North Elmham Bishops Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; North Elman

In the civil parish of North Elmham. In the historic county of Norfolk (Modern Authority of Norfolk, 1974 county of Norfolk).

Former church converted into a fortified manor house. Probably built by Bishop Herbert de Losinga (1091-1119) on the site of the Anglo-Saxon Cathedral of Elmham. Bishop Despencer, having obtained licence to crenellate, fortified the site c.1387. Ferruginous conglomerate with flint core and ashlar dressings. Brick dressings to C14 work. Roofless. Western tower with semicircular stair turret, aisleless nave, continuous transept with armpit towers and apse. Evidence for ashlar dressed tower and west transept arches, north and south nave doorways and entrances into armpit towers. C14 work includes a semicircular tower base matching the original stair turret and several masonry partitions with brick dressings. The site is surrounded by C14 earthworks.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 220698)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TF98812160

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 358933
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1014 '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.edp24.co.uk/Content/HiddenNorfolk/asp/2002/08/020824Cathdral1.asp
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.36
    http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MNF1014
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/elmham.html
• Books
  • Cushion, B. and Davison, A., 2003, Earthworks of Norfolk (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 104) p119-20 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p62-3
    Liddiard, R., 2000, Landscapes of Lordship (Oxford: BAR 309) p108
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p129, 131, 166
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p113, 115, 168, 181
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p158-9
    Rogerson, Andrew, 1994, 'Castles' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p68-9
    Williamson, Tom, 1993, The origins of Norfolk pp143-54
    Wade-Martins, P. (ed), 1987, Norfolk From The Air Vol1 (Norfolk Museums Service) p50
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p308
    Wade-Martins, P., 1980, Excavations in North Elmham Park 1967-1972 (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 9)
    Wilton, J.W., 1979, Earthworks and Fortifications of Norfolk (Weathercock Press) p24-5
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p300-1
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p283, 420
• Journal Articles
  • Fletcher, J., 1982, Norfolk Archaeology Vol38 pt2 p192
    Heywood, S.R., 1982, 'The Ruined Church at North Elmham' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol135
    Rigold, S.E. and Heywood, S.R., 1980, Archaeological Journal Vol137 p327-29
    Wade-Martins, P., 1970, Norfolk Archaeology Vol35 p25-78, 263-267
    Wade-Martins, P., 1969, Norfolk Archaeology Vol34 p352-397
    Rigold, S.E., 1962-3, 'The Anglian Cathedral of North Elmham, Norfolk' Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p67-108 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1935, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol40 p52-3
    Clapham and Godfrey, 1929, Norfolk Archaeology Vol23 p57-60
    Clapham, A.W. and Godfrey, W.H., 1926, 'The Saxon cathedral of Elmham' Antiquaries Journal Vol6 p402-9
    Howlett, 1914, Norfolk Archaeology Vol18 p109
    B.T.R.C., 1903, The Builder Vol84 p267-70
• Guidebooks
  • Rigold, S.E., 1960, (HMSO) esp p4, 5
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Calendar of Patent Rolls (1385-1389) p381
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]