Bungay Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Bungeye

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

On high ground, virtually surrounded by the Waveney and a site of earlier fortifications, Hugh Bigod, built a massive Norman keep in 1165. In 1174 he supported Henry II's rebellious sons in armed insurrection, which ended in surrender of the Castle to the King's forces and the payment of 1,000 Marks for his disloyalty. A second castle was built by Roger Bigod in 1294, with a licence to crenellate, which protected the town with curtain walls and provided the twin towers of the gate house which remain today.

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

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1294 April 20.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TM336897

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; 391668

• Web site links
  • http://www.bungay-suffolk.co.uk/tourism/castle.htm
    http://www.castlegraphics.com/graphic/castles/castle_tours/bungay.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p72-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p232
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p456
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p196-7
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Pevsner, N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p109-10
    Mann, 1934, Old Bungay (London) p25-34 [histroy only]
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Suffolk Vol1 p593-5
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p272-4
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p189-95
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p404
    Suckling, 1846, History and Antiquities of Suffolk (London) Vol1 p133-9
• Journal Articles
  • Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1984, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1983' Medieval Archaeology Vol28 p241
    Martin, E., Plouviez, J. and Ross, H., 1984, ‘Archaeology in Suffolk 1983' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History 35.4 p327
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1983, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1982' Medieval Archaeology Vol27 p204
    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]
    Braun, H, 1937, Journal of the British Archaeological Association [ser3] Vol1 p157-67
    Braun, H., and Dunning, G., 1936, 'Bungay Castle: Notes on 1936 excavations and on pottery from the mortar layer' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol22 pt3 p334-8
    Braun, H, 1935, 'Bungay Castle, report on the excavations' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol22 pt2 p201-23
    Braun, H., 1934, 'Some notes on Bungay Castle' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol22 pt1 p109-19
    Raven, J.J., 1890, 'Notes on recent excavations at Bungay Castle' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol7 pt2 p212-3 [poor]
    Clark, G.T., 1882, the Builder Vol43 p176, 186-7
• Guidebooks
  • Braun, Hugh, 1991, Bungay Castle Historical Notes and Account of the Excavations (Bungay Castle Trust) [Mainly a reprint of Braun's 1934 and 1935 articles]
• 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 (1292-1301) p68
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#suff14]