Wigmore was one of many castles built close to the England?Wales border after the Norman Conquest. Founded in 1067 by William Fitz Osbern, it was a major centre of power for over 500 years, and played host to several kings and queens. It was held by the Mortimer family from about 1075 to 1425, when it passed to the Crown. The castle fell into ruin after the Civil War and remained an untouched ruin until the 1990s, when English Heritage conserved it in a way that ensured the castle?s natural environment was preserved.
The castle was founded in 1067 by William fitz Osbern, Earl of Hereford and a close associate of William the Conqueror. It was sited close to the border between England and Wales, one of a series of castles designed by the Normans to defend England against attack by the Welsh. The original Norman castle at Wigmore had reinforced timber walls on top of large earthworks.