Wingfield Castle

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

Remains of fortified manor house. Late C14, for Michael de la Pole, who was granted licence to crenellate in 1384. An irregular rectangle on plan, surrounded by a moat. Only the south curtain wall is intact, with a fine gatehouse, not quite central, and polygonal corner bastions. Flint rubble with stone dressings. Red brick embattlements, mostly rebuilt. Below the parapet a string course with gargoyles. Lancet and loop windows to ground floor, 2-light Decorated-style windows above. Gatehouse has 3-storey polygonal corner towers with flushwork panelling at the base. Outer entrance has moulded segmental pointed arch, dying into the imposts. Moulded inner arch with original gates and wicket gate. In the jambs are square panels with the Wingfield and de la Pole arms and a portcullis groove. To courtyard a 4- centred arch. Inside the gateway 4 doorways with 2-centred arches. Evidence for vaulted roof. First-floor guardroom has original fireplace with stone buttresses terminating in corbels carved as human heads. 2-storey curtain walls; on the inner side there are several fireplaces and a piscina where living rooms and the chapel once stood. Foundations of the missing curtain walls and bastions can be traced. The present house dates from the mid C16 and was built into the remains of the western curtain wall. It is part stone-built and partly timber framed.

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

A Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1385 April 27.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TM22217724

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; 390625

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlegraphics.com/graphic/castles/castle_tours/wingfield.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p88
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p160
    Martin, Edward, 1999 [3edn], 'Medieval Castles' in Dymond, David and Martin, Edward (eds) An Historical Atlas of Suffolk (Lavenham) p58-9
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p238
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p459
    Pevsner, N., 1961, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (London, Penguin) p457
    Aldwell, S.W.H., 1926, Wingfield: Its Church, Castle and College [republished 1995] p7-34
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Wall, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Suffolk Vol1 p320, 622
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p286-7
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p174-6
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p298, 419
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p276
• Journal Articles
  • Coulson, C., 1994, 'Freedom to Crenellate by Licence - An Historiographical Revision' Nottingham Medieval Studies Vol38 p111
    1913, County Life Vol33 p952-8
    Manning, C.R., 1889, 'Wingfield Castle. (8 Jun 1888)' Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History Vol7 pt1 xxxiii
• 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 (1381-85) p555
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/essexeng.html#suff13]