Monument record BUN 004 - Bungay Castle

Important Med castle to AD 1362, associated with Bigod family of Norfolk.
(S2) contains a history of Bungay and particularly the castle, the Bigod family and other owners, a description of the castle and the 1934 excavations:- Noman motte and bailey, keep and earthworks. Taken by Stephen circa 1150. Mine gallery 1174. Use as a castle lapsed till 1294 licence to crenellate. Also built twin towered gatehouse, refaced keep and inserted four windows on ground floor. Its day ended, to all intents, with the death of Edward de Montacute in 1362. By 1382 "old and ruinous". Some indication that the castle was occupied and perhaps even repaired during C15 (S2). Part scheduled. Excavation circa 1890 described (S1).
1933, Feoffees of Bungay leased it from the Duke of Norfolk. Site cleared. 1934-1935 excavation (S2). Material from 1934 excavation in Ipswich Museum, a selection of rims probably in the British Museum. Used as dating evidence by G Dunning (R1). C13-C16 sherds (S3).
Originally an earthen motte and bailey castle surrounded by wooden palisades. A stone keep with walls 18 feet thick and some 90 feet high was built on the motte about 1164, and a stone curtain wall replaced the palisade around the bailey. In 1294 an octagonal curtain wall round the keep, a gatehouse and drawbridge were built. The two round towers which defended the drawbridge on the W side still stand. On the S side of the keep are remains of the forebuilding, one of the largest in England. The inner bailey was on the W and at a much later date a large outer bailey surrounded by a deep ditch was added on the S. The ruined keep, parts of the inner bailey ramparts on W and S, and part of the outer bailey earthworks, which are known as "Castle Hills" remain. The main buildings were surrounded by a deep wide moat but the site as a whole has been mutilated by development (S5)(quoting (R2)). Hugh Bigod's castle was captured by the Crown in 1140 but he had regained it by 1166. Its destruction in 1174 is debatable as is the attribution of the curtain walls to the licence to crenellate in 1294.
The military and political history of East Anglia in the Middle Ages cannot be told without reference to Bungay Castle, after Framlingham the chief residence of the Bigod Earls, the most powerful family in the region. Further structural details in (S6).
Many planning applications of area suggested necessity for further scheduling. Scheduled area extended 13 July 1982 (S6).
1990: Geophysical survey (R7).
1991: Said to be falling. Castle trust formed with SPS help. Repairs to begin 2.2.91 (S7).
See also "Castle Hills", BUN 012.
Interesting account of Bungay Castle in 1829 in the Woodward Correspondence, volume 3 (1829), in Norwich Castle (S4).
Dec 2005: Photographs of possible surival of the tinner ward wall behind garage to the rear of 23 Earsham Street (S9)
March 2008: site visit (Robert Carr) identified circa 1m length of Medieval 'in situ' N-S flint walling in land parcel SW of the inner bailey (TM 33488 89691) - report in parish file (S8).

2017:Magnetometry, earth resistivity, and ground penetrating radar identified a narrow range of geophysical anomalies that have significant archaeological potential, including in-situ strictural remains that may include walls, floors, and a potential well. Anomlaies indicative of robbed-out or service trench runs, rubbish pits or geological deposits, demolition or levelling deposits and an extant Tarmacadam drive were further prospected (S10)(S11).
Earthworks visible on Lidar. See associated files.

1991: Letter with report of limited excavation undertakend in 1964 which recovered medieval pottery (S12, S13).

2005: Site visit was undertaken to view the location of proposed garages to the rear of 23 Earsham street. Inspection of the mall behind the existing garage and the castle inner ward wall, shared that there is some flint and mortar fabric with small amounts of brick and stone which is a reasonable candidate for being medieval structure, but access was poor and visibility restricted by vegetation and the existing garage building. The garage is c.400mm away from the wall. The area of the wall which would be behind the rear garage is all 19th century (S14).

1993: Monitoring of a programme of archaeological works within the forebuilding inclduing a building recording and photographic survey. The excavation consited of a single trench 1.5m long and 0.6m wide with a fill to a depth of 55cms being removed against of the west wall before encountering the remnant of a white mortar spread. This appeared to be consistant with the floor evident in contemporary photographs of Braun's excavation. Towards the centre of the Forebuilding, this accumulated fill was only 20cms in depth with the contractors instructed not to lower the existing floor levelto any more than its current lowest level. The building recording of the walls of the Forebuilding and south wall of the keep had to await the clearance of vegetation. One the cover was removed a photopgrpahic record was made. A final visit was then undertaken following the removal of scaffolding and completion of the conract work on the wall. This included a re-photographing of the walls of the forebuilding, after the repointing was made. This included the north wall which had origanlly been omitted (S15).