Freckenham Castle

In the civil parish of Freckenham. In the historic county of Suffolk (Modern Authority of Suffolk, 1974 county of Suffolk).

Freckenham Castle. A circular chalk mound some 40 ft high with a level summit c 40 ft in circumference with no evidence of stonework; bounded on the south and east by a sunken road and on the north by a considerable ditch; between the ditch and the sunken road is an outer court. Documentary evidence confirms the existence of the Castle during the early Norman period (Morley). A motte with double bailey situated in a commanding position adjacent to an old road junction covering the main east-west highway, and above a river junction (See Brook and Kennett). Originally the castle comprised a substantial motte standing in the north-east corner of an inner bailey with an outer bailey to the north, a strong ditch sub-dividing the two. Extant remains now constitute the motte (heavily tree covered) and ditch, with traces of an outer bailey perimeter ditch to the north - now mainly occupied by a road; elsewhere all earthworks have been destroyed by either modern road and building construction or, to the west, quarrying above the river plain. An excavation has been made into the mound at TL 6671 7186 by the present owners, this has revealed the tooled corner stone of a substantial building. The corner supports a cob, flint and chalk mortar wall. Further foundations are of the same cob and flint make-up; there appears to be no intention of the excavation continuing (Field Investigators Comments–F1 FDC 19-JUL-76). (PastScape)
The manor of Feckenham may have been granted, by William I to Archbishop Lafranc, who, in turn, granted it to bishop Gandulf of Rochester. Although based on a forged C13 document this document may have been a copy of a lost document rather than a deception. The bishop of Rochester was granted a market and fair at Feckenham in the early C13. A residence of the bishop of Rochester is sometimes suggested here. The castle may have been built by the bishops to assert a claim to the manor, well outside the see of Rochester. There seems to be no other potential builder, other than the bishops of Rochester; presumably Bishop Gandulf.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL66727185

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 377609
Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular '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, or elsewhere.

• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p78
    Martin, Edward, 1999 [3edn], 'Medieval Castles' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p58-9
    Flight, C., 1997, The Bishops and Monks of Rochester 1076-1214 (Maidstone: Kent Archaeological Society)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p457
    Pevsner, N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p202
• Journal Articles
  • Morley, C., 1921, 'Freckenham, Suffolk: Notes and theories on the village and its unrecorded castle' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol17 pt3 p182-192
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • DRc_Rochester_Priory_and_other_Religious_Houses_1080_1541/DRc_T048 from http://cityark.medway.gov.uk
• 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 ]