically catastrophic.

Born before 1222, probably at Dudley Castle, probably already judging everyone around him like a medieval toddler‑tyrant, Nicholas arrived with one job:

👉 Be the heir.
And honestly?
He barely managed that.

👨‍👩‍👦 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞™

👨 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘆

Nicholas’s dad was the medieval equivalent of someone who buys a castle, paints one wall, and immediately dies.

➔Heir to Dudley
➔Never inherited
➔Died around 1222
➔Left his toddler son holding the entire barony like a medieval hot potato

William’s timing?
𝐀𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬

He basically handed Nicholas a castle and said, “Good luck, kid.”

👩 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝘂𝗻

Nicholas’s mum was from the Verdun dynasty, a family so powerful the tapestries straightened themselves when she walked past.

Her pedigree linked Dudley to:
➔Midlands power networks
➔Irish lordships
➔The de Lacy mega‑clan
➔Enough political clout to make Henry III sweat

Rohese was the medieval equivalent of a woman who could silence a room simply by raising an eyebrow.

👑 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡 𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐈

The OG Somery lord.
The man who inherited Dudley through his mother, Hawise Paganel.

The reason the Somerys even exist in the castle’s story.

Nicholas was supposed to be Ralph’s glittering legacy.

Instead… he became the
medieval equivalent of a plot twist.

👶⚔️ 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬: 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

When William died, Nicholas was about seven.
The Crown swooped in like

“𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐎, 𝐖𝐄’𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃. 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 💅”

Henry III’s admin team ran Dudley Castle for seven years with the enthusiasm of a wet parchment.

Nicholas?
He just existed.
A tiny heir.
A medieval loading screen.
A placeholder with a pulse.

And then…

⚰️💥 𝐇𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬.

Before 4 July 1229, Nicholas dies.

Still a minor.
No heirs.
No knighthood.
No dramatic medieval scandal.

Just a tiny blip in the records that detonates the entire succession.

13/09/2026

13/09/2026

🏰 Wanted: Copy of “Sutton and Ward Families: A Brief History of the Baronies” by David Padgett

We’re hoping to find or purchase a copy of this genealogical booklet compiled by David Padgett (copyright August 2009).

It explores the Ward and Sutton (Dudley) families, their baronies, heraldry, and biographies of notable figures including John Ward, William Humble Ward, and Lord Ward-Atherton.

If anyone has a copy or knows where one might be available, please get in touch!

This is a fascinating piece of Dudley’s noble heritage, and we’d love to preserve and share it with our community.

(Photo of the cover shown for reference — featuring the Ward and Sutton coats of arms.)

13/09/2026

🏰 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒, 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐔𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄… 𝐖𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐈𝐓

Not only have we stormed the gates — we’ve taken the keep, raided the pantry, befriended the ghosts, and declared ourselves the rightful rulers of the Facebook realm.
Because today…
✨ Friends of Dudley Castle has officially hit 3,000 followers. ✨Three. Thousand

That’s enough people to form:
A small medieval army
A very confused militia of peasants armed with pitchforks

A queue for the castle café that stretches back to 1587

A crowd large enough to summon at least five ghosts and one disgruntled Tudor noble

🔥 𝐓𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 3,000:

You absolute legends.
You champions of heritage.
You connoisseurs of chaos.
You keep this page alive, loud, and delightfully unhinged — just as Dudley Castle deserves.

Every like, every comment, every

"OMG I LOVE THIS PLACE,”
every ghost story, every meme....
It all helps to build this wild, wonderful community that celebrates the castle’s history, humour, and occasional hauntings.

𝐒𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬…
𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝.𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩:
⚔️ 3,500 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬
🐉 4,000 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬
🌍 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

13/09/2026

Sound the horns, rattle the portcullis, and someone please hold my mead — because the Guild of St Edmunds are invading Dudley Castle & Zoo next weekend, and we’re sharing this like the gossiping medieval town criers we absolutely are.

They’re bringing artefacts you can touch, which is frankly outrageous behaviour.

You’ll be able to pick things up, poke them, ask questions, and pretend you’re moments away from being drafted into a crusade.

History?
We’re not just learning it — we’re manhandling it.

Then there’s combat displays, where grown adults voluntarily get hit with historically accurate enthusiasm.

And archery demonstrations, because nothing says “educational family day out” like watching someone fire pointy sticks at targets while explaining feudal tax law.

For the tiny humans, there’s have‑a‑go archery, so they can live out their miniature Robin Hood fantasies without accidentally starting a rebellion.
Bless them.

So — grab your cloak, grab your curiosity, grab your nan if she’s game, grab your emotional support dragon, grab whatever isn’t nailed down — and march yourself up to the castle.we will absolutely be cheering from the sidelines like overcaffeinated medieval hype‑goblins.

Hope we see some of you there