Norwich Castle

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

This was the only castle built by William I in East Anglia. It was probably under construction before the end of the 1060s as an earthwork and timber fortification. In around 1100 the motte was heightened, and the surrounding ditch deepened. The square keep was built on top of the motte around 1095-1110 to serve as a Royal Palace. The construction is Caen stone over a flint core. The Keep is entered at first floor level through an external structure, the Bigod Tower. Although the Keep remains, its outer shell has been repaired repeatedly, most recently in 1835-8 by A. Salvin. The Norman bridge over the inner ditch was replaced in about 1825. The castle was used as a gaol from 1220, with additional buildings constructed on the top of the motte next to the Keep. These buildings were demolished and rebuilt in 1789-93 with more alterations occurring in 1820. The site ceased to be used as a gaol in 1887 when it was purchased by the city to be used as a museum. (Norfolk HER)
From documentary sources, it is known that the castle had a southern bailey with an inner barbican, a small bailey on the north-east side, and that the whole area was bounded by Castle Fees, which may have been marked by a ditch or bank. 1193 Pipe Roll gives total garrison as seventy-five knights and men at arms both horse and foot.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 228735)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TG23190853

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

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 132268
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 429 and others '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.norfolk.gov.uk/tourism/museums/castle.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/134/norwichcastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Norwich.htm
    http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/ARTICLES/popescu.htm
    http://www.the-plunketts.freeserve.co.uk/castle.htm
    http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/SingleResult.aspx?uid=MNF429
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/norwich.html
• Books
  • Shepherd Popescu, Elizabeth, 2006, Norwich Castle: Excavations and Historical Survey 1987-98 (East Anglian Archaeology)[Forthcoming to be published in four parts]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p64-5
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p161-2
    Heslop, T.A., 1994, Norwich Castle Keep: Romanesque Architecture and Social Context (Centre for East Anglian Studies)
    Ayers, B.S., 1994, English Heritage Book of Norwich (London: Batsford/English Heritage)
    Rogerson, Andrew, 1994, 'Castles' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p68-9
    Kent, Peter, 1988, Fortifications of East Anglia (Lavenham: Ternence Dalton)
    Ayers, B.S. 1988, Norwich Castle Mall excavation: the trial work 1988. (Norwich: Norfolk Museums Service)
    Drage, C., 1987, 'Urban castles' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p117-32
    Ayers, B.S. 1987, Digging deeper: recent archaeology in Norwich (Norwich: Norfolk Museums Service) [espec p16–23, Cow Tower and castle keep]
    Ayers, B.S. 1985, Excavations within the North-East Bailey of Norwich Castle, 1979 (Dereham: Norfolk Archaeological Unit - East Anglian Archaeology No28)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p308-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p268-9
    Wilton, J.W., 1979, Earthworks and Fortifications of Norfolk (Weathercock Press) p18-9
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p753-5
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1962, Buildings of England: Norwich and north-east Norfolk (Penguin) p255-8
    Rye, W., 1921, Norwich Castle (Holt)
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p173-6
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p304-7
    Beecheno, 1888, Notes on Norwich Castle (Norwich) [unimportant]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p210-11
    Harrod, Henry, 1857, Gleanings among the Castles and Convents of Norfolk (Norwich) p125-54
    Woodward, 1847, History and Antiquities of Norwich Castle (Norwich)
    Turner, D. (ed), 1845, John Kirkpatrick, History of the Religious Orders and Communities and of the Hospitals and Castle of Norwich Written About the Year 1725 (London)
    Kirkpatrick, 1836, Notes concerning Norfolk Castle (London) [history only]
    Britton, John, 1835, The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain (London) Vol4 p135-7
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p202
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol4 p16-9
    Gurdon, 1728, Essay on the Antiquity of the Castel of Norwich (Norwich) [eccentric history]
• Journal Articles
  • Shepherd, Elizabeth, 2000, 'Norwich Castle' Current Archaeology Vol15.2 p52-9
    Shepherd Popescu, Elizabeth, 1997, 'Recent Excavations at Norwich Castle' in Guy De Boe and Frans Verhaeghe (eds), Military Studies in Medieval Europe - Papers of the 'Medieval Europe Brugge 1997' Conference Vol11 (Zellik) p187-
    Shelley, A., 1996, 'Norwich Castle Bridge' Medieval Archaeology Vol40 p217-225 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    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
    Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p263-4 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986' Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p151-2 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985' Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p158-9 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p309
    Green, B., 1980, ‘Norwich Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p358-9
    Whittingham, A., 1980, ‘Note on Norwich Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p359-60
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1980, ‘Medieval Britain in 1979' Medieval Archaeology Vol24 p228-9 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Atkin and Milligan, 1976, CBA Group 7 Vol23 p17
    1974, Norfolk Archaeology Vol36 p68
    1973, Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p163 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p255-7 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    1962-3, Medieval Archaeology Vol6-7 p322 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    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
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Tingey, 1950-51, Archaeological Journal Vol106 p77
    Tench, 1910, Norfolk Archaeology Vol17 p42-5
    Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol19 p209-245, 417-455 http://www.archive.org/stream/englishhistorica19londuoft
    Hartshorne, A., 1889, 'Norwich Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol46 p260-8
    Wilkins, Wm, 1796, 'An essay towards the history of the Venta Icenorum of the Romans, and of Norwich Castle; with Remarks on the Architecture of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans' Archaeologia Vol12 p141-80
    King, Edward, 1776, 'Observations on antient castles' Archaeologia Vol4 p396-405
• Guidebooks
  • Green, Barbara, n.d. (revised 1969) Norwich Castle: A Fortress for Nine Centuries (Jarrold and Sons)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • The Anglo-saxon Chronicle; Worchester Chronicle AD1075; Laud AD1088 http://omacl.org/Anglo/ [Text based on Everyman Press edn of 1912]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p330-4
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities20.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#norf5]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p317
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Faulkner, P.A., 1971, Report on Norwich Castle Keep (City of Norwich Museums)