The medieval Knepp Castle (sometimes referred to as 'Old Knepp Castle', to distinguish it from the nearby 19th-century mansion) is to the west of the village of West Grinstead, West Sussex, England near the River Adur and the A24 (). The castle was probably founded by the Braose family in the 12th century. King John confiscated the castle along with the Braose lands in 1208. Knepp was used as a hunting lodge, and John visited the castle several times. He ordered its destruction in both 1215 and 1216 during the First Baron's War. Knepp Castle continued to be used into the 14th century and hosted reigning monarchs on several occasions. The castle eventually fell out of use and by the early 18th century was mostly destroyed. Later that century, stone was the castle was used to build a nearby road. The name is thought to come from the Old English word "cnæp", referring to the mound on which it stands. The land around the castle is now the site of Knepp Wildland. History Knepp was a motte castle, probably founded in the 12th century by William de Braose, in the Rape of Bramber. In 1208 King John confiscated a later William de Braose's land, including Knepp. While John's motivation is uncertain, he came to view William de Braose as a threat; in historian Sidney Painter's view the treatment of the Braose family was "the greatest mistake John made during his reign ... it made his cruelty known to all his barons", and contributed to the discontent of the barons who later revolted against John's rule. The first surviving record of the castle is dated to 1210. Royal records document spending at the castle in the 1210s on general repairs, building a chimney, and repairing a pond or moat. John was present at Knepp Castle on 6 April 1211, as evidenced by a charter confirmed on that date. Queen Isabella also stayed at the castle for eleven days in either 1214 or 1215. In 1215, John was at war with the barons of England. Shortly after losing control of London, John wrote to Roland Bloett on 18 May instructing him to remove whatever he could carry from Knepp and send it to Bramber Castle, and then "totally destroy" Knepp Castle. This was followed by a second order to slight the castle, given by John on 13 June 1216; on this occasion