Richard II., being accused of a conspiracy to seize the king, and put to death the lords of the council, was beheaded; the king presiding at the execution. His son, Thomas Fitz-Alan, was reinstated by Henry IV.; but, he dying without issue, in 1415, the castle devolved to his cousin, Sir John Fitz-Alan, who laid claim to, and obtained the title, on which an act was passed, that the possession of this castle and honour conferred the dignity of Earl without creation. The last Fitz-Alan died in the 22d of Elizabeth, leaving a daughter, who married Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, thus carrying the earldom and estate into that family, to whom they still belong. [Sidenote: Beautiful monuments in the church.] [Sidenote: Quantities of Sussex oak shipped from this place.] [Sidenote: Tradition ascribes the foundation of the castle to a giant.] [Sidenote: The king presided at the execution of one of its lords.] Concerning the true period of the foundation of this castle, many conjectures have been entertained. On account of the bricks inserted in the walls of the keep, it has been attributed to the Romans; but such a proof is not allowed by the best antiquaries. Its pretensions to the era of the Saxon kings are more explicit. The more ancient parts are the keep or citadel, and the towers which flank the gateway, and connect the whole by means of a sally port. The keep stands upon an artificial mound, the height of which, from the fosse, is one hundred and ten feet on one side, and eighty on the other. Of its external wall, the height is thirty feet, supported by projecting ribs or buttresses. It is eight feet thick, with a wall on the inside, guarded by a parapet as many feet high. The diameter of the room which is faced with Norman or Caen stone, is sixty-seven feet by fifty-nine. There are also Roman bricks placed in the herring-bone fashion, which is observable in most Saxon buildings. In the centre is a subterraneous room and passage; and in a tower attached to the keep, is a well three hundred feet deep. The approach is by a time-worn staircase, and over a narrow pass, commanding the entrance to the building, which bears the marks of a portcullis. The more ancient one towards the east still retains a very rich Saxon door-case. In the tower above the present entrance, was a small chapel or oratory, dedicated to St. George. The tower and gateway facing the base court of the castle are apparently co-temporary with the keep. The other towers are built with flint. The dungeons are on the right and left of the gateway. They consist of eight wards, protected by a draw-bridge from the castle moat. The lower wards are very deep, and partly filled up with rubbish. The foundation walls of these dungeons are not known, although efforts have been employed to discover the length and depth of these frightful abodes. The Empress Maud's apartments are in the tower, above the old gateway. They consist of three bed-rooms.