Castle Acre Castle

In the civil parish of Castle Acre. In the historic county of Norfolk (Modern Authority of Norfolk, 1974 county of Norfolk).

The earthworks and other structural remains of Castle Acre. The remains of the castle include a roughly circular upper ward, with an adjoining lower ward on the south east side and a roughly triangular barbican to the east. The upper ward is surrounded by a deep ditch and an inner bank surmounted by a curtain wall, and contains the standing ruins of a massive masonry building. The outer ward is also surrounded by a ditch, with internal banks on the east and west sides, and fragmentary remains of a wall crowning the banks and closing the southern end. The first stone building constructed in the centre of the upper ward was a two-storey residential block, something later generations would call a country house, built in the late C11. Originally, the building stood in the centre of a courtyard surrounded by a ditch and bank which survives as a buried feature beneath the later earthworks. Major alterations to the house occured around 1140 and were designed to convert the building into a keep. The associated strengthening of the surrounding defences included the enlargement of the ditch, the raising of the bank and the construction of a curtain wall of chalk rubble faced with flint. A second period of development at the castle saw the area of the keep halved and the perimeter defences of the upper ward strengthened yet again. The perimeter bank was heightened and on top of the existing curtain wall, corresponding to the area of heightened bank, was built a second curtain of solid flint. This change of plan in the conversion of the keep was either for reasons of economy, or for the need to speed completion of the defences in troubled times, perhaps after the rebellion of the Earl of Essex in 1143.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 221880; 222184)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF819151

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 357930
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 3449 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Castle-Acre-Castle-Priory.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/132/castleacre.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/acre/acre.php#castle
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.12
    http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MNF3449
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/castleacre.html
• Books
  • Cushion, B. and Davison, A., 2003, Earthworks of Norfolk (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 104) p165 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p48-51
    Liddiard, R., 2000, Landscapes of Lordship (Oxford: BAR 309) p28-31, 44-74
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p156-7
    Rogerson, Andrew, 1994, 'Castles' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p68-9
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p57, 58, 184, 187, 357
    Thompson, M.W., 1991, The Rise of the Castle (Cambridge Univesity Press) p72
    Kenyon, J.R., 1990, Medieval Fortifications (Leicester University Press) p49-51
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p306
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p203-4
    Wilton, J.W., 1979, Earthworks and Fortifications of Norfolk (Weathercock Press) p19-20
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1962, Buildings of England: North-west and south Norfolk (Penguin) p115
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p124-5
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Astley, 1908, Memories of Old Norfolk (London) p86-94 [slight]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p293-6
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p220-1
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p284
    Harrod, Henry, 1857, Gleanings among the Castles and Convents of Norfolk (Norwich) p97-106
    Bloom, J.H., 1843, The Castle and Priory at Castle Acre (London: Pelham Richardson) p87-118
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p197
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p2-4
• Journal Articles
  • Morris, M., 2006, 'Walking history: Castle Acre Priory, castle and bailey gate' Heritage Today Vol75 p36-39
    Leagh, M., 1993, Excavations and Watching Brief at Castle Acre' Norfolk Archaeology Vol41 p494-507
    1992, Fortress Vol12 p13-22
    Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
    Coad, J.G., Streeten, A.D.F. and Warmington, R., 1987, ‘Excavations at Castle Acre Castle, Norfolk, 1975–1982. The bridges, lime kilns, and eastern gatehouse' Archaeological Journal Vol144 p256–307
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p308
    Cherry, J., 1985, 'Castles of the Conqueror' British Museum Soceity Bulletin no49.
    Coad, J.G., 1983, ‘Recent work at Castle Acre Castle' Château Gaillard Vol11 p55–67
    Coad, J.G. and Streeten, A.D.F., 1982, ‘Excavations at Castle Acre Castle, Norfolk, 1972–77: country house and castle of the Norman earls of Surrey' Archaeological Journal Vol139 p138–301
    Coad, J.G., 1977, ‘Excavation at Castle Acre, Norfolk, 1972-1976. An interim report' Château Gaillard Vol8 p79-86
    Coad, J.G., 1977, ‘Castle Acre: the castle' Archaeological Excavations 1976 (HMSO) p28-9
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    1935, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol40 p58-60
    Astley, 1925, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol31 p141-9
    Hartshorne, 1890, 'Castle Acre' Archaeological Journal Vol47 p1-8
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p282-5
    Clark, G.T., 1882, The Builder Vol43 p176, 185
• Guidebooks
  • Impey, E., 2008, Castle Acre priory and castle (London: English Heritage)
    Coad, Jonathan, 1999, Castle Acre Castle and Priory (London: English Heritage)
    Cocksedge, Helen, 1994, Castle Acre Priory and Castle (London: English Heritage)
    Coad, J.G., 1984. Castle Acre Castle, Norfolk. (London: English Heritage) [reset reprint 1988*]
    Brown, R.Allen, 1978, Castle Rising (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p327-8
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#norf16]