Burwell Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Springe Copse

In the civil parish of Burwell. In the historic county of Cambridgeshire (Modern Authority of Cambridgeshire, 1974 county of Cambridgeshire).

Large, low platform with a very small motte in its centre. This is a complex site which originated on a roman site. Part of a raised platform on which there was a village was appropriated by King Stephen's forces in 1143-4 and a motte castle was started. This castles does not seem to have been finished and may have been attacked during construction. The site continued as an, unfortified, manorial site and a private chapel was added in 1246. The castle is thought to have formed part of a chain of defences constructed by King Stephen's forces in 1143-4. It is of unusual design, formed by the excavation of a broad flat bottomed moat to leave a rectangular island 35m by 60m across. The bulk of the material from the moat forms two large mounds flanking the outer edges of the north and western arms. The northern mound overlies the southern parts of three rectangular enclosures within a line of four or five such features defined by shallow banks and ditches. These are interpreted as the curtilages of medieval houses, part of a settlement abandoned when this relatively elevated position was appropiated for the castle.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL58756605

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape Defra ELS number; 374655 County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number; 01775

• Web site links
  • http://www.ecastles.co.uk/burwell.html
• Books
  • Wareham, A.F. and Wright, A.P.M. (eds), 2002, VCH Cambridge and the Isle of Ely Vol10 p341 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18903#s2
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p16
    Taylor, Alison, 1986, Castles of Cambridgeshire (Cambridge)
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p11
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p39
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p197
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    RCHME, 1972, An inventory of historical monuments in the County of Cambridgeshire. Vol2: north-east Cambridgeshire p40-2 [plan]
    Phillips, 1948, in Salzman, L.F. (ed), VCH Cambridge and the Isle of Ely Vol2 p19-20
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthwork of England (London) p441-2
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p309
• Journal Articles
  • Davidson, B.K., 1967, 'Burwell and Ely Castles' Archaeological Journal Vol124 p240
    Phillips, 1936, Antiquity Vol10 p465-8
    Lethbridge, T.C., 1936, 'Excavations at Burwell Castle, Cambridgeshire' Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society Vol36 p121-33
    Hughes, 1908-14, Cambridge and Huntingdon Archaeological Society Vol3 p291-3 [history, unimportant]
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p201
    Clark, G.T., 1881, 'The castles of England and Wales at the Latter part of the Twelfth Century' Archaeological Journal Vol38 p268
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#cantab11]
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Scheduling record, 1997, Monument Number 29382