Burwell Castle
Encyclopedia
Burwell Castle was an unfinished medieval motte and bailey castle in Burwell
, Cambridgeshire
, England.
, a long running dispute between the supporters of Stephen, and his Angevin rival, the Empress Matilda
. The baron Geoffrey de Mandeville
was dispossessed of his castles by Stephen and rose up in revolt immediately afterwards, taking up a position near Ely
in the Fens and threatening Cambridge Castle
and the route south to London; Burwell Castle was built as part of a chain of castles to protect the region, including Lidgate
, Rampton, Caxton and Swavesay Castle. Stephen appropriated the village of Burwell, which was constructed on a raised area of land of Roman origin, and proceeded to commence building a small motte on top of it, surrounded by an unusual rectangular earthwork with a curtain wall and a small gatehouse.
Geoffrey de Mandeville attacked Burwell in 1144 when the castle was still unfinished, but during the operation he was hit by a crossbow bolt; he retired to nearby Mildenhall
, where he died from the injury. After Geoffrey's death the castle was never completed, although a stoen gatehouse was completed on the site, suggesting a period of further occupation. The Abbot of Ramsey
built a chapel on the site around 1246, and the site was finally abandoned in the 15th century.
The archaeologist Thomas Lethbridge
excavated the site in 1935. The castle site was bought by the Burwell Parish Council in 1983. Today only the unfinished earthworks remain of the castle, which have scheduled monument status.
Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell is a large fen-edge village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles north east of Cambridge. It is situated on the south-eastern edge of The Fens, a large area of relatively flat former marshland which lies close to sea level and covers the majority of Cambridgeshire...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England.
Details
Burwell Castle was built near the village of Burwell in 1143 by Stephen I of England, on the site of a former Roman villa. It was constructed during the civil war of the AnarchyThe Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
, a long running dispute between the supporters of Stephen, and his Angevin rival, the Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
. The baron Geoffrey de Mandeville
Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex
Geoffrey de Mandeville II, 1st Earl of Essex was one of the prominent players during the reign of King Stephen of England. His biographer, the 19th-century historian J. H...
was dispossessed of his castles by Stephen and rose up in revolt immediately afterwards, taking up a position near Ely
Ely, Cambridgeshire
Ely is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England, 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about by road from London. It is built on a Lower Greensand island, which at a maximum elevation of is the highest land in the Fens...
in the Fens and threatening Cambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle
Cambridge Castle, locally also known as Castle Mound, is located in the town of the same name in Cambridgeshire, England. Originally built after the Norman conquest to control the strategically important route to the north of England, it played a role in the conflicts of the Anarchy, the First and...
and the route south to London; Burwell Castle was built as part of a chain of castles to protect the region, including Lidgate
Lidgate Castle
Lidgate Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in the village of Lidgate, Suffolk, England, built to an unusual quandrangular design.-Details:...
, Rampton, Caxton and Swavesay Castle. Stephen appropriated the village of Burwell, which was constructed on a raised area of land of Roman origin, and proceeded to commence building a small motte on top of it, surrounded by an unusual rectangular earthwork with a curtain wall and a small gatehouse.
Geoffrey de Mandeville attacked Burwell in 1144 when the castle was still unfinished, but during the operation he was hit by a crossbow bolt; he retired to nearby Mildenhall
Mildenhall, Suffolk
Mildenhall is a small market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is run by Forest Heath District Council and has a population of 9,906 people. The town is near the A11 and is located north-west of county town, Ipswich. The large Royal Air Force base, RAF Mildenhall as well as RAF...
, where he died from the injury. After Geoffrey's death the castle was never completed, although a stoen gatehouse was completed on the site, suggesting a period of further occupation. The Abbot of Ramsey
Ramsey Abbey
Ramsey Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey located in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, England, southeast of Peterborough and north of Huntingdon, UK.-History:...
built a chapel on the site around 1246, and the site was finally abandoned in the 15th century.
The archaeologist Thomas Lethbridge
Thomas Charles Lethbridge
Thomas Charles Lethbridge was a British explorer, archaeologist and parapsychologist. According to the historian Ronald Hutton, Lethbridge's "status as a scholar never really rose above that of an unusually lively local antiquary" for he had a "contempt for professionalism in all fields" and...
excavated the site in 1935. The castle site was bought by the Burwell Parish Council in 1983. Today only the unfinished earthworks remain of the castle, which have scheduled monument status.