Hedingham Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hengham; Hedningham; Heningham; Henham

In the civil parish of Castle Hedingham.
In the historic county of Essex (Modern Authority of Essex, 1974 county of Essex).

Castle Keep circa 1130-1140. Built for Aubrey De Vere and reputedly designed by William De Corbeuil, Archbishop of Canterbury. Of flint rubble faced throughout with Barnack stone. C20 wooden floors and lead roof. Of square plan 58ft x 53ft. Four storeys. The walls have an average thickness at ground floor level of 11ft tapering to 10ft. Height approximately 70ft with two remaing turrets at north west and south east corners with heights varying between approximately 15ft to 25ft. The remains of the north west rectangular fore-building of basement height now of flint rubble formerly stone faced with stone steps approaching the entrance door from south to north. The Castle Keep is situated in the middle of the inner bailey which originally had a curtain wall and wall connected to the outer bailey by a bridge. The Great Hall and other buildings were to the south west, most of which including the bridge were rebuilt C15/C16 and were probably destroyed C17/C18. Some material being re-used circa 1718-19 when the present house was rebuilt in the outer bailey to the north east. The castle ranks among the most important Norman buildings in the country if not northern Europe.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 114521)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL787358

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 number; 379085

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 6787, 25226

• Web site links
  • http://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/
    http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/hedingham%20castle.htm
    http://www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Hedingham-Castle.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_east_anglia/155/hedinghamcastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_Hediingham.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/hedingham/hedingham.php#castle
    http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/C/castle/hed_main.html
• Books
  • Neville, David, 2003, Lost Castles of Essex (Ian Henry) p44-59
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p33-6
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p113
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p73-4
    Anderson, Verily et al, 1993, The De Veres of Castle Hedingham (Terence Dalton)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p145
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p240-1
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker) p202-204
    Pevsner, N., 1965. The Buildings of England: Essex (London, Penguin, 2edn. revised by E. Radcliffe) p110-111
    Tipping, H.A., 1921, English Homes, period 1 Vol1 (London) p1-12
    RCHME, 1916, An inventory of the historical monuments in Essex. Vol1 [north-west] p51-57
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p73-7
    Gotch, J.Alfred, 1909, The Growth of the English House: a short History of its architectural development from 1100-1800 (London) p7-13
    Majendie, 1904, Some Account of the Family of De Vere (London) p73-97 [an enlarged edition of a book dated c. 1897, which may not have had the same title]
    Gould, Chalkley, 1903, in Doubleday, Arthur and Page, Wm (eds), VCH Essex Vol1 p294-5
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England Vol1 p261-5
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p229-30
    Morant, 1868, History and Antiquities of County of Essex (London) Vol2 p291-6
    Britton, John, 1835, The Architectural Antiquities of Great Britain (London) Vol3 p35-8
    Majendie, 1796, Vetusta Monumenta Vol3 appendix
    Strutt, Joseph, 1774, Horda Angel-cynnan (London) Vol1 plate xxix
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p93
• Journal Articles
  • Dixon, P. and Marshall P., 1992 Dec, 'The Great Tower at Hedingham Castle: A Reassessment' Fortress Vol18 p23-42 [Reprinted in Liddiard, R. (ed), 2003, Anglo-Norman Castles (Woodbridge)]
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p312
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Johnston, 1920, Country Life, Vol48 p336-43, 372-9
    St John Hope, 1907, Archaeological Journal Vol64 p178-82
    Parker, 1869, Essex Archaeological Society transactions Vol4 p235-9 [slight]
    Majendie, L.A.,1869, Essex Archaeological Society transactions Vol4 p240
    Majendie, L.A.,1858, Essex Archaeological Society transactions Vol1 p75-80
    1853, Gentleman's Magazine pt1 p598-600 [survey of 1592]
• Guidebooks
  • Anon, 1989, Hedingham Castle (Derby: English Life Publications)
    Majendie, Musette, n.d., Some account of Hedingham Castle in Essex (Halstead: W.H.Root)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#essex21]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p447 [Called Henham and mislocated in Suffolk]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol2 p25