Thetford Castle Hill

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

Motte and bailey castle constructed within an Iron Age enclosure. The castle is believed to have been constructed shortly after the Norman Conquest, either by Ralph Guader, Earl of East Anglia until his rebellion in 1076, or Roger Bigod, his successor as Earl. It was sited in a position to control important crossings of the rivers Thet and Ouse, as well as to dominate the town of Thetford which, at the time of the Domesday survey, was among the six largest and most populous towns in the country. The motte is a large, circular mound of chalk, approximately 25m in height and 90m in diameter surrounded by a bank of chalk rubble 2m in height.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TL87468281

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; 382972

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 5747

• Web site links
  • http://www.wuffings.co.uk/WuffSites/Thetford.htm
• Books
  • Cushion, B. and Davison, A., 2003, Earthworks of Norfolk (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 104) p180-2 [plan]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p70
    Everson, P. and Jecock, M., 1999, 'Castle Hill and the early medieval development of Thetford in Norfolk' in Pattison, P., Field, D. and Ainsworth, S. (eds), Patterns of the past: essays in landscape archaeology for Christopher Taylor (Oxford: Oxbow) p97-106
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p163
    Rogerson, Andrew, 1994, 'Castles' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p68-9
    Davies, J.A. and Gregory, T., 1992, 'Excavations at Thetford Castle, Norfolk, 1962 and 1985-6' in Davies et al, The Iron Age Forts of Norfolk (Dereham: East Anglian Archaeology 54) p1-28
    Wade-Martins, P. (ed), 1987, Norfolk From The Air Vol1 (Norfolk Museums Service) p15
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p309
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p305
    Wilton, J.W., 1979, Earthworks and Fortifications of Norfolk (Weathercock Press) p9, 22
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Clarke, 1908, in Astley, Memories of Old Norfolk (London) p174-6
    Killick, n.d. [1908], The Origin and History of Thetford Hill (Norwich)
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p292
    Martin, 1779, History of Thetford (London) p10-11 plate ii
• Journal Articles
  • Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p316
    Rigold, S., 1980, 'Thetford Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol137 p355
    1967, Medieval Archaeology Vol11 p190
    [Clarke and Green], 1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p257 [suggests outer bailey is Iron Age fort]
    1961-2, Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin Vol14 p7
    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]
    1949,Archaeological Journal Vol106 p111
    Clarke, 1907, Norfolk Archaeology Vol16 p39-45
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#norf2]