Corfe combined a royal residence with successive defensive additions. King John improved its domestic quarters, while the keep is probably from Henry I's reign. Its position near the south coast helped make stronger defences important after the loss of Normandy in 1204. The outer bailey's wooden palisades were eventually reinforced with stone curtains and towers. During the Civil War the garrison resisted two parliamentary sieges, with Sir John Bankes's widow leading it after his death. Treachery brought capitulation in February 1646, and an order to slight the castle followed the next month.
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Corfe Castle: royal apartments, stronger walls, and Civil War destruction
Corfe's development as a royal residence and fortified stronghold ended in Civil War surrender and deliberate destruction.