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Castle Acre Castle - Castle Acre, Norfolk (EH)

The small village of Castle Acre is bounded to the west by the great Cluniac Priory and to the east by the castle. Although there are substantially more stonework remains at the Priory, the history of the two sites is interconnected and provides the modern visitor with a physical illustration of the twin powers of church and aristocracy which brought the village into being.

Soon after the Norman invasion in 1066, William's most trusted and able followers were rewarded for their part in the subjection of England with estates and lands seized from the Anglo-Saxons. Not only did this keep his Norman countrymen sweet and confirm their debt to him, but it also meant subjection for the native population. One such reward package was given to William de Warenne, whose family were from Varennes in Normandy. His newly acquired land in England was spread over a dozen counties and included the site at what became Castle Acre. His main base was at Lewes in Sussex but he also held Conisbrough in Yorkshire and as was the habit of the times, he travelled round his estates, building defensible strongholds. At Castle Acre this included a large house on top of the motte, protected by a ditch and bank with a wooden palisade on top.

 In 1085, William's wife Gundrada died in childbirth here. From her name, it would appear that William had married into the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy to further establish his position. Three years later, William was created Earl of Surrey and he died not long afterwards, during the siege of Pevensey castle in Sussex. Following his father's high political career (he became William I's Chief Justicar), the second William de Warenne served loyally under the new King, Henry I as both an administrator and military man in England and Normandy. He was a great benefactor to the Church, also like his father and followed his example at Lewes by granting land and labour for the already ongoing construction of the Priory at Castle Acre.

The third Earl succeeded in 1138 and was killed while on the crusades about ten years later. All his estates were left to his daughter Isabel, who was therefore quite a catch. She first married William of Blois, a younger son of King Stephen and, after his death, she married Hamelin Plantagenet, the illegitimate half-brother of Henry II. It was Hamelin who built the wonderful white keep at Conisbrough. Here at Castle Acre, substantial reconstruction went on during this time. The massive earthworks which surround the castle, extending into the village, date from the first three earls' time and in the mid twelfth century a new stone curtain wall topped by a wall walk, was built around the house, with the bank in the northern half of the upper ward being heightened. Shortly afterwards, a second flint curtain wall was built on top of the other, increasing the defense.

Excavations of this upper ward area have provided much evidence for the types of goods used here - from pottery to hunting apparatus to games and dice. Some of these items can be seen at the Castle Museum in Norwich. The whole upper ward area appears somewhat enigmatic, as not only is it substantially ruined, but the raising of the surrounding bank and then walls makes it seem as if the original house was dug into the ground. The informative boards around the area do provide a reconstructed drawing of what the mid-twelfth century castle probably looked like.

Hamelin and Isabele's son William, the sixth earl, played host to Henry III several times at Castle Acre, confirming the high status of both the earl and his castle. His son, John also entertained royalty at Castle Acre - Edward I visited several times between 1292 and 1301. The castle was given to the Earl of Pembroke, Aymer de Valence in 1316 and on his death it passed to the Earl of Athol, then after protracted legal wrangling, back to the last Warenne earl in 1347. By 1397, Castle Acre seems to have been derelict and it was not until the seventeenth century that repairs of any size were made. By then of course the Priory too was abandoned and in ruins, but the Castle Acre estate and lands were still worth a great deal of money. Now the site, along with the Priory, is maintained by English Heritage.

What remains visible today are the impressive Bailey Gate in the centre of the village, spanning the road and the huge earthworks, here and there dotted with tower and gate basements. There is a clear definition of the areas enclosed to form the upper and lower wards and some perimeter walls still stand to a reasonable height. On the August afternoon that we visited, there were few people braving the intense sun and sweating up the earthwork climbs. What was once no doubt a bustling, smelly area was serene and formed part of a very interesting site encompassing castle, village and priory. 

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